The Mas au Départ gallery in the village of Villard Joli

de fr

Visit the tunnel dug between 1913 and 1933 to search for water, overlooking the Gillardes resurgence – with spectacular scenery all along the walk!

Details

n°9663870
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.88 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,946 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,949 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 5,640 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 4,104 ft
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Photos

Pierre Baudinard
Passing by the drinking troughs
The Pivallon valley
Inside the gallery

Description of the walk

Park along the main street!

(S/E) At the end of the village, take the path that climbs north-north-west and follow it to the point with an altitude of 1278; in its second section, it descends slightly (ignore the paths branching off to the left)

(1) Shortly after the 1278-metre altitude, the path veers to the left; follow it to the junction at the 1486-metre altitude (signpost indicating only Pierre Baudinard and Pierre Orcel).

(2) Take the path branching off to the right, which climbs steeply towards the Clos du Mounard (not signposted).

(3) Once you reach the entrance to the meadow, with the hut in view, climb the embankment on the left and follow the edge of the meadow to a small gate. There is no marked path on this section for about 150 metres. From the gate, the path – which is sometimes a little narrow – winds its way through the broom and fir trees and cuts a line through the grass straight up the slope; follow it to the 1705 mark. Follow a few cairns and finish on the small scree slope.

(4) Now follow the flat path towards the Pivallon valley (north-west). Following a wide bend, reach the shoulder opposite the valley at the 1700-metre mark.

(5) From the ridge, follow the track heading due north, following the contour line (ignore the main path which descends). At the end of this track lies the entrance to the tunnel (200 m), visible only at the last moment, on the left, at the level of the plateau.

(6) Whilst exploring the main tunnel, you will come across several small side tunnels which are not very long. After your visit, retrace your steps in the opposite direction to elevation 1705.

(4) Keep to the right on the path (more of a game track) which continues through the broom and fir trees; follow the clearest track, which tends to climb slightly and leads to the drinking troughs.

(7) Now head across the mountain pasture, following the terrain, to reach the Baudinard rocks, clearly visible in the distance.

(8) At the Pierre Baudinard hut, take the clearly visible path (north of the rocks) and follow it all the way down to the 1278 m point, where it turns to the right; stay on this path, which leads back to the village of Villard Joli (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 4,108 ft - Car park along the main street
  2. 1 : mi 0.69 - alt. 4,226 ft - Junction (at around 1,290 m)
  3. 2 : mi 1.46 - alt. 4,869 ft - Crossroads downstream of the circular loop
  4. 3 : mi 1.7 - alt. 5,069 ft - Junction
  5. 4 : mi 2.06 - alt. 5,597 ft - Crossroads upstream of the circular loop
  6. 5 : mi 2.4 - alt. 5,574 ft - Junction
  7. 6 : mi 2.53 - alt. 5,581 ft - Platform at the entrance to the tunnel
  8. 7 : mi 3.34 - alt. 5,558 ft - Watering holes
  9. 8 : mi 3.94 - alt. 5,295 ft - Pierre Baudinard Hut
  10. S/E : mi 5.88 - alt. 4,104 ft - Back in the village of Villard Joli

Notes

As the herds are up in the mountain pastures in summer, it’s best to have your water with you right from the start of the hike.
If you’re on your own, make sure you have at least two torches in case one stops working.
I can’t say whether the Baudinard hut is open; I didn’t ask.

Worth a visit

From the viewing platform, in front of the gallery, continue along the flat path northwards to catch a glimpse of the local landmark, ‘l’Obiou’.

Do pop along to see the springs – both large and small – at Gaillardes, which are on the road to Monestier d’Ambel, not far from the village of Saint-Disdier.

Reviews and comments

3.9 / 5
Based on 5 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
Bartozzi
Bartozzi

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

To reach the entrance to the Faillette or Lyonnais tunnel, stay on the path along the contour line; do not take the path on the right (GR) or the track leading uphill. After about 150 metres, you will reach a platform formed by rubble that was once removed using small mine trolleys; the entrance is on your left.

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chris05
chris05

Good evening, Emmanuel
Thanks for your feedback on the hike!
I’m always happy to share ideas for outings.

All the best
Christian

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Emmanuel G2.
Emmanuel G2.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk to go on, with a chance to explore the Mas Gallery, which is quite a sight.
Thank you to the creator of this route for sharing it.

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chris05
chris05

Hello Lasker38

Thank you for your feedback and for the name of the gallery!
Have a great hiking season
Christian

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lasker38
lasker38

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

Completely on my own; large patches of snow remained, meaning I had to use an ice axe to cross them towards the end. The entrance to the tunnel was blocked by a large snowdrift (I didn’t have a shovel); that was to be expected. The junction leading to the path towards Baudinard isn’t obvious, as all the tracks were more or less hidden by the remaining snow. You can have a bite to eat at the brand-new shepherd’s hut at Clot de Meunard, which is clearly visible on the descent. Superb view of the Pic de Bure, still well covered in snow! I’ll be back, even though the western valleys are particularly beautiful at this time of year! There’s a small car park with space for about eight cars in the centre of the hamlet of Villard Joli. This tunnel is actually called the ‘Galerie des Lyonnais’ or ‘Galerie Faillette’.

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ChristianNant70
ChristianNant70

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A walk whose main attraction (in my opinion) is simply a visit to the gallery.
The rest of the landscape can already be seen from the Col de l’Aup or other places.
Sheep in the valley before the tunnel: the shepherd calmed them down whilst we passed through… lucky for us.
An ‘interesting’ tunnel stretching for a few dozen metres, but of little interest unless you enjoy exploring tunnels and caves.
It was swarming with mosquitoes when we were there. And very chilly: make sure you pack warm clothes!!

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chris05
chris05

Thank you, Lamarcheur65

Have a good weekend
Christian

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chris05
chris05

Lemarcheur65

Here’s the route and the guide have been updated

All the best, and have a lovely evening
Christian

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chris05
chris05

Hello Lemarcheur65
I’ll change the starting point and the route!
But as for the reason for this problem – I’m 60 km away and won’t be passing through there this summer, so what’s the issue?

Have a lovely rest of the day
Christian

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chris05
chris05

Hi rores
What can I say? If there’s a bit of a maverick at the start of the hike, just set off from the village of Villard Joli and the problem’s sorted!
You shouldn’t be so rigid as to insist on sticking to a route down to the last metre!
The explanations aren’t very helpful, though I do think I’m writing in French, even if there are some spelling mistakes!

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rores
rores

Overall rating : 1 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

It would appear that walkers are not welcome; a van is blocking the path at the start. Furthermore, the information provided at the start of the walk is not very helpful; it needs to be revised.

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