Grand Charvia walks

This thirteenth stage marks the start of the crossing of the Queyras Massif. From La Vachette, the previous day’s trail joins the GR®5. After a flat start, the forest path winds its way along the banks of the Durance as it descends towards the hamlet of L’Envers du Fontenil, before climbing up to a fortification at the foot of the Fort des Trois Têtes and then crossing the remarkable Pont d’Asfeld. The GR®5 climbs to the Cité Vauban in Briançon, one of France’s finest fortified towns, and descends via the Portes d’Embrun to the Parc de la Schappe. It heads south towards Villar-Saint-Pancrace, then veers off towards Les Ayes via the hamlets of La Mourande, Sachas and Soubeyran, from where it climbs to the Chapelle Saint-Laurent, then on to Le Lauzin, before reaching the Chalets des Ayes. It reaches the Col des Ayes, descends the opposite slope, joins a track at L’Eychaillon and turns left onto it, running alongside the Torrent de la Rivière as far as Brunissard and then La Chalp.

This section corresponds to the second stage of the crossing of France, following the 45th parallel. This stage is magnificent and can be a hike in its own right. You follow the Clarée valley and discover beautiful waterfalls before climbing up to the Refuge du Chardonnet.

This is the first stage of a journey that will take you across France, following the 45th parallel as closely as possible (within 10 km). To truly cross France and avoid going back and forth, the starting point is in Italy. However, it is possible to start from Pamplinet and climb up to the Col de Désertes to start from the French-Italian border.

This fourteenth stage completes the crossing of the Queyras Massif. From La Chalp, the GR® 5 climbs along the left bank of the Torrent de l’Izoard above Arvieux, then reaches the hamlet of Les Maisons. From there, it heads towards Lac de Roue before descending to Château-Queyras. The route climbs the steep slope on the opposite side, on the right bank of the Torrent de Bramousse, joins a road at a hairpin bend and leaves it at the next one. It continues through the torrent’s valley, reaches the ridge separating the Bramousse and Riou Vert valleys, and, hugging the hillside beneath the peaks of La Selle and Rasis, reaches the Col Fromage. The path descends along the right bank of the Ravin de Rasis to reach Le Villard before arriving at Ceillac, from where it follows the Torrent du Mélezet, alternating between the left and right banks, before reaching the Refuge de la Cime du Mélezet.

Instead of taking the ‘classic’ ascent via the forest road, opt for a route that climbs more steeply and features much more technical single-track sections – this will give you a good warm-up for the descent towards Les Granges de Furfande, then on to Le Queyron and finally back to Arvieux. I’ve only described the ascent route here. For the descent, use the Col de Furfande route guide , described by morgiou13, available at (2). Given the difficulty of the climb (steep sections and tight, steep hairpin bends), this route is best suited to e-MTBs.

The walk mostly follows a ridge above the Guil valley between Aiguilles and Ville-Vieille. We recommend returning via the free shuttle bus, which runs between Château-Queyras and L’Échalp.

This is the fourth stage of the route, taking you from the village of Névache to the Drayéres mountain hut at the head of the Clarée Valley. The route follows the path known as the Chemin de Ronde, part of theGRP® Tour du Thabor trail. You’ll complete a circular route around Lake Laramon. Alternatively, from this lake you can also reach Lake aux Serpents. The view over the valley from the top of the Chemin de Ronde is simply stunning. When you reach the Refuge de la Terrasse, take a moment to admire the mountainous landscape of this valley.

The Tour du Queyras, labelledGR®58, is adaptable. The route described, starting from Château Queyras and completed in a group in September 2008, will take you through this natural park, skirting and climbing some 3,000 metres. You will discover the beautiful villages of this park with their well-known names: Ceillac, Saint Véran, Abriés... What's more, in summer the weather is almost always fine. The bright blue sky the next day will quickly make you forget the storm of the previous evening.

This is the first stage of the tour and is an adaptation as the route is not on theGR®58, but it allows you to visit the castle that dominates the Guil pass. (Please note) The Montbardon stopover lodge (Le Cadran Solaire) has been closed since 2018, so the best option from Château Queyras is to go directly to Ceillac via the Col Fromage. (Important note): See this website mentioning the reopening of this lodge for summer 2023.

You’ll gradually discover the Clarée valley. As you gain altitude, your view will widen. It’ll soon become truly extraordinary!