La plaine sous le Roc mountain bike loop
Very easyThe imposing shadow of the Roc d'Embrun, dominated by the Notre Dame du Réal cathedral, looms over the plain where a number of private gardens irrigated by the waters of the Durance flourish. In spring and early summer, when its flow is at its highest, the sound of its tumultuous waters are a pleasant accompaniment.
2 points of interest
WaterThe Durance
The Durance is the most important river in Provence and the third largest tributary of the Rhône, behind the Saône and the Isère. It rises in the Hautes-Alpes in the municipality of Montgenèvre and is soon joined by the Clarée and Guisane rivers, which flow past it despite being longer and having a greater flow at the confluence point. The Durance valley has been a major communication route for centuries, and its capricious nature has been controlled by the artificial lake at Serre-Ponçon and a canal running downstream. The old proverb from the Ancien Régime, which once claimed that "the three scourges of Provence are the Mistral, the Durance and Parliament", has now been forgotten, and the Durance now brings nothing but life to the land it irrigates.
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HistoryFootbridge over the Durance
This footbridge, which was completed in 2019, links Embrun with Crots and Baratier. Although it is a recent development, it actually boasts a long history. It stands on the exact site of the temporary bridge that replaced the La Clapière road bridge from 1953 onwards, which was destroyed during the Second World War by resistance fighters from the Embrunais area after the failure of an American bombing to do so. The aim was to prevent German forces from sending reinforcements to Gap, whose liberation was imminent. Although the bridge managed to withstand the American bombs, several people were killed and an explanatory panel on the footbridge pays tribute to them today.
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Description
- Join the path laid out on the banks of the Durance from the beach car park, passing in front of the chalet. Head up the Durance and under the road bridge. Head past the wooden footbridge, then turn left 50m after the footbridge into a housing estate, then right 100m after a small hill. At the next junction, turn right onto a track and turn left almost immediately. Continue along the path until you reach a small road.
- Then turn left along the Durance then left again 100m later towards Roc d'Embrun. Turn right at the junction, remaining on a small tarmac road. After around 200m, take a wide, passable path to the right and follow it for around 300m until you come to the road that runs alongside the Durance. Turn left and head up the Durance. The narrow road comes to an intersection with Departmental Road 994D. Turn right onto the main road and cross the wooden bridge over the Durance.
- Turn right after the bridge and take the road. Leave this road after 200m and turn right onto a small path that winds through the woods. Pass under the N94 bridge on the left of the pylon, then follow a track for 1km until you reach a small road. After the Travellers' area, turn left, then follow the road round to the right. At Pastourelle, an abandoned farm, turn left and return to the Grillon camp-site, continuing straight on until you reach the road. Turn right towards Embrun. At the roundabout, take the first exit and continue straight through the cattle drive. At Super U, take the second exit to the footbridge over the Durance. Now you just have to descend along the Durance, as on the outward journey, to return to the car park.
- Departure : Lake Embrun
- Arrival : Lake Embrun
- Towns crossed : Embrun, Saint-Sauveur, and Baratier
Altimetric profile
Information desks
Tourist office Embrun
Place Général Dosse - BP 49, 05202 Embrun
October to march : Monday to Saturday, 9.00 - 12.30 & 13.30 - 17.00.
April, may, june & september : Monday to Saturday, 9.00 - 12.30 & 14.30 - 18.00
July and August : Monday to Saturday, 9.00 - 19.00. Sundays, 10.00 - 12.30 & 16.00 - 19.00
On French national holidays (except 14th of July and 15th of August) : 9am to 1pm. Closed on the 1st of January, 1st of May, 25th December and 11th November
Closed on Thursdays outside French holidays’ periods
Transport
- Free shuttle service from the centre to the lake.
- Bus and TER services:https://www.ter.sncf.com/paca
Access and parking
Take the N94 from Briançon or Gap towards Embrun, then follow the signs for Embrun lake.
Parking :
Source
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