Difficult one-day hikes

From the little hamlet of La Rua, you'll walk through a larch forest to the Pré Fromage pass for a lovely view of Dent du Ratier, then head across the pastures to the Fromage pass before crossing a beautiful limestone landscape dotted with ‘witch holes', after the Fontantille plateau, then a balcony path to the Fromage pass. Next head for the Estronques pass for a view over the Ceillac valley. The entire loop offers a beautiful variety of views. From the Estronques pass, walk down to the Moulin bridge and return to La Rua along the Aigue-Blanche river.

From LE RIOU VERT, head for the Fromage pass via the Riou Vert valley, up through the forest to the footbridge. From the pass, walk up to the observatory (a former military lookout post) for a beautiful 360° view over the Ruine Blanche ravine, the Riou Vert valley, the Ceillac valley and Font Sancte. The crossing continues along ridges to the Bramousse pass, then down to Les Sagnes. From there, head for the Souillet pass and the Bramousse chalets before returning to BRAMOUSSE via the GR58 trail.

From the ski resort, walk up to Beauregard then follow the ridge to the Pic de Château-Renard (possible future OPTION of taking the chairlift to 2,600 metres). You can visit the Astronomical Observatory (book ahead) before taking the Old Copper Mine discovery trail back down. Guided tours available (book ahead). Return to St Véran via the Grand Canal or, in summer, take the shuttle bus from the Marble Quarry.