The Ferrand round trip (Circuit n°14)

Tourist routes

The Ferrand valley is the least developed of the six Oisans valleys. Indeed, the name Ferrand comes from the Latin “ferus”, meaning “wild”, to portray the raging mountain river that flows through this beautiful, secret and little-visited area.

This almost 64 km circuit start in Bourg d'Oisans.

The villages of Ferrand' valley have cleverly managed not to give in to modernisation and have gracefully travelled through the ages.

With its jumble of buildings, thick stone walls and roofs that seem to almost tough each other, Besse-en-Oisans is one of the prettiest villages in Oisans, if not in the French Alps. Indeed, it has been classed by the French Building Association. In local patois dialect, “bes” is the word for birch, since, until it was totally destroyed in a fire, a birch forest used to caress the village with its silver branches.

Located in the heart of the village, the ↘Maison Départementale des Alpages (Mountain Pasture Centre) admirably portrays the soul of the surrounding mountains and region. Run by real enthusiasts, this centre retraces the history of the area as shaped by man throughout the ages, with a fun and educative approach to a world that is kept very much alive through exhibitions, films and
old objects.

You then drive on towards Clavans-en-Haut-Oisans, before tackling the narrow road up to the Col de Sarenne, (closed in winter). Once over the Sarenne mountain pass, wind your way down into the Sarenne valley which leads to Alpe d’Huez resort.

Discover the↘archaeological site of Brandes, just before the altiport (on left of the road). An exhibition presents this unique site in Europe at ↘Huez and Oisans Museum. Stop off for a visit to the resort before returning to Bourg-d'Oisans.