Baïn Balcony Circular Route from Châtillon-en-Diois

(S/E) From the Champ de Foire car park, take Rue du Ruisseau, which climbs opposite until it reaches a stone bridge; leave this on your right and continue straight on. At the stream, without crossing it, head left between the hedges. Cross a dry meadow; towards the end of it, climb slightly to the left to join a path higher up coming from the Edelweiss housing estate (barely visible trail). Follow the path alongside a cattle paddock, after which a steep slope drops sharply to the right towards a track (not marked on the IGN map). Carry on to the Suel ford (elevation 640), where the path joins the small road to Baïn, which climbs up from the village centre and can serve as another starting point. Follow the road uphill to a second ford.

(1) Without crossing it, take the track on the right (Route des Fontaines), heading NNE, which you leave to the left after a few hundred metres onto a path (not marked on the IGN map), signposted ‘Glandasse’ before the track’s barrier, to continue along the right bank of a stream. If the entrance to the path is blocked by brambles, join it a hundred metres further on by jumping across the stream. The path follows the stream from a distance, then veers sharply to the left, running alongside a wire fence.

(2) At a fork a few dozen metres further on, turn sharply to the right (east). Continue the gentle climb, which runs alongside a ruin (Chauchays) and, after a few hairpin bends, joins the forest track. Follow it up to the left. At the junction of the tracks, turn right. About two hundred metres further on, look out for a faint path, marked by a stone bearing a line and three red dots, on the embankment to the right (east).

(3) At the top of the embankment, in rocky, bushy terrain, continue straight ahead and follow the most comfortable route possible, climbing in a series of hairpin bends generally north-east, then north-west (passing through a gorge between distinctive rocks), then north-east again until you reach a wider path heading north-east. Follow it for a few dozen metres, skirting a small ridge.

(4) At an altitude of 920 m, look out for a path turning sharply westwards (cairns). It climbs through the pine trees then follows the hillside to the bottom of the Combe des Fontaines, where it crosses two slightly unstable scree slopes before climbing due west to a shoulder of the Serre de la Grotte (1070 m).
Leave a path on your right that heads back towards the^GR® 91 Châtillon–Glandasse and continue along the hillside through the deciduous forest. Cross the ravines of the Combe d’Estreit (a worn path at the bottom of the ravine) and the slopes of the Pierrelle (take care on the rocky and narrow sections, some of which overlook sheer drops of several metres) until you reach a shoulder of the Beau Roure (approx. 1,170 m), fragrant with thyme, the highest point of the circular route.

(5) Pass a path on your right which climbs towards Glandasse via the Fontaine des Tuiles (Visorando route description) and continue gently downhill towards the west. After a short hairpin bend, pass a path on your left (marked by a cairn) descending towards the Baïn farm (possible shortcut, Visorando route description). Cross the gullies of the Combe du Trintrin (caution advised), then the next gully to reach the bottom of the valley and join the path leading up from Châtillon to the Col des Caux (see practical information)

(6) Follow this well-marked and signposted path to the left until you reach the end of the Baïn track (elevation 878). An interesting alternative to the right leads to the Col des Caux and the Pié du Bœuf via the^GR® 95, extending the journey by three-quarters of an hour (see Practical Information)

(7) Follow this track down to the ford, where you rejoin the route you took on the way up.

(1) Follow this route in the opposite direction to the Champ de Foire car park (S/E).

This unmarked circular path offers neither water sources nor shelter. It requires sturdy footwear that fits well: between the Serre des Grottes and the junction with the Col des Caux path, there are several narrow passages through steep, rocky terrain. Finding your way is not always straightforward, particularly between points (3) and (4), and when locating the inconspicuous start of the path at point (4).

The path leading down to Baïn after (5) allows you to shorten the circular route by half an hour. At the foot of the descent, follow the left bank of the stream to a small bridge which joins the track to Baïn.

At (6), you can extend the circular route by about three-quarters of an hour by heading up to the right to just below the Col des Caux, where you join the^GR® 95, which takes you back to the starting point via the Pié du Bœuf (magnificent views). This trail is described in the opposite direction in the Visorando Glandasse walk via the Fontaine des Tuiles.

Enjoy the changing scenery: from the deciduous forest at the start, through the rocky, scrub-covered areas of section 3, to the alternating pine forests, beech woods and heath, depending on the slope’s aspect, and the sweeping views of the upper Diois.