From Pontis to La Bréole
Pontis

2. From Pontis to La Bréole

Pass
History and architecture
Pastoralism
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A relatively easy-to-negotiate stage, initially through mountainous terrain with a fabulous descent down to the Ubaye cemetery, and a gentler section through hills and plateaus. 
Fun, awe-inspiring and welcoming... three adjectives that summarise this stage with passages through cool, dark tunnels contrasting with its exterior surroundings, the discovery of a tumultuous past, the cemetery of the lost village of Ubaye, fortifications blending into the mountainside and its small villages which are starting to come alive and are repopulating, with welcoming and friendly little shops. 

Description

At the Pontis road, head left up the D7 until you come to the Col de Pontis road mender's hut ("Cabane du Cantonnier "). At the hut, head left uphill on the road. Stay on the main balcony track, heading towards Le Morgonnet.

  1. 500 metres after the spring, plunge right onto the Pinet trail and, after the dry stone wall, take the hairpin path on the right. The descent is strewn with stones and becomes technical. /!\
  2. Above the hamlet of Le Villard, carry straight on along the regional GR (GR de Pays). At 100 metres, head downhill on the trail on the right. In the pasture, follow the cliff edge and then through the fence, (/!\ Feet on the ground required for 50 metres on the steep descent). Before the "wall", head downhill to your right until you come to the hamlet of Les Vallettes.
  3. At the ruins of Les Vallettes, take the hairpin trail left and then right. At the path, head right uphill for 250 metres before plunging left onto a trail. Head downhill until you come to the Ubaye cemetery
  4. At the Ubaye cemetery, turn left (D954), go past the first tunnel and then enter the second tunnel on the left. Follow this unfinished railway line until you reach Le Lauzet.
  5. At the electricity substation in Le Lauzet, turn right. Turn right and right again to the D900 (/!\) and then at the D904 head towards Savines-le-Lac. Be careful: before you cross the high voltage line go left up the steep path. At the Col de la Femme Morte, go down the trail on the right leading towards Le Fein (/!\ steps: at the col you can continue straight ahead and go through Bologne to rejoin the route.)
  6. At the campsite, go downhill and then turn left uphill and left uphill again along the narrow road. Stay on the main road and at the La Pinède signpost, take the option leading up the path on the left. Stay on the main trail.
  7. At the road (D7), go uphill to the left. On the bend, follow the path on the right until you come to Bologne. At Bologne, continue along the road heading towards Le Lautaret. (Medium battery level* 43%). At Le Lautaret turn right and then right again: the D900B for 500 m /!\ then after the bakery. Cross the D900B /!\ to go up the path opposite. . Climb up this path until you come to the hamlet of Les Laphonds, then continue along the road ignoring the intersections on the right, until you come to La Rouvière.
  8. At the intersection in La Rouvière, head left for 300 metres and go up the right-hand track. Turn left to reach the road (D7). Head right down the road and take the hairpin trail leading downhill to the left. Follow this until you come to the D900B.
  9. Cross the D900B /!\ and go down the path opposite which takes you to the village of La Bréole: left then right (grocery store, snack bar, water fountain etc.) (D57).
  • Towns crossed : Pontis and Le Lauzet-Ubaye

Altimetric profile

Recommandations

Discovery of the dolmen gives a treasure hunt feel to this stage. There is a section where you need to be alert after the hamlet of Le Villard: a 50-metre stretch where putting a foot to the ground is recommended. Make sure you have a light for riding through the tunnels (the longest is 1.6 km).
Take care on the descents of Le Fein, Champ Raféou
Consumption index*: 68% 

Source

Parc national des Ecrinshttps://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr

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