Circular route starting from Préaux

Park in the car park next to Préaux Town Hall.

(S/E) Head towards Route de Laffare, turn right onto it and follow the signs for the boules court (south-east once on the road). Walk past the boules court and follow the path downhill. Stay on the main path, enter the forest and you’ll come to a small bridge.

(1) Turn immediately right once you have crossed the bridge. Finally, continue until you reach a small road. Once on this road, keep right to cross another bridge.

(2) Once you have crossed the bridge, take the path on the left. Continue along this path, keep left at the three-way junction and carry on until you reach a footbridge allowing you to cross the river once more. From there, the path climbs steadily. Reach the Chemin de la Tribolière and turn immediately left. Follow the steeply ascending road, passing through five sharp bends, until you reach the junction where the small path called Chatarin Ouest starts straight ahead. Take this path until you pass the Chatarain house (a beautiful stone building), going round it on the left.

(3) Continue straight on along the main path: a little further on, on the right, you should see a patch of woodland surrounded by fencing. After about 300 m, you’ll reach the ruined house of La Grioulet (possibly under reconstruction). Pass the house and immediately take the path on the right: there’s a tiny pond on the left. Continue along the main path until you reach a wider path.

(4) There are two options at this point:
- either take the small path on the left (this is recommended when vegetation is sparse in autumn or winter), and you will then join the^GR®420.
- or you continue straight ahead on the path (the route option) until you reach a wider path. Turn left and join the^GR®420, marked in white and red. Follow it to the left to reach a crossroads of paths.

(5) First turn left then right to continue along the^GR®420, joining the small road to Gonnon. Continue in the same direction for about a hundred metres until you reach a crossroads.

(6) Leave the^GR® and take the path opposite. Navigate a sharp bend to the left.

(7) Almost immediately after the bend, turn right: a barely visible path not shown on IGN maps. When you reach a wider path, turn right and continue until you reach a road. Follow it to the right until you reach a Way of the Cross starting on the left.

(8) Follow this until you reach a road: on the descent, you may be able to take a shortcut via a path on the left using a GPS. Follow the slope until you reach a main road (RD532).

(9) Do not take the main road but turn immediately left onto a small path marked by small wooden barriers. Continue along this path running alongside the road until you reach Chemin de Dragonnet. Continue left along this road until the first junction.

(10) Leave the road and follow the path to the right. Continue along the main path and ignore the other paths to the right and left.

(11) After crossing a small river, turn immediately left and follow the riverbed upstream: please note: the path is barely visible at this point. Try to follow it until you reach a slightly wider path. Take this on the left and continue uphill until you reach a hairpin bend: to be sure of your location, a forestry vehicle is always parked nearby.

(12) Turn right 180° and continue straight on until you pass a house. At this point, the path naturally turns 90° to the left (there is a graveyard of vintage cars). Follow it until you reach a natural viewpoint.

(13) After descending the path from the viewpoint, take the first path visible on your left and, 50 m further on, take the path on your right. Continue along this path until you reach a house at Les Chanaux. Walk past the buildings, join a wider path and turn right. Continue for about 500 m, then turn onto a small path on the right. Follow this path, then take the first path on your left. Continue until you reach the small road called Chemin de Massonet.

(15) Turn left to follow it and join the Route des Hubacs

(16) Follow it to the right, passing through Gratte-Vieille with a few houses, then arrive at a junction on the left with a country lane.

(17) Take this Gratte-Vieille track until you reach a junction with the Chemin de la Planta.

(18) Follow this track for a few metres, then immediately turn left to join the Chemin de la Gare aux Plantas.
Stay on this track, which turns left, cross Le Furon and reach a junction with the Chemin de la Garre.

(19) Turn left onto this path until the next fork on the left with the Chemin de Préaux à Saint Jeure d'Ay.

(20) Continue along this path until you reach the Route des Gauds.

(21) Turn left and follow this road until you reach the centre of the village. Turn left just before the town hall and continue for 50 m to reach the starting car park (S/E).

I strongly recommend using a GPS and not relying solely on handwritten instructions, as this route has numerous junctions that can be confusing.

If you plan to undertake this hike during the summer, I advise against taking the shortcuts.

After heavy rain, it is not advisable to follow the Furon riverbed, especially as all the crossings are made of wood and therefore slippery.