Le Charmant Som from Les Cottaves

The start of the walk is on a lay-by along the D512, almost halfway between Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse and the Col de Porte, opposite the small road leading to the hamlet of Les Cottaves. There is no public car park in the hamlet of Les Cottaves.

(S/E) Leave the lay-by by crossing the departmental road to take the small road leading to the hamlet of Les Cottaves. As soon as you reach the first houses in the hamlet, take the path leading uphill to the left (signposted ‘Les Cottaves – 1080m’) towards Le Charmant Som ‘4.5km – 2h20’ (which is a bit optimistic).

(1) Quite soon, you’ll pass a path branching off to the right and continue straight ahead.

(2) A little further on, the yellow markings indicate a path on the right (not very obvious; it’s easy to miss). Take this path and head uphill, straight up the slope, crossing wider tracks as you go. Follow your path and the yellow markings.

(3) Your path turns sharply to the left (south-west). You’ll lose a little altitude, but you’ll be walking through limestone rocks, still in the woodland. Take care (especially if the rocks are wet).
At the edge of the woods, you emerge into the Habert du Charmant Som. The contrast with the forest is striking. Your path turns left, crosses a dry stream, and heads back up into the forest.

(4) You’ll emerge next to the Oratoire d’Orgeval, onto the small road linking the Auberge du Charmant Som to the Col de Porte. Take this road to the right until you reach the inn.

(5) Just before the inn, you’ll pass a fence to the right of the car park. Your path climbs towards the summit.

(6) On your right, you’ll pass a path which, via the flagstones, leads to the Pont de Vallombré.
Continue along the path to the cross at the summit.

(7) Enjoy the view, particularly of the monastery. To head back down, veer slightly to the right (south-west).

(8) You’ll soon reach a flat area where you’ll see a path branching off to the right (unmarked). Take this path. After passing a few rocks, it takes you down comfortably through the mountain pasture to the cheese dairy. Walk past the inn.

(5) You’ll rejoin your ascent route, which you’ll follow in the opposite direction to the hamlet of Les Cottaves and your starting point (S/E).

The ‘Difficult’ rating is due to the nature of the path: one-third of the forest ascent is over unstable pebbles, and another third of the same ascent is over a sort of sharp limestone pavement that’s tricky to navigate (you often have to use your hands to help you along). When wet, this sharp limestone pavement is as slippery as a bar of soap.

The total walking time, calculated by the software, seems very low to me. I’m usually quicker than the computer suggests, and on this occasion it took me 5 hours and a quarter without really taking any breaks, apart from 10 minutes at the summit.
The path is marked in yellow (very discreetly). On the ascent, up to the Oratory, make sure you take in the surroundings for the return journey, which will follow the same route.

In the Habert, there is a mountain inn. It is very popular with people from Grenoble and is often ‘fully booked’. It serves only one hearty set meal. As the inn is accessible by car, it can be ‘overbooked’ on sunny Sundays.

There are no water points along the route.

For the return journey, if there are no animals in the habert, you can, from the inn, rather than taking the road, cut across the habert, heading straight for your destination. It’s easy to spot. It’s shorter and more enjoyable.

The peaks of the Chartreuse: Granier, Lances de Malissard, Dent des Crolles, Chamechaude, Pinéa, Rochers de Lorzier, Grande Sure and Grand Som are all in view. Behind them, you can see the Alps and the Vercors; to the west, the Bièvre plain.

The magnificent Charmant Som mountain hut, where the cows’ bells ring out.

From the summit, you have a bird’s-eye view of the valley of the Grande Chartreuse Monastery.

In the valley, take a detour to visit the church of Saint-Hugues, decorated in a highly original style by a local painter: Arcabas.