The Durance Valley

The Durance River rises from Montgenèvre, at an altitude of 2,300 metres, and continues its journey for more than 300 kilometres to flow into the Rhône. The Durance is the real lifeblood of the region, irrigating farmland, producing hydroelectric power and offering sumptuous sites for swimming and white water activities. A generous and protected nature, classified as a Natura 2000 site all along its course.
The villages: Bréziers, Espinasses, Piégut, Remollon, Rochebrune, Rousset, Théus and Venterol.
The territory benefits from a generous, protected nature, which remains the major attraction for any visitor: pure air, clear waters, exceptional panoramas and landscapes. It is also the cradle of a production renowned for its good sweet fruits, apples and pears, and its delicious wines. All along the Durance, producers invite you and sell their produce.
Agriculture, and more particularly arboriculture, has taken possession of the land at the bottom of the valley, leaving the towns and villages in the heights.

In addition to the beaches of the Lac de Serre-Ponçon, you can discover the wild banks for those who want to get away from it all, as well as canoeing and kayaking spots, not to mention fishing.
The Canal de la Durance runs through the valley. It is an irrigation, drinking water supply and electricity production canal built by Électricité de France to divert part of the waters of the Durance. Built between 1963 and 1965, the Curbans canal is the part of the factory canal that carries the waters of the Durance from the Espinasses dam to the Curbans power station over a distance of 5 km. At its eastern end, the canal receives the water from the Espinasses compensation lake, at the foot of the Serre-Ponçon dam.