Le Roc in Embrun, a history waiting to be discovered

A family hike to discover the historical and military past of Le Roc, on which the town of Embrun was built. Bring your binoculars.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.15 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 93 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 97 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 871 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 791 m

Photos

Description of the walk

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

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 871 m - Departure from the Archbishop's Garden
  2. 1 : km 0.66 - alt. 869 m - At the end of Le Roc
  3. 2 : km 0.97 - alt. 817 m - Route de Saint-André d'Embrun
  4. 3 : km 1.08 - alt. 810 m - Power station, on the right
  5. 4 : km 2.43 - alt. 800 m - Path on the right
  6. 5 : km 2.92 - alt. 858 m - Rue Émile Guigues - Cathédrale Notre-Dame-du-Réal
  7. S/E : km 3.15 - alt. 871 m - Arrival

Worth a visit

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.

You can find more details, photos and documents on the website embrun05.wordpress.com.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
glaciers
glaciers

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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
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
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
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
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
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
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.

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