Abri de l'Essaure

The place

Unstaffed shelter at 1653 m in the Vercors high plateaus nature reserve (Drôme). Main access via the Vallon de Combeau from the village of Bénévise: take a 4x4 track or a path along the stream bed to a large shepherd's hut. From the building, the shelter is signposted but the tracks aren't clear: roughly 10 minutes of rough navigation heading north. Alternative access via the Pas de l'Essaure. Capacity: the park's signs state 10 places, doable but very tight, with some having to sleep on the floor; a maximum of 6 to 8 places on the sleeping platforms. Nature reserve rules: dogs (even on leash), fires and camping forbidden; bivouacking allowed (tent pitched after 5pm, taken down before 9am). Picking plants, collecting fossils and leaving waste are forbidden.