Pointe de Deux Heures, Tete d'Auferrand and Pointe de la Botte

Description

(D) Park at the Col de la Colombiere. It can be busy and parking limited so get there early to secure your place. From the parking, walk to the road opposite the restaurant (1), this road leads to Aufferand.

(1) Walk along the quiet road to Aufferand, farm building and snack bar/meals.

(2) From Auferrand, take the track contouring around the pasture (cows) to where it has woodland on the left, descend and cross a stream and continue with the stream and woods on your left. The stream will curve away from you and the track will become more of a path. It crosses another stream (below 1611 on the IGN map) before becoming fainter and ascending the hillside in a series of long zig-zags through a meadow of wild alpine plants and beneath an outcrop of rock. Eventually bringing you out onto a grassy col at the Combe des Fours. Cairn and signpost. Note there are grazing sheep at Combe des Fours guarded by dogs, they may approach you and bark. Make sure you know how to respond.

(3) From the signpost, take the path heading up the grassy ridge to pass a wooden building. This is the shepherd's hut/home and again you might be challenged by dogs barking at you. Continue past the chalet and upwards to another col. Ahead is a depression (1910 on the IGN map), take the left-hand path around the depression and arrive at a wooden post and hand-painted sign to Pointe de Deux Heures. The sign might be lying on the ground.

(4) Follow the track on the left and keep to the north side of the ridge as you ascend via a narrow track. This will lead to the crest of the ridge and ascend to the top of Pointe de Deux Heures (5). Return to (4) and then, take the more obvious path ahead of you. This leads up and onto another grassy ridge which ascends to the Tete d'Auferrand.

(6) From the top of Tete d'Auferrand, descend slightly along the ridge to a signpost for Col de la Colombiere. Follow the signposted path steeply downhill at first and then more easily, cutting across the hillside to a broad ridge with trees. The path descends this broad ridge and then ascends again before descending steeply once more to the col before the Pointe de la Botte.

(7) From the col, ascend Pointe de la Botte by the obvious path (8). Instead of taking the direct descent to go back to (7) and take the path on your right which descends passing some scree and then down to join a stream on your left. The path then contours right, around the base of Pointe de la Botte to a meadow with two stone arrows laid out in the grass. One points the way you have come and the other shows the fainter track which is the direct ascent.

(9) From the arrows take the obvious path toward Col de la Colombiere and return to your car.