Les Tenailles (trail route no. 12)

10 points of interest

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  Flora

  The field maple

  This is the smallest member of the family of forest maples, growing to a height of 8 to 15 metres. It can live for up to 150 years. Its leaves have five round lobes; they are winged with wings sticking out in opposite directions. It is not fussy as to the dampness of the soil and it can withstand cold temperatures and drought. It is also an excellent bee forage plant, which can be enhanced by the proximity of a hive.

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  Panorama

  The Croix de la Salcette

  The highlight of this trail, overlooked by the southern, colourful foothills of the Montbrison massif (Tête d'Aval, Tête d'Amont, Les Tenailles), the Croix de la Salcette offers both the gentleness of a vast alpine grassland and a splendid panorama of the upper reaches of the Durance valley. 

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  Fauna

  The alpine chough

  This small black corvid sports a yellow beak and red legs. It likes to fly in groups of several dozen or even several hundred individuals. Common in the mountains and a great acrobat, it can often be spotted whirling around cliffs or skimming over the alpine grasslands. It often hangs around picnics to gather up the crumbs!

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  Fauna

  The rock partridge

  At the approach of intruders, rock partridges fly away with a great whirring of wings from the rocky ground where they had hitherto passed unnoticed. This bird favours south-facing slopes which are rocky and well exposed to the sun. During the mating season, at dawn the male produces an echoing, rasping and rhythmic call. It is a species in sharp decline.  

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  Geology and geography

  The quartzite

  The path passes along the edge of a big cutting, with boulders of quartzite. This is a metamorphic, siliceous rock which is very hard and formed by grains of quartz welded together. It originates from sand deposited 230 million years ago in the still-shallow waters of the nascent Alpine ocean, and brought here by the erosion of the surrounding topography. 

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  Know-how

  The eco-constructed school

  The school in Saint-Martin-de-Queyrières is built out of materials that are safe and sustainable. The building is of bioclimatic design, that is to say, the architecture is adapted to the characteristics of the climate of the local area in which it is sited, in order to obtain the most natural ambient comfort possible. The environment provides power and resources through, for example, the capture of solar energy, the use of air circulation techniques, rainwater harvesting etc.

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  Know-how

  Eco-construction

  On this path, you will pass by some eco-constructed cabins. One of them is made from larch, a wood that is naturally resistant to bad weather and insects and needs no previous treatment. The other is constructed according to the “post-beam” principle, which is reminiscent of half-timbered construction. This is characterised by an exposed supporting framework. The beams support the roof, and these beams are in turn are supported by the posts. 

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  Fauna

  The larch, a tree unlike any other

  The symbol of the Southern Alps, this softwood tree loses its leaves in winter, and is swathed with gold and lights up the mountains in autumn. The larch forests are maintained by the grazing of flocks. Without them, other trees like the fir or other pine trees could grow, creating a different kind of forest. A pioneer species, the larch establishes freely in light conditions. Its solid rot-proof wood has always been used in the construction of houses.

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  Architecture

  The chapel of Saint-Jacques-de-Prelles

  The chapel of Saint-Jacques-de-Prelles was built in the Middle Ages, in 1502, on the ancient pilgrims' way from Italy to Santiago de Compostella. It is surmounted by an arcade bell tower, decorated at the top with blind arcades with pointed arches. A number of wall paintings depicting historical episodes adorn the interior of the chapel, likely dating from the fifteenth century. They were restored in 1955. This chapel was listed as a Historical Monument in 1906 and it contains objects also listed as Historical Monuments, such as the bell which dates from 1639 or the eighteenth century silver, gold and brass ciborium.

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  History

  The GR 653D

  The GR 653D is the Via Domitia. It is the second stage of the pilgrims' way to Santiago de Compostella, the Way of Saint James. This Grande Randonnée follows the route of the Via Domitia, an ancient Roman road built from 118 BC onwards. It linked Italy to the Iberian Peninsula, crossing Narbonese Gaul. 20 days should be allowed to travel its 459 kilometres of paths.