The cradle of mountaineering – Vercors Trièves' mountains

Mountaineering took off in the late 19th and early 20th centuries around the town of Chamonix in the French Alps. Mont Blanc, the Drus summit and the Aiguille du Midi became renowned names associated with many sporting feats. The roof of Europe was conquered on 8 August 1786.

Few people know that the Vercors Massif is the birthplace of mountaineering. In 1492, the same year Christopher Columbus discovered America, Antoine de Ville climbed Mount Aiguille, known as Mount Inaccessible. Using ladders and pitons, they set foot on this mountain nicknamed the chicot, because it looks so much like a gigantic tooth.

If you love nature and wide open spaces, I invite you to embark on a kind of pilgrimage. At an altitude of 2,087 metres (6,847 ft), Mont Aiguille and its neighbour Grand Veymont, the highest point in the Vercors massif at 2,341 metres (7,680 ft), are the major points of interest in this Collection. However, this cradle of mountaineering has many other peaks to offer.

Over the course of these five beautiful hikes, you'll discover more about this part of the Vercors, known as the Trièves. All these routes are less than an hour from the city of Grenoble, close to Chichilianne. This small village serves as your base camp. There’s a gîte, a hotel and campsites.

The walks take a full day. The last loop on the Glandasses mountain includes a night of wild camping. If you want to do all the routes, you'll need a week, including one or two rest days.

Wherever you go, Mont Aiguille is omnipresent. Its summit is virtually flat, with a meadow at the top, similar to the mountain pastures found throughout the Vercors high plateaux. A long time ago, this tooth broke away from the eastern cliff of the massif.

Many of your walks take place in the Hauts-Plateaux du Vercors nature reserve. To respect the peace of the herds and wild animals, such as the numerous ibex, dogs are not allowed on the trails. Campfires are also prohibited.

These routes are aimed primarily at experienced hikers who are used to walking in high and medium mountains. There’s no climbing involved, but some sections are technical with steep slopes and scree.

You can follow these paths in winter, but you’ll need to use snowshoes in places. The best times to hike are spring for the exuberant flowers, summer to escape the heat of the plains and autumn for the colours. You can catch a bus from Grenoble centre to Chichilianne or drive. Each loop starts and finishes at a car park.

All that's left for me to do now is to wish you all the best on your walking Tour.