Park near the cathedral: there are plenty of parking spaces available.
(S/E) Go to the viewpoint in the Archbishop's Garden. Turn left (east) when facing the viewpoint and follow the path along Le Roc. Cross the Manutention car park, pass under the rampart, cross the footbridge and continue along Le Roc.
(1) After the Lou Vilage nursing home, at the crossroads, turn left onto the dirt track that goes downhill. Continue straight on until you reach the Route de Saint-André d'Embrun.
(2) Turn right and follow the road carefully for about 100 metres.
(3) After the power station, immediately take the road on the right and follow it to the end. It runs along the base of the Roc d'Embrun for about 1.3 km.
(4) At the end of the road, do not cross the bridge. Just before the bridge, take the dirt track on the right which climbs uphill and turns into a tarmac road after 100 m. Climb up to the Leader Price car park. Then climb the wooden staircase which leads to the top of the ramparts. Follow the small path to the first street, Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, and turn left.
(5) At the end of the street, turn right and head up towards the cathedral via Rue Émile Guigues. Go around the cathedral on the right to return to the car park (S/E).
Waypoints
S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,858 ft - Departure from the Archbishop's Garden
1 : mi 0.41 - alt. 2,851 ft - At the end of Le Roc
2 : mi 0.6 - alt. 2,680 ft - Route de Saint-André d'Embrun
3 : mi 0.67 - alt. 2,657 ft - Power station, on the right
This hike allows you to discover the historical past of Le Roc.
Leaving the Jardin de l'Archevêché, you will see a more or less well-maintained path a few metres below. These are the remains of the rampart walk, which you will follow when you reach the bottom of Le Roc.
The rampart you cross is the eastern rampart. It is one of the few ramparts that was not demolished in 1884. The footbridge is not original.
(3) This path follows the base of the Roc. Beneath the ramparts, you can see a series of galleries dug out with low stone walls. This was the old rampart walk. Just before this rampart, at the foot of the Roc, when the trees have fewer leaves, you can see the beginning of a square gallery. It is called the Trou des Espagnols (Spanish Hole). It is said to have been dug during the siege of 1692 to undermine the ramparts.
200 metres further on, a house built in the void on the Roc stands on the site of an old watchtower.
Before the hospital, the large building at the end of Chemin du Roc, you can see the remains of fortifications jutting out: these are the remains of an old bastion.
(5) The Leader Price car park is surrounded by ramparts. They used to be more impressive. Four metres have been buried, as the land was filled in to create the car park.
Le Roc is home to many species of birds. During the winter, pairs of peregrine falcons sometimes come to nest in the cavities.
Date of your route : Dec 12, 2025 Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good Very busy route : No
A pleasant short hike.
No difficulty despite the short but steady climb back to the village on the return journey.
Very few people out and about on this Friday in December.
Thank you to the author for sharing.
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lefebvredidi
Overall rating :
4 / 5
Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025 Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good Very busy route : No
A short walk to discover Roc d'Embrun and appreciate the apparent fragility of the site. Beautiful view of the region from above, then a view from below to discover the rock... and the vegetable gardens.
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ysanchez
Overall rating :
5 / 5
Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024 Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good Very busy route : No
We are particularly delighted with the Visorando application.
We feel really safe with the GPS route.
The literal directions are also very useful. Thank you to all the contributors.
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Val21
Overall rating :
5 / 5
Date of your route : Jul 23, 2024 Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good Very busy route : Yes
I really liked it
Thank you for this hiking suggestion.
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souche.jeanlouis
Overall rating :
5 / 5
Date of your route : Apr 15, 2024 Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good Very busy route : No
Our goal was to explore Embrun before our planned lunch at a restaurant in the town centre.
We followed this walk very easily with the Visorando app.
We discovered the strategic importance of the "Roc" on which the town is built.
Notre Dame du Réal Cathedral and the Brune Tower are currently undergoing restoration. It is still possible to visit the cathedral, which is very interesting, but the Brune Tower is closed.
is undergoing restoration, but we were still able to visit it.
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Rosa13400
Overall rating :
4.7 / 5
Date of your route : Dec 31, 2023 Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good Very busy route : No
A very pleasant little walk
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gazok54
Thank you for this walk, which I know well, having lived in Crots for six years. And thank you for these informative historical researches, which I read with great interest.
To open this route on your smartphone, you must have the Visorando app installed. If not, got to the Apple Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android) to download the app.