Etape 22 Fay sur Lignon St Julien de Chapteuil

A pleasant walk through the forest, undergrowth and meadows, with the pretty, round crater lake of Saint-Front, the highest in the Haute Loire, as your destination. Views of Mont Mézenc and the Monts du Velay, and you will be on the edge of the summit of Les Roches, an ancient volcano which is a climbing site on its southern slope.The name of thePR® trail that we follow most often is "Entre pins et fayards" (Between pines and beech trees), which is very apt. We added the tour of Lake Saint-Front, as it was too tempting to resist.

Discover the Gouffre de la Monette and its waterfall via the marsh route. This is a mysterious place to be enjoyed in peace and quiet, so choose a time when it is not too busy.

Enjoy a beautiful hike on Mont Signon and its old singing slate quarry. Beautiful panoramic views of the Monts de Haute Loire.

This geological trail allows you to discover an ancient small volcano, Mont Signon, which became a peat bog, then an ancient maar, or marshy crater, home to several peatlands. Numerous information panels from the Geopark help you understand these different volcanic formations.

This tour of Mont Mézenc allows you to admire the landscape stretching far in all directions: the Massif Central, the Ardèche, the Alps, the Pilat Massif... It is possible to climb Mont Mézenc during the circuit. The hike offers the best possible view of the beautiful Boutières cirque. The circuit also includes a return trip through the village of Chaudeyrolles and a tour of Mont Signon.

This peaceful route starting from Saint-Front allows you to enjoy the contrast between the steep-sided valleys of La Gagne, the Machabert stream and the tributary of the Aubépin on one side, and the gently sloping Mézenc plateau with its sweeping views on the other.

This is a short circular loop in the Mezenc National Forest, from La Roche Pointue to Le Ventographe, passing by the peat bogs. Le Ventographe is a quirky object created by a DIY artist, placed on a ridge; it is the centre for transmitting messages to the wind, which are received further down by another equally quirky work of art!