The Fullie and Cha chalets on a loop from École

From the valley to the summit, passing through forests, pastures, ridges and alpine meadows: a varied hike off the beaten track.

1/ Take the road to the right of the town hall, cross a bridge and in the next hairpin bend, take a path leading up to the St Bernard chapel.

2/ After the oratory, continue on this ridge path, still ascending. You'll arrive at the foot of the Fullie mountain pasture, where you can reach the chalets at the top to take full advantage of the view.

3/ Return to the Col de la Fullie, opposite your arrival point in the mountain pasture, and take the path leading up to the Chalet de la Cha.

4/ From here, a track leads steeply down through the forest to the valley. Cross the main road and enter the hamlet of Epernay.

5/ After turning left at the chapel, continue straight through the village. At the "Epernay la fruitière" crossroads, turn right towards Routhennes. Ditto at the next junction (signposted "Sur les frênes").

6/ At an intersection of forest tracks, turn left. Paths and tracks alternate on the hillside until you reach the "Les Crics" intersection, where you take the track down towards Le Villard. Quite steep and stony, it brings you to the main road, which you cross to take the path opposite.

7/ This climbs the opposite slope, taking you to the abandoned hamlet of "Le Creux du Mont" (15 mins). Head back in the direction of Ecole to start the return journey, where you'll reach some lovely pastures. The path descends gently to the bottom of the slope, rejoining the original route.