Walk to La Duis

L’Écot was at one time, like Bonneval, a hamlet of Bessans. In the heart of L´Écot is the Romanesque chapel of Sainte-Marguerite, dating back to the 12th century. Although the hamlet is no longer inhabited permanently today, it was until about 1960. A number of houses have been restored in keeping with this exceptional building heritage. With wood being rare at this altitude, the local stone is used from wall to roof.

Wood became a rare commodity in Bonneval-sur-Arc, and so the builders of yesterday used the most abundant resource in this high valley - the stone. Walls, lintels, roofing, drinking troughs and even intermediate floors were mounted in lauze! Thanks to a wise restoration, the hamlet of l´Écot blends harmoniously into this landscape. Walk through the narrow streets and imagine how life once was when the hamlet was populated all year by men and their animals...

These hay meadows are vital for farmers, allowing them to provide for their animals during the winter. The mowing promotes biodiversity and makes these meadows colourful in July. How many different species can you identify?

Barns can be spotted along the entire route up to Duis, which were previously used to store hay. Their architecture is particular to the Haute-Maurienne: the locals used the materials most available locally such as stone. This explains the dry stone walls as well as the lauze roofs. Large openings made it easy to store the hay, while other smaller openings allowed it to be aired. The upper parts of the barns and chalets are often semi-buried to merge into the slope and thus guard against winter avalanches.

These old barns were used to store hay for the animals in winter. It was then necessary to wait until the snow was firm enough to be able to come with the help of mules and sledges to take the hay down as far as Bonneval-sur-Arc. Today, now that practices are motorised, the hay is stored directly in agricultural buildings.

A genuine witness to this bygone rural engineering, the channels dug into the slopes would irrigate the hay meadows to promote their yield. Ÿou will be able to see them up the road.

Be patient, they are there! If it is not too hot you can see them up the path. These prairie rodents are sometimes a cause for concern for farmers: by digging their burrows, they dig out stones that can cause damage to the cutting bars!

Here you are at the end of your journey! The Arc begins its course a little higher up in the glacier that you will perceive under the peaks of Levanna, before crossing the whole Maurienne and plunging into the Isère... 120 km lower!