Geography
The commune is located in the western part of Champsaur on the left bank of the river Drac opposite Saint-Bonnet. It is backed by Mount Mouttet in the foothills of the Dévoluy massif. Its geographical position gives it a pleasant climate in summer but colder in winter.
The town extends from the river Drac (at an altitude of 950m downstream from the bridge of Saint-Bonnet) to the heights of Coste Folle (alt. 2079m). The terrain consists of:
- the edge of the Drac which is now largely constrained by the road;
- the Chaup plain, the ancient area of the glacial valley which provides a plateau for crops and pastures;
- a forest of pine and larch which is used for its timber;
- unusable cliffs and rocky slopes;
- some easily accessible areas high on Mount Mouttet.
The old town consists of three closely sited hamlets called Les Farelles, La Fare and Le Serre, and is located on the Chaup plain at an altitude of 1100 meters. This is the older part of the village which is exclusively agricultural and very poor.
The lower part of the village, Les Baraques, Les Allards and Bonnette) was developed around the Grenoble - Gap road (route nationale 85) on the Route Napoléon with a hotel, a tourist office, a cafe and several shops including a supermarket. The council has recently been moved from the old town to Les Baraques.
La Fare communicates with Saint-Bonnet, the 'capital' of Champsaur, via the only bridge on the Drac. The two municipalities are complementary: Saint-Bonnet offers a greater range of services and businesses but is off the main road, and La Fare, which is smaller but better placed, acts as a suburb of the town.
Read more about this topic: La Fare-en-Champsaur
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