Col du Cendrié from Les Infournas

Hello,
I didn’t follow any guidebook for this hike.
As it happens, I actually did this very same hike... and I created a track! 😊
So, out of curiosity, I went to look at the description written by the Visorando editor. Everything seems correct to me... I think it’s well described 👍
Just one comment: it’s perhaps a shame that the description doesn’t mention there are two peaks (one to the left, the other to the right of the pass) – the Cuchon and the Barry.
For the Cuchon, there’s a small path that’s fine… even if it’s a bit exposed at times.
For Barry, it’s more off-trail.
But either one is a good route to the Col du Cendrier...
For Barry, you can even continue along the ridge and descend directly to the Col de l’Escalier… and from there back down to the car you left at the Village des Infournas.

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Date of your route : May 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike, mainly through woodland along pleasant paths, with no particular difficulties. Even the climb up to the pass is very manageable, with just one or two short, slightly technical sections. A superb 360-degree panorama from the Col du Cendrié, with views of the still snow-capped Vieux Chaillol.
Note: the trails were passable without snow at the start of May. This is one of the two hikes I was able to do in the area without having to walk through snow or turn back.
On the way back, after point 5, I carried on to Lac de Barbeyroux, which is signposted as 2.1 km away; there and back, this adds an extra hour.
And in the end, I walked for between 5 and 5.5 hours.

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Date of your route : Aug 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The final stretch of the climb is quite challenging, as there’s quite a bit of elevation gain, but what a view from the pass! The walk back through the forest is very pleasant.

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Date of your route : Aug 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I’d already set out on this hike in September 2016, but I’d been caught in a massive storm where I ended up soaked from head to toe and freezing cold because of the hailstones! And I hadn’t managed to reach the pass! So I just had to go back one day!
Given the scorching temperatures in France at the moment, I was sure I wouldn’t get caught in a storm!
I just did the round trip from Les Infournas Haut to the Col du Cendrié.
It took me 1 hour 40 minutes, and I climbed an extra 30 metres to the left of the pass to get a different view.
I popped in to say hello to Vieux Chaillol, where I’d been on 18 August 2023.
Back to the car park in an hour. 8 km and 830 metres of elevation gain.
Passed three people during the hike.

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Date of your route : Jul 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Once we reached the Col du Cendrié, we decided against following the Crête du Barry (too difficult for us) and carefully made our way back down the same route we’d taken up to the forest, as described in this guidebook. It would be possible to bypass the Barry by descending 400 m towards Molines and rejoining the ascent path at the Pas de l’Escalier: this would make for a circular hike, but with an extra 400 m of elevation gain!!

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