Source de la Durance (Pré de Gondran, Montgenèvre)

Montgenèvre

The Durance gushes out at the Pré de Gondran, on the slopes of the Sommet des Anges, just south of Montgenèvre, below the former Gondran fort, at around 2,390 m above sea level. Wikipedia EN gives 2,390 m in the text and 2,300 m in the infobox. About 305 km long to the Rhône, the Durance drops 81 m per kilometre over its first 12 kilometres. A question of the ‘true’ source arises: the Clarée and the Guisane, which it joins, are longer at their confluence, and the Clarée-Durance system measures about 323 to 325 km. The article attributes the pre-eminence of the name Durance to the valley, an ancient trade route, whereas those of the Clarée and the Guisane are dead ends. The name appears in the forms Druentia (1st century), Durantia (854) and Durentia (1127); it perhaps comes from an Indo-European root meaning ‘to run fast’. Alexandre Dumas ranked the Durance among the three scourges of Provence (Wikipedia EN); a Provençal saying attributed to Mistral cites the mistral, the Parlement and the Durance (Provence7). This reputation comes from the floods and caprices of the middle and lower course, not from the source.

Getting there: The coordinates are those of the village of Montgenèvre (OpenStreetMap/Nominatim), not of the source: the Pré de Gondran is south of the village, below the former Gondran fort, at around 2,390 m. Exact position not verified. A ‘path of history and water’ allows it to be discovered, according to the regional website.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound