August 6, 2024

Chateau-Queyras, 1.350m

I wake up around 6am, make myself a cup of coffee and eat a madeleine before setting off around 7.30am. I don’t have much left to eat and I’m pretty hungry, so I saw that the bakery in Ceillac (a 6-hour walk away) was closing at 1pm so I decided to walk fast to get there before it closed.

I had originally planned to bivouac at Lac Miroir this evening, after Ceillac, above 2,200m. But the weather forecast calls for thunderstorms tomorrow morning and I don’t want to get stuck at altitude in bad weather, knowing that the nearest refuge is a 5-hour walk away. So I decide to stop in Ceillac if the weather forecast doesn’t change.

I go up into the forest in the cool of the morning and come across quite a few marmots.

Fontaine Rouge, 2.125m

Bivouac possible, water point & river

On my way to refill my water bottle, I have a quick chat with Alex, who bivouacked there last night, and set off again towards the Col du Fromage.

The slope softens and the view is beautiful.

Col du Fromage, 2.301m

I pass the Col at around 11am and begin the descent to Ceillac.

Ceillac, 1.639m

I arrive at the bakery a little after noon. Finally, well ahead of schedule. A good cheese/crudité sandwich and a croissant, that’s better!

The village is cute, I drink a coffee, and then move on to Les Moutets campsite, where I find a spot in the shade under a tree. In the afternoon, I go shopping in the village and eat pizza in the evening, before returning to the campsite.