Le col de la Sambie

Description

History, culture and heritage

Pellafol Castle

The village of Barbières is dominated by the stone lace of the Château de Pellafol, of which only the pentagonal keep remains today. A fief belonging to the Bishop of Valence, this late 12th-century castle dominated the upper part of Barbières. In the 16th century, Antoine de Beaumont, lord of Barbières, became known as "Captain Barbières". His château de Pellafol was destroyed in 1595. Legend has it that the castle is linked by underground passages to caves in which a treasure is said to be buried.

Guidebook with maps/step-by-step

1/ From the parking lot, cross the torrent des Riveures by the road. Behind the calvary, climb the Chemin de la Dame. Ignore two paths on the left, pass behind a farm and arrive under a house. Cross the track and continue straight ahead on the path. Continue through pastures before dropping slightly to reach the road, which you turn left onto.
Coordinates: (44.951473, 5.1451627)
Distance from starting point: 12 m
2/ Pass a house: the road gives way to a path. Continue up the slope on a dirt track. After the last farmhouse, the route becomes a path and reaches "le Col de la Sambie" (alt. 677m). Head downhill through a wood, then out in the open, to join the main path at the "Carrières" crossroads (alt. 600m).
Coordinates: (44.9530583, 5.1642735)
Distance from starting point: 2 km
3/ Go downhill to the left. Join an old farmhouse, passing by the old quarry. Reach a road and follow it to the left. At the crossroads, turn left onto the road. After a large building, come to a crossroads on a sharp bend.
Coordinates: (44.9648834, 5.1669073)
Distance from starting point: 4 km
4/ Turn right onto the wide track which runs due north. At the crossroads, turn left, then right 200m further on. Continue straight ahead at the next junction. At the hamlet, go left up the access road, then straight ahead at the crossroads. Pass a farm, then take the impasse de Barbières at the next junction.
Coordinates: (44.9662017, 5.1589451)
Distance from starting point: 5 km
5/ At the well-marked right-hand bend, go straight ahead on a dirt track and descend to the "des Rosées" crossroads (alt. 416m). Turn left onto the tree-lined path. At the road, go straight down to the heart of the village of Barbières. Turn left, go through the village, cross the cluse and return to the parking lot.
Coordinates: (44.963447, 5.143124)
Distance from starting point: 7 km

Opening periods