Claveyrons Circuit

Start at the square in front of the Tourist Office in La Chapelle-en-Vercors.

Signposted with “VTT 10” arrows

(S/E) Head towards the church and go round it on the right.

(1) Turn right onto Avenue des Bruyères, which climbs towards Les Jallifiers. Ride past the cemetery and continue straight on. You’ll reach the last houses in the hamlet.

(2) A few metres past a shed covered in solar panels, turn right onto the track (Les Scies) just before a house and a large farmhouse. At the crossroads where four tracks meet, head left up a short climb and continue along a pleasant ridge track.

(3) At the crossroads, turn right down a fairly steep, stony slope. At the bottom of the slope, turn right onto the forest track, which may be damp.

(4) Continue to the right across the meadows until you reach the tarmac road. Follow it to the right for a few metres, then turn left towards Les Chaberts. At the next bend, take the path straight ahead across the meadows. Pass a track on your right and you’ll soon reach the start of a footpath on the left at the ‘Les Chaux’ sign.

(5) Turn left towards Chabotte. In the Combe Freydière, there is a very stony descent to the ‘Freydière’ sign; continue straight down a quieter forest track. Join the road (D103) and follow it for a short distance to the hamlet of Chabotte.

(6) From the D103, turn left to enter the hamlet of Chabotte, passing through La Vernaison. Follow the tarmac road which turns right; then, at the hairpin bend, continue along the road to the right, which becomes a forest track.

(7) At the T-junction, turn left and continue partly through the woodland.

(8) At the end of the woodland, at the ‘Les Raymonds’ sign, turn right towards the village of Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors.

(9) Cycle through La Vernaison – a very short but challenging climb – to reach the village.

(10) At the church, turn left and carry on straight ahead to cross the village. Leave Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors via a steep descent to the River Vernaison. Follow the river to the stone bridge.

(11) Cross the bridge and, on the other side, turn right. At the left-hand bend in the road, leave the tarmac and continue straight on across meadows for about 600 m.

(12) At the road, signposted ‘Les Meunières’, turn right to cross the Vernaison one last time. Cross the road (D103) and take the path opposite (dismount, as there is a steep gradient for the first 20 metres!). Return to the tarmac and continue uphill for about 800 m.

(13) At the Les Revoux lodge, follow the forest track to the right. This track climbs in wide hairpin bends for 3 km (mostly through woodland) and reaches the magnificent Fouletier plateau.

(14) At the crossroads, signposted ‘Fouletier’, turn right, walk past the lodge and you’ll reach the car park and the tarmac road 700 metres further on.

(15) Turn left onto the narrow path through the trees, signposted ‘Roche Blanc’, through woodland – a pleasant walk. Cross a small track and continue for a few metres.

(16) At the three-way junction (signposted ‘Serre Charbonnière’), continue to the left. A varied descent featuring steps, steep slopes and small, almost flat paths. Choose your own pace! Descend into the valley.

(17) At Combe Libouse, turn right onto the GTV (Grande Traversée du Vercors) path. The terrain is now flat or gently sloping again. Walk down the valley, skirt the campsite and come out onto the D178. Cross the road and continue along a lovely path that winds through the woods.

(18) Cross the D199 and rejoin the GTV route opposite, heading towards the Cime du Mas. From there, the path becomes stony and bumpy, followed by a final descent towards La Franconnière.

(19) Turn left towards the plain. Carry on straight ahead along a path with good visibility, on a slight downhill gradient – it’ll be a bit of a bumpy ride as you pick up speed! Ride straight on for almost 2 km until you reach the D518.

(20) Cross it, continue towards Les Aubaneaux and, a few metres further on, veer slightly to the left. Turn left at the next three-way junction; the road then becomes a track which you follow for about 400 m. Ride alongside a woodland and, at the exit of the bend on the right, you’ll find the start of a track.

(21) Clearly signposted, make almost a U-turn towards La Chapelle-en-Vercors. Walk a few metres and, at the corner of a field on your right, turn left. Enjoy this stretch of woodland once more before returning to the village.

(22) Follow the road to the left. Take the^first right. At the end, make the first turn left then right and follow Rue des Alisiers. Make the first turn right then left as the road bends. At the end, turn left onto Rue des Acacias.

(1) Go round the church on the right, then turn right onto Avenue de la Terrasse to reach the car park (S/E).