A circular route in Champsaur via the Chapelle des Pétètes

Park in the car park at Place de l’Amitié, at the entrance to Les Infournas Hauts. Plenty of spaces.

(S/E) From the car park, walk down Rue du Vieux Tilleul, cross the tarmac road leading to the car park and continue along the dirt track. A wooden sign reads “^GR®50Charbillac”. The path climbs slightly through the forest.

(1) When you reach the Col de la Blache, at the fork, turn right for a few metres. Leave the return path on your right. Continue along the main path heading south-east towards Les Payas (signposted). It ends at another path, which you follow down to the right.

(2) The path gives way to a tarmac road at the entrance to the hamlet of Les Payas. Walk downhill, ignoring the first small road on the right, until you reach the first sign for “Les Payas”. Head downhill to the right towards Astier and Les Trois Croix.

(3) At the second “Les Payas” sign, head down towards Les Pelloux along a small tarmac road, which turns into a track and then becomes tarmac again. Follow it down for 20 metres to cross another road – which you have now joined – and then take the wide path down on the other side.

(4) You’ll reach a wide track at the foot of a farm. Turn right onto this track, which leads downhill. There are no signposts. Cross a stream and stay on this wide track. It descends or runs level for 1–2 km, until you reach a sort of crossroads at the foot of a building. On the right, there’s a sign for Pra Vieil.

(5) Turn right towards Les Astiers and the Belvédère des Trois Croix. Stay on the same path.

(6) At the hamlet of Les Astiers (signposted), cross the road and continue straight on towards Les Trois Croix. After 100 m, you’ll reach a Fork in the road; turn right to go past the farm (private property). Further on, at the Mouliach sign, stay on this path which climbs towards Les Trois Croix and joins the D123

(7) Follow it to the left for 100 m.

(8) On the left, you’ll find the entrance to the Trois Croix site in its pine forest. At the first bend, look for a path that turns right to run alongside the road. Alternatively, follow this small road. Both routes are equally valid. You’ll reach the Trois Croix viewpoint.

(9) Retrace your steps back to the same D123 road.

(8) Continue to the left. Stay on the D123 as far as the Chapelle des Pétètes or Chapelle Saint-Grégoire, ignoring a small road branching off to the left (signposted).

(10) After admiring the chapel, continue along the D123, climbing a few hairpin bends to a pass.

(11) At the pass, take the footpath (marked^GR®) which climbs to the right through the forest (signposted “Infournas Hts”). It joins a wide track leading to a reservoir, then becomes a footpath again at the reservoir. Continue along this ridge path through the forest to reach the Col de Blache.

(1) Turn left onto the path you followed at the start of the route, which will take you back to the car park at Place de l’Amitié (S/E).

Chapelle des Pétètes or Saint-Grégoire Chapel.