Horse riding in Queyras and Ubaye

Hello and thank you for your comment. This corner of Queyras does indeed lend itself to many variations, and the one you have chosen for this circular route is very interesting. From La Blanche, your route over the Col de Saint Véran and Caramantran is a classic and very beautiful.
Enjoy the rest of your hike and, of course, the Visorando website.

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Date of your route : Aug 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Thank you for this superb hike, which we were able to enjoy with confidence despite our age (over 140 years between us). To optimise our car journey, we set off from Ceillac, leaving our car in the car park of the Les Balladins lodge (but we found it four days later with scratches on it – incomprehensible! The lodge manager was very sorry). We stayed at the Estoilies lodge in Les Raux, below St Véran. For the rest, we followed the indicated route, with just one variation: we went directly to the La Blanche refuge (very busy!), dropped off our bags and spent the afternoon doing a circular route around the Col de St Veran and Pic de Caramantran, to enjoy the magic of being over 3,000 metres high, with views of the Viso and the Italian valleys (in the clouds, as is often the case!).

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Thank you for this comment and especially for this variation, which allows us to discover other truly remarkable landscapes.

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Date of your route : Jul 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Route taken over a long weekend on 14 July. I had had it in mind for a long time before discovering the description on Visorando, which made me want to go even more. I hike the old-fashioned way, so no tracking on my smartphone, just good old IGN maps.
A few differences from the reference itinerary:
- We went straight up to the refuge on the first day, via the Clausis chapel, for timing reasons after a late start.
- We crossed the Col Blanchet and passed through Italy before climbing up to the Col Longet. The advantage is a less steep trail on the pass, but also the Italian landscape and the lakes of the Col Longet, which are incredibly charming.
- From Maljasset, we descended the road for 1 km to climb via the GR5, a beautiful climb in the shade of the forest and less steep than the direct trail from Maljasset.
- We took the Ceillac-St Véran route via the Col de Fromage and Col des Prés de Fromage passes, which is longer but very pleasant, almost entirely through forest, with the lovely surprise of the St Simon chapel above Molines.
Otherwise, we highly recommend the "Les Zélés" lodge in Maljasset, just above the Cure.

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Hello and thank you for your comment on this "getaway". Indeed, whether you do it one way or the other, this mini tour is very enjoyable, a little physically demanding but not too much, and above all, as you point out, the evenings in the lodges are very pleasant. And the hosts are very friendly everywhere.
We wish you all the best for next year's Tour du Queyras, for example.

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Date of your route : Jul 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this hike exactly as described, but with a few variations.
I did it in reverse and started from Ceillac. This meant that the first two days were a little tougher. The climb to the Miroir and Ste Anne lakes is very pleasant. From the Col des Girardins, the steep descent to Maljasset is very beautiful and allows you to discover the pastoral Ubaye Valley. I stayed at the FFCAM refuge, which was very good. The next day, after the long climb along the Ubaye, I chose to go to the Col de Longet on the Italian border, rather than turning left onto the Col de la Noire. This allowed me to admire the resurgences and sinkholes of the Ubaye from Lake Longet. Then I returned to the Col Blanchet in France (a short but steep climb), just before descending to the Blanche refuge. The third day was more relaxing, descending to St Véran in the morning, following the Aigue Blanche valley and descending to St Véran. I had the whole afternoon to stroll around St Véran. Accommodation at the Estoilies lodge in Les Raux, below St Véran. Finally, I returned to Ceillac via the Col des Estronques.
I can confirm that the Blanche Lodge is very popular because it is easily accessible to all hikers from St Véran. The welcome in all the lodges and refuges is impeccable. Thank you for this suggestion, a very beautiful hike, whichever way you go.

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Date of your route : Jul 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for the very accurate description of this four-part hike, which is easy to follow.
The distances do not always seem very accurate, especially when reading the signs in the regional nature park. They seem to be slightly underestimated.
There are many places to camp: before the Blanche refuge, there is a large meadow with a superb sunset; around Maljasset, near the sheepfolds; not many near Ceillac, but there is a campsite, or a splendid spot just below the Col des Estronques; before reaching Saint-Véran, after a beautiful waterfall.

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Hello, I'm glad you enjoyed this itinerary.

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Date of your route : Jul 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Thank you for this wonderful hike! We did it while camping and in three days (we thought we were less athletic...): the first night at Lake Longet (the Longet Pass is worth a detour! There is a magnificent unguarded refuge on the Italian side where you can sleep in the warm...but there are only four beds!) and the second night at Lac Miroir (after crossing the Girardin Pass, which isn't exactly easy).
No particular difficulties, except for the descent to Maljasset, where there's a whole section I wouldn't have wanted to do in the rain...

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