Circular route around the Rochette arch

On the D1075, between La Faurie and Saint-Julien-en-Beauchêne, head for the hamlet of La Rochette, on the banks of the Grand Buëch. Just after crossing the railway line, park in the small car park on the right, at the side of the road.
Do not drive into the hamlet: the streets are very narrow and it is difficult to turn around.

(S/E) Walk carefully along the D1075 to reach the hamlet of La Rochette. Walk up Rue Pierre Lombard. Note a house with the inscription 1848 on the pediment of a window.

(1) Walk along the houses on the main street to the left, heading west, and pass by a wash house fountain. Pass under the famous arch of the old royal road and continue along the tree-lined path leading to a meadow.
Continue until you reach the Torrent de Guimpe (do not cross it), at the three pine trees on the left of the track.

(2) Turn right into the field. Leave the track and cross the field (60 m) heading south-east. Look for an opening in the boxwood hedge on the right, which leads to a bean-shaped field. Cross the field heading south-west and join a small path between two young pine trees.
Climb for about 40 m until you reach a path coming from the left.

(3) Turn right onto the path, heading south, until you reach a small pass between the "à la tour" peak and the "de l'Est" peak (60 m) .Admirethe view of the tower. Please note: access to the tower and even the foot of the tower is strictly prohibited by decree (sign on the right). Descend slightly (5 m).

(4) Turn left and climb up the slope leading under the north face of Pointe de l'Est (30 m). Continuealong the cliff, heading east, until you reach a narrow pass (20 m). The path down into the gap is well marked. Turn quickly left to climb up into the boxwood forest. Go around a large limestone slab detached from the main wall on the left, then continue climbing to reach the cliff (50 m). The second arch is just above, on the right.
Climbthe mixed ledge (rock + vegetation) to reach the arch (10 m). Do not pull up the shrubs: they serve as natural supports for climbing. Carefully return to the gap, then descend through the narrow passage (cut-throat).
At the exit, there is a beautiful view of the tower.
Continue the descent by zigzagging through the box trees, slightly to the left, to reach an old fallow field (30 m).
Cross it horizontally towards the pine forest at the bottom (30 m), then cut sharply to the right to reach a beautiful grassy track (10 m).

(5) Take Chemin du Col de Guimpe on the right to reach the hamlet of La Rochette and Rue Pierre Lombard.

(1) Descend to the left to return to the D1075 and the car park (S/E).

There are no drinking water points along the route, except for the fountain-wash house in the hamlet (drinking water not guaranteed).
No public toilets or official picnic areas, but several grassy areas suitable for breaks (off property).

The "off-trail" climb to the second arch is a little technical and should be avoided in wet weather. This arch (width: 4.5 m; height: 1.2 m) is not accessible from the south side.

Accommodation and restaurants nearby

• Saint-Julien-en-Beauchêne (2 km): hotel-restaurant, lodges, campsite, bar/restaurant.
• La Faurie (5 km): guest rooms, some services.
• Veynes (10 km): all amenities (supermarkets, restaurants, accommodation).

The arch of the old Voie Royale: measuring approximately 2 x 2.5 m, this arch allowed carts to pass upstream in the event of flooding of the Buëch river, before the construction of the D1075 road.
It bears witness to the ingenuity of traffic arrangements in the Alpine gorges.

Tour de la Rochette:this spectacular keep stands on a vertiginous rocky spur overlooking the entire gorge. Located 2 km before Saint-Julien-en-Beauchêne (in the direction of Sisteron/Grenoble), the site is off-limits but perfectly visible from the road.
According to popular tradition, the place was nicknamed "the Saracen gate" — evoking the supposed northern limit of their incursions.
More reliably, it is a 13th-century square tower, very well maintained, still vaulted.
According to Estienne & Nicolas (Medieval Castles of the Hautes-Alpes), the ruins belonged to the lords of Bôchaîne and La Baume-Noire, then to the Artauds in the 14th century.
Source: "Portal of the Saracens at La Rochette in the Buech Valley of Durbon (Hautes Alpes)".

At the foot of the hamlet, the Buëch river flows through two tunnels dug into the Tithonian rock, each measuring approximately 6 × 4 m.
The marks left by pickaxes are clearly visible, evidence of the manual labour carried out in the 19th century to channel the course of the river.

The hamlet of La Rochette is located in a very narrow gorge, framed by vertical limestone cliffs that are very close together — a typical landscape of the Buëch. Its ancient location and difficult access make it a hamlet of great heritage value.