Gravel : Le phare du Queyras

In Ceillac, the walk joins the valleys of the Mélezet and Cristillan, a torrent that sparkles like a jewel and offers hikers a magnificent image of the mountains. But it also brought misfortune to the village with its devastating floods in 1957.

1 - Ceillac
On this October day, dawn does not lend itself to optimism. In Ceillac, the peaks are covered in clouds. At La Lombarde, the return of the easterly wind does not augur well for the day. The rains arrive and plunge the mountains into austerity. But this summer, the downpour is short-lived. An opening in the sky allows us to admire the Ceillac plateau and surrounding peaks. From the start, I've been riding on a quiet little road. I ride through this wide, high-altitude valley towards Mélezet, on the border between Guillestrois and Queyras, blocked to the south by the Pic de la Font Sancte, the summit of Queyras (3385 m). I continue cycling through the valley on a track leading to the mountain pastures. It's great to see how far I've progressed as the path lightens up in the diffuse sunlight. 300 meters of ascent await me: the whole distance can be covered by bike, with no constraints or portages.

2 - La Riaille
At "La Riaille" (1850 m), I enter the Jalavez woods. A track emerges and follows the valley road. I enter the world of the Queyrassine mountains, where the scent of larch mingles with that of pine. Humidity and rain transcend the forest, creating a bewitching atmosphere where charred trunks emerge, the result of a recent fire.

3 - Le Cristillan
At the foot of the descent, I cross the Cristillan (1770 m), a lovely torrent which, on June 13 1957, became a veritable tidal wave. Successive days of rain combined with a sudden snowmelt unleashed the torrent, which carried wood, stones and mud.

4 - Les Chalmettes
The road leads upstream to "Les Chalmettes" (2030 m).

5 - Le Tioure
I opt to return via the lovely path linking the hamlets of Touret and Tioure (1850 m). The latter was permanently inhabited until 1945. But the avalanche of 1978 wiped it off the map, leaving just one chalet, the Colombet, which can still be seen today.

6 - Le Villard
The balcony path continues its fine progress towards "le Villard" (2100 m). The last hairpin bends dominate a Cristillan that is both debonair and cataclysmic.

Don't forget to take enough water with you. In Prats-Haut, however, you can fill your water bottles.

In summer, before setting off on this hike far from any habitation, find out about the risk of thunderstorms, which often occur in August, in the late afternoon. Avoid the high season, when you may encounter a large number of vehicles on the road to the Bucher summit.

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