The Col Fromage

The Col Fromage, a crossroads of trails, is a strategic location in the Queyras Regional Nature Park.

Details

3431
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.17 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 897 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 888 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,360 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,634 m

Photos

Description of the walk

To reach Ceillac, park in the car park at the bottom of the village (S). Take the street that passes in front of the Lodge des Baladins, then turn left towards the church.

(1) Continue straight ahead (signposted Col Fromage, Col des Estronques). Stay on the road for about 500 metres, then take the path on the left, which is theGR®5-GR®58leading to a forest track. Stay on this track, turning right until you reach the hamlet of Villard.

(2). Take theGR®5on the left and stay on it until you reach Col Fromage.

(3). Return to the hamlet of Villard via the same path.

(2) Take the path to the right of the chalet, which is the Clapière path and joins the Col de Bramousse. This path is marked by a sign and is marked in yellow. Climb through the fields before entering the forest and joining theGR®58linking Bramousse to Ceillac.

(4) Turn left, pass the remains of the old chairlift and begin the rapid descent into the woods. Reach the village of Ceillac, the cemetery and Sainte Cécile church.

(5) Return along the road to the church square and the car park.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,634 m - Ceillac car park
  2. 1 : km 0.4 - alt. 1,646 m - Ceillac Church
  3. 2 : km 2.24 - alt. 1,843 m - Le Villard
  4. 3 : km 4.34 - alt. 2,301 m - Col Fromage
  5. 4 : km 8.48 - alt. 2,008 m - GR58 crossroads
  6. 5 : km 10.04 - alt. 1,658 m - Sainte Cécile Church
  7. S/E : km 11.17 - alt. 1,634 m - Ceillac car park

Notes

To the right of the Col Fromage pass, there is a former military shelter that offers an interesting stopover in hot or cold weather.

Worth a visit

The Col Fromage is one of the most important crossroads in the Queyras Regional Park, with no fewer than six possible directions:
- Ceillac via the described trail,
- Saint Véran via the Col des Estronques on a side trail,
- Château Queyras via theGR®5or the Col des Prés de Fromage,
- Montbardon via theGR®58,
- Bramousse via the Col de Souillet,
- Ceillac via the Chambrettes ridge and then theGR®58.
On the Crête des Chambrettes, the observatory that was used to relay optical signals from Grenoble to Nice before other, faster means of communication existed has been restored.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
juliuskronos
juliuskronos

A pleasant hike on the morning of 27 July 2020, extended via the Chambrettes ridge, passing by the "optical post" and then the Bramousse pass.
Beautiful views of the surrounding area, then descent to Ceillac.

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Tommy05
Tommy05
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A classic in Queyras. It is possible to make a circular route by continuing on to the Col des Estronques from the Col Fromage. This doubles the distance to be covered. The trail is well marked. You can also continue on to the pass and the Tête de Jacquette to enjoy a magnificent panorama. Allow an extra hour of hiking when you join the Col des Estronques trail and an additional 200 metres of elevation gain.

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matthiasavignon
matthiasavignon

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk.
Once at Col Fromage, we pushed on to Col de Bramousse via the observatory (optical station). Then we descended back down to Ceillac.

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domvinter
domvinter

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful route that we took from Ceillac, Col de Bramousse, Le Poste Optique and Col du Fromage, returning to Ceillac (a very accessible circular route).

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juliuskronos
juliuskronos

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, but best combined with the Chambrettes ridges, the Bramousse pass and Jean Grossan castle before enjoying a nice beer on your return to Ceillac.

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Floflo1959
Floflo1959

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We went off the beaten track a little on our way to the GR 5 trail leading to Chateau Queyras and saw a small lake created by a snowfield that was still quite large, which was the icing on the cake.
Wonderful views!
Queyras is magical!
As for the description, it is reliable, even though we asked a local Queyrassien for directions to our starting point to be sure.

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bernardino
bernardino ★

Hello and thank you again for your feedback.
Regarding your comment about access by car, you are right that parking at Villard is a possibility, except that you will be encouraging hikers to park on private property, and the owners of the chalets may not be very happy about that.
As for taking more time to admire the scenery, it seems to me that you can admire the scenery more on foot than by car.

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NATY1964
NATY1964

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Nice walk. Interesting because you can make a circular route by returning via Le Villard.

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