Country:
City:
The walk starts from the hamlet of Bénevise. Park in the communal car park situated just to the right, above the road, as you enter the hamlet via the RD515. There is a fountain by the side of the road. The car park isn’t very big (around ten spaces) and fills up very quickly during the holidays and at weekends when the weather is fine. In that case, park 400 m before or 500 m after the hamlet; there are areas where you can park.
(S/E) Follow theGR®93, which descends towards Les Nonnières. To do this, leave the hamlet and walk alongside the RD515 for a few hundred metres before turning right under the road and joining a pleasant path carved through the boxwood after crossing the Ruisseau de Combau.
(1) Take the hiking path on the left (yellow/green markings) which climbs towards the Combeau valley. Cross the RD120 twice – the road climbs to the Col de Menée – and take care at both these points. The second time, head left for about 200 m.
(2) Turn right onto a path that climbs up to the RD515, which leads to the Combeau valley. Turn right and follow the road uphill for about 300 m.
(3) Leave the yellow/green markings and take a small, poorly marked path that climbs steeply up the slope on the left. Follow this steep path, which is not very well marked but whose route is fairly easy to make out. At around 1,400 m, the slope levels off before joining a better-marked path (cairn).
(4) Take this path, heading left as you climb. Follow this path to the base of a large scree slope, which you climb whilst staying on the well-marked path: do not take the tracks that head straight up the scree slope.
Reach the Pas des Ampes, marked by two monoliths rising amongst the trees on the left.
(5) Follow the path, gradually ascending the long Coureau valley. When you reach the track leading to the Jardin du Roi (cairn), turn left heading south.
(6) Leave the track to the right to reach, some twenty metres higher up, a first viewpoint overlooking the Couron ravine and the vast Cirque d’Archiane. The walk continues southwards. The route is off-trail but fairly obvious, following the cliff at varying distances. Along the way, where the forest opens out a little, you’ll find several unusual viewpoints and vantage points overlooking the Cirque d’Archiane. Walk for about 1 km.
(7) Look for one of the various paths on the left that branch off from the cliff towards the east and follow it to reach a valley leading to the pastures of the hamlet of Tussac. Join the track.
(8) Turn right onto it and continue south. Cross over to the eastern slope of the rocky ridge and descend the slopes above the hamlet of Bénevise.
(9) At the third hairpin bend (cairn), take the path branching off to the right and, further down in the woods, join a faint track. Follow this track downwards via several hairpin bends until you rejoin theGR®93.
(10) Turn left to quickly reach the hamlet of Bénevise (S/E).
Visorando Member
Moderate 
Very difficult 
Easy 
Local authority
