Drive from La Toupine towards Sisteron, taking the D951 which crosses the Sasse torrent just outside Valernes. When reaching the river bridge in Sisteron, take the D3 road on the east of the town, following the signs for the village of Authon. This car journey takes about 40-50 minutes and passes through beautiful scenery. Drive through the village and continue up to the col de Fontbelle, where you will find a car park.

 

The start of the walk is just across the road from the car park. The path passes a cave (the Grotte St Vincent) and carries on to a col between the two peaks of Melan. The GR6 then descends southwards towards the village of Melan but a better option for the walker is to follow the narrow footpath which traces the edge of the ridge towards the south-east. The summit lies at an altitude of 1708m and is a good place to stop for a picnic.

The path then follows a tight, downwards zig-zag (from which the photograph above was taken) to a wooded plateau where a level forest track may be followed anti-clockwise all the way around the foot of Melan back to the starting point.