Roche Colombe et la forêt de Saoû

Saoû

The forest of Saoû occupies a perched syncline reputed to be one of the highest in Europe: an immense vessel of limestone closed in on itself, readily compared to an upturned ship's hull, of which Roche Colombe forms the western stern, at 886 metres. At the other end rise the Trois Becs — Roche Courbe (1,545 m), the Signal (1,559 m) and the Veyou (1,589 m) — the emblematic silhouette of the Drôme valley. Local tradition places here the story of the three hermit brothers: a year to the day after the battle of Fontenoy, on 25 June 842, Maurice, Guigues and Odon, sons of the lord of Dieulefit, are said to have renounced the world and each taken to a summit — Saint-Maurice, Sainte-Euphémie and Roche Colombe. A second version, carried by the valley's tourist offices, gives Roche Colombe a Saint Colombe living in a cave, healing people with herbs, talking to the animals and snatching a child from the talons of a bird of prey; every evening she exchanged smoke signals with her brother Maurice, a hermit above Dieulefit, and on the evening of her death he found her surrounded by the animals of the forest. The legend of Maurice adds some stubborn wonders: bones found in 1160 by shepherds, a skull that returns of its own accord to its place each time it is moved, relics that escape from the chapel of Dieulefit, building materials that carry themselves to the intended spot during the rebuilding of 1660. The massif then became the private domain of a single man, the Alsatian deputy Maurice Burrus, who bought the entire forest in 1924, reforested it, laid out 27 km of tourist road through it and in 1934 had the Auberge des Dauphins built, inspired by the Petit Trianon. The département of the Drôme acquired it in 2003; it is a classified site, a Natura 2000 site and a designated sensitive natural area.

Office de tourisme Dieulefit-Bourdeaux - La légende de l'ermite Maurice ↗

Getting there : Start from the municipal car park in Saoû (26400), verified coordinates 44.6468 / 5.0606; yellow-waymarked path leaving from a lane to the left of the tourist office. Allow for a loop of around 13 km with 550 to 600 m of ascent, 4 h to 4 h 30, dry stony ground, little water in summer. The summit coordinates given here are approximate (accurate to a few hundred metres): rely on the waymarking. Overflying by drones and microlights is prohibited; classified site since 1942.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound