The balcony path between Aiguilles and Ville-Vieille

Park in the large public car park right next to the hospital.

(S/E) Take the narrow lane that climbs up a flight of steps towards the village, lined on the right by vegetable gardens. At a small fountain, it joins a narrow street and leads out onto the main street at the Place de la Mairie.
Leave the Place de la Mairie on your right and turn left onto the main street, which follows the Red and White-marked variant of^{the GR®58}. Pass the wash house and shortly afterwards you’ll come to a three-way junction.

(1) Turn right onto the road that climbs uphill. Stay on this road; at a hairpin bend, you’ll reach the junction with the footpath, marked by a yellow sign indicating the hiking trail.

(2) Carry on straight ahead along this path; you will soon find yourself on a track that is still passable by vehicles but unpaved.

(3) After another hairpin bend, leave the track and keep left onto the GR^®.
Then ignore the path on the left at the next junction, cross the Torrent du Chalvet and you will then reach the junction with the path leading to Chalvet des Borels (signposted ‘Le Patrimoine Rénové’).

(4) Turn right to reach this hamlet and take the opportunity to explore the hamlet and its chapel.

(5) Head back in the opposite direction to the previous junction.

(4) Turn right back onto the^GR®, making a 90° turn as you cross the Torrent des Barres. You’ll soon reach the junction of^{the GR®} and the^GRP® for the Dent de Ratier.

(6) Keep to the right on the GR^®. Cross the Torrent du Villar. Stay on the^GR® along a virtually level stretch. You’ll easily reach the hamlet of Les Meyries and arrive at the junction with the nature trail.

(7) Leave the ^GR® and turn left onto the discovery trail. Continue to the junction with the^GRP® for the Dent de Ratier.

(8) Turn right, then cross the road and turn left, following the Guil stream to reach the large car park at the Valley Tourist Office and the Maison de l’Artisanat (S/E).

There are no water sources along the route, apart from the fountains in Aiguilles and Ville-Vieille, but there are a few small streams to cross where you can cool off.
Make sure you wear good walking shoes, especially for part of the descent after Les Meyries, where a stretch of a few dozen metres is quite steep.
Walking poles are recommended for the same reason, but overall the route isn’t particularly difficult.
Free shuttle bus between Château-Ville-Vieille and L’Échalp:
Note: we didn’t wait for the shuttle and walked back to Aiguilles along the road, hoping to find a crossing over the Guil and a path running parallel to the river, which wasn’t the case. If we were to do it again, we’d take the shuttle.

(S) The old village of Aiguilles is well worth a visit in its own right.
(4) Chalvet des Borels trail junction: here, a sign describes the restored heritage sites, including the Chalvet des Borels.
Throughout the walk, you can enjoy superb panoramic views of the Guil valley, the neighbouring valleys and the mountains stretching 180° to the south.