The sheepfolds of Contras

de fr

A beautiful, easy hike starting from the charming village of Saumane, with beautiful sheepfolds in very good condition and magnificent landscapes.
Bring something to drink on sunny days as much of the route is in direct sunlight.

Details

n°1497556
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.55 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 537 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 529 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,342 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 874 m
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Photos

path
Rain water reservoir carved into rock
Herd
Dry stone sheepfold

Description of the walk

Park in the village of Saumane in the Alpes de Haute Provence, in the car park on the village square.

(S/E) Take the paved road heading north, then turn right and left to find the Chemin du Champ de l'Amant. Continue north on the Chaumettes trail. There is a beautiful view of the village and surrounding farms, a drystone shelter on the right, and a flower-filled path through the broom. Reach the wild boar enclosure via theGRP® Tour de la Montagne de Lure, marked in red and yellow.

(1) Continue on theGRP® trail, still heading north. Reach a hairpin bend before the road.

(2) Leave theGRP® by turning sharply left onto the path that initially runs parallel tothe GRP®, then turn right again. Take the steep climb to reach the La Tour viewpoint, which offers views across the entire region.

(3) Continue through a forest. Ignore a path coming from the right, then another coming from the left. Reach the high plain of Le Clapier and the eponymous jas or Jas de Foureynard.

(4) Turn slightly north-west to reach a clearing at a T-junction. Leave the paths on your right.

(5) Turn right onto the small uphill path. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead to reach Jas de Borel or Chapellane Basse.

(6) Return to the trail and continue to the right to reach the highest point of the hike, Jas de Chapellane Haute.

(7) Return by the same route to the crossroads in the clearing.

(5) Turn right to reach Jas Clos de Guilhem.

(8) Continue through the Fayée de la Saint-Jean forest until you reach the Jas des Arbres Peynier in a clearing.

(9) Leave the road that leads there and take the path on the right. Reach a ridge and follow it to the left, heading south-west. Leave the woods in the large clearing of La Gardette. Keep heading south to reach Jas de la Gardette de Vinatier or Jas Clément, leaving the paths on your left.

(10) Continue south through the clearing. Further on, at the edge of the forest, you will come to a Y-junction. Leave the path on your right

(11) Take the path on the left, descend into the valley to reach a crossroads with several paths.

(12) Take the path on the left downhill and return to the entrance to the village. Turn right onto theGRP® to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 875 m - Saumane car park
  2. 1 : km 1.17 - alt. 958 m - Wild boar enclosure
  3. 2 : km 2.27 - alt. 1,007 m - GRP-sentier crossroads
  4. 3 : km 4.13 - alt. 1,214 m - Belvédère de la Tour
  5. 4 : km 5.11 - alt. 1,204 m - Jas du Clapier
  6. 5 : km 6.08 - alt. 1,246 m - Crossroads of sheepfolds in La Chapellane
  7. 6 : km 6.44 - alt. 1,268 m - Jas de Chapellane Basse
  8. 7 : km 7.25 - alt. 1,342 m - Jas de Chapellane Haute
  9. 8 : km 8.45 - alt. 1,228 m - Clos du Guilhem
  10. 9 : km 9.88 - alt. 1,169 m - Jas des Arbres Peynier
  11. 10 : km 11.84 - alt. 1,175 m - Jas de la Gardette de Vinatier or Jas Clément
  12. 11 : km 12.83 - alt. 1,132 m - Turn left
  13. 12 : km 13.44 - alt. 1,009 m - Turn left
  14. S/E : km 14.55 - alt. 876 m - Saumane car park

Notes

Once a centre for pastoralism, the Lure mountain is home to a large number of sheepfolds, most of which were built in the19th century using local stone. These pastoral complexes reflect a highly skilled construction technique, as evidenced by the corbelled domes of Jas de la Gardette and the key-holed vaults of Chapellanes and the Clapiers plain, which you can discover on this route.

Worth a visit

(1) Stop here to see around thirty wild boar, with their piglets and male boars, in a natural wooded environment.
(2) You can take a short detour to the isolated hamlet of Les Girons to see its well-preserved chapel.
(4) Jas du Clapier or Foureynard is a complex consisting of a well-preserved tunnel-shaped sheepfold covered by a long, narrow chain vault. The corbel line that supported the wooden formwork and the remains of a hut, cistern and other ancillary buildings. The entrance is topped by a wooden lintel and a stone engraved with the date 1889 on the façade. The long building is covered with slate tiles, hiding the interior vault, and is gradually being taken over by vegetation.
(6) Jas de la Chapellane Basse: this is a sheepfold that is still used in spring, consisting of a shepherd's hut with a corbelled vault, a well and a sheepfold covered with a tunnel vault made of radiating stone blocks (mounted on formwork). Like the previous sheepfold, the long building is covered with slate tiles, hiding the interior vault. A few remains of outbuildings are overgrown with vegetation.
(7) Jas de la Chapellane Haute: this restored complex is certainly still in use. Consisting of a very long composite sheepfold, undoubtedly built in several stages, it is a building with three interconnected compartments, each with a reinforced arched vault, which allowed the herd to be divided into lambs, ewes, etc. Access is via a large square opening on the side of the dwelling, topped by a wooden beam. The opposite exit, on the side of the building, is similar but smaller. This complex, measuring over 25 m, consists of a long clavied vault with a line of corbels, covered by an external roof made of slate tiles. There is a drystone shelter on the left of the entrance and two cisterns, one buried and one metal, which collect rainwater. At the entrance to the sheepfold on the right is the shepherd's dwelling, square in shape with a magnificent corbelled vault and storage niches on either side.
(8) Jas Clos de Guilhem consists of a well, an old sheepfold and two huts (this jas has been converted into a second home and is therefore private).
(9) Jas des Arbres Peynier has been restored as a hunting lodge and is also private.
(10) Jas de la Gardette de Vinatier or Jas Clément, another beautiful jas in very good condition with a well, a shepherd's hut and a sheepfold consisting of a large room that is apparently used for parties (chairs, tables).

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 26 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
Aymeric
Aymeric

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Excellent hike with breathtaking scenery... We enjoyed several sheepfolds along the way and even saw a deer. For this hike, GPS is essential as the trails are not marked and, depending on the time of year you wish to hike, it can be very difficult to find your way.

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FOHLEN
FOHLEN

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route connecting points 2-3-4-5-8-9 is marked in yellow (it is a PR).
The detour via the Tower is not very visible.
At point 5, access to the two Chapellane roads is via a steep but not short climb.
After point 10, the Y-junction is not very obvious.

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CaroduVillard
CaroduVillard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike.
No visible trail to access the tower
Uncertainty at the penultimate fork; follow a path that is not very clear at first, to the right of the valley.

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Pierlo
Pierlo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

this magnificent hike through Giono country takes four hours of actual walking. The sheepfolds are a beautiful reminder of the importance of pastoral farming in these hills and remain an example of rural architecture. I highly recommend this hike, which is easy and straightforward.

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titougroot
titougroot

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route, which I was already familiar with, fortunately, because there were no signs or directions on the ground, especially for climbing up to the two highest sheepfolds. On the way back, at point number 9, the track was blocked by sheep nets, and we didn't dare go through for fear of encountering sheepdogs... So we missed the last sheepfold, but we'll come back in winter just for that one.
This hike is not recommended in hot weather. Be sure to bring plenty of water.

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ervégr
ervégr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

i highly recommend this beautiful hike.

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Hermellin henri
Hermellin henri

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

very beautiful hike, no signposts, luckily I had downloaded the route on Visorando
on the track leading to the last sheepfold, we saw signs saying "private property, beware of dogs"
it's a shame that the Contadour sheepfolds are closed by municipal order

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FERAUD BERNARD
FERAUD BERNARD

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I recommend this hike, which is very pleasant with beautiful views.

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MP 07
MP 07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike. The stone huts are superb. It's a shame that some of them have been abandoned. It's easy to imagine the life of the shepherds. The route is well marked. To finish the hike, we followed a rocky path that wasn't very pleasant.

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FABRE SYLVETTE
FABRE SYLVETTE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike done without too much heat. Some jas are impressive in length. Arrival in the village of Saumane where a cheese seller had set up shop. We cleaned her out. I recommend this hike

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georges philibert
georges philibert

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a real treat to go on this hike in spring, with the scent of broom and a beautiful clear sky.
Best avoided in very hot weather.
Thank you to the author, especially for the explanations about the sheepfolds.

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Maberan
Maberan

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The descent to Saumane is very steep (rocky path, damaged in places), so it may be better to do the circuit in reverse. The jas (traditional stone huts) are magnificent

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Brijiou
Brijiou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We did this hike in the rain...which made us want to do it again when the weather is better! We enjoyed it despite everything. The estimated time is 5 hours and 40 minutes, but it took us 3 hours...maybe we picked up the pace because of the weather ??
The only thing missing from the description is the time or distance between two points, which made us unsure about the route once or twice.
In any case... thank you we highly recommend this hike... and Visiorando!

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MitzeSandrine
MitzeSandrine

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with a stunning view around the 5 km mark.
Please note: at this time of year, there are herds of goats and sheep grazing in the fields, guarded by large (very large!) sheepdogs. They bark a lot, jump over fences and are very impressive! They are wolf dogs (according to the shepherds we met during our visit). Let them sniff you without touching them and then calmly continue on your way.
We only saw one signpost and unfortunately it was at the exit of the shepherds' area.
We plan to return in autumn or spring.

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Philippe Issa
Philippe Issa

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very beautiful walk in the Pays de Lure. Beautiful stone sheepfolds to visit. Best regards.

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