The Bois Vescal de Rambaud

From Gap, take the D6 road then the D106 to the village of Rambaud. At the intersection (war memorial), take the road on the left (La Bâtie-Vieille). At the crossroads in front of the cemetery, go up the road on the right (Saint-Germain, Notre-Dame du Laus). Park in the Saint-Germain car park (behind the cemetery).

(S/E) Follow the GR®653D path (l'Hermitage, Notre-Dame du Laus). After 30 metres, leave the path that climbs to the right and follow the one opposite (orange, blue and yellow markings). Pass in front of the oratory, then ignore the small paths and stay on the GR®653D.

(1) Follow the main path opposite and ignore the path on the right. Continue up to the intersection with the dirt road at the top of the hill. Note that this road passes in front of an oratory and leads to the Hermitage chapel, which is 500 metres away.

(2) Take the path on the left just before the Hermitage road (C18) despite the yellow cross, to walk along a field, then continue through the woods for about 300 m.

(3) Go down the path on the left and ignore the path going up opposite. Go around the field.

(4) Continue along the path on the left, alongside the field, ignoring the path that climbs up to the right. After 100 m, ignore the path that descends to the right and follow the path alongside the field. Ignore the path coming from the forest and continue to the junction with a dirt track leading to a farm.

(5) Take the dirt track on the left, which is flat and passes between two fields. Go around the farm, following the main track until you reach the tarmac road called "Chemin de Saint-Germain".
Follow it downhill to the cemetery car park (S/E).

There are no water sources along the route, but there is a fountain in the village of Rambaud.

The uphill route follows the old path taken by pilgrims who set out on foot from Gap to reach the sanctuary of Notre-Dame du Laus, a place that has been very popular since the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Benoite Rencurel in the 17th century.
This path "follows the eastern flank of the hill of Saint-Mens, crosses the Pallud valley, climbs briskly to the village of Rambaud, reaches the Hermitage of Notre-Dame des Alabres and then plunges downfrom the Belvédère de l'Ange viewpoint to the Val de Notre-Dame," as Justin Barrachin explains in "Vieux noms gapençais"(Old Names of Gap).