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Park in the car park at Barby Church.
(S/E) The hike starts opposite the church porch.
The road and then the trail quickly become steeper, and the rocky trail leads to a wide track (sign: Chemin de la Miat Voie romaine alt.398m).
(1) Head south on the right towards Challes les Eaux, this time the slope is mostly downhill.
(2) As you approach the first houses in Challes, turn left (the sign indicates the direction of the dry meadow) onto a track that climbs up a series of hairpin bends.
Higher up, the slope becomes gentler as you approach the Bellevarde farm (abandoned buildings). Go around the farm at the top and continue south until the next intersection (signs)
(3). Continue straight ahead past Rocher Rousset, leaving the path that branches off to the left.
After passing near the entrance to the Grotte aux Fées (20 minutes one way), the path becomes steeper.
Continue south to a new intersection (sign), the chapel is 40 minutes away and there is still about 100 metres of elevation gain.
(4) Reach the chapel by joining the path coming from Montmerlet.
(5) Turn left. The path passes by the ruins of the old chapel (signs), of which only the foundations remain.
At the chapel, there is a panoramic view of the Chartreuse with the beautiful Col du Granier pass.
From the chapel esplanade, you can see the orientation table slightly above the site, which is a great opportunity to take in the view of the surrounding mountains.
Head back down from the orientation table.
(5) Take the marked path towards La Motte Castrale. As you descend gently, ignore the path on the right that leads to Montmerlet. You will come to a crossroads (elevation 763 on the IGN map).
(6) Turn left. Pass below the Motte Castrale (read the information panels).
After the Motte Castrale, continue downhill. Don't miss the intersection that descends to the Maquis farm, otherwise you will end up at the Ferme de Bellevarde.
(7) At the sign, take the path that descends to the right, and you will quickly reach the Maquis farm.
The buildings are in ruins, but a stele remains to remind us of the existence of this maquis.
Continue north on a pleasant path with unobstructed views until you reach the intersection "Chemin de la Paraie 650m".
(8) Head towards Barby on a path that descends rapidly. Continue towards Barby at the next intersection (Roc Petit Essart sign). The path leads to the beautiful Roman road where you started, near an unoccupied building.
(9) Turn left, i.e. south, to rejoin the (1) and then descend the steep slope of the first climb to return to the car park (S/E).
Very beautiful hike starting from Barby. No difficulty finding the route with the GPS track. The chapel is fantastic, with lots of people picnicking and superb views of the surrounding mountains
Visorando member
Moderate 
Difficult 
