Country:
City:
(S/E) You are in front of the restaurant in Saint-Paul. It is behind you. Follow the D8 to your left, heading north-west. Take thefirst tarmac road on the right, towards Rivoiranche. Pass the cemetery and continue along the small road.
(1) Pass the Château de Rivoifranche on your right. After about 250 m, when the road bends to the right, continue straight on along a stony track towards Bonnotaire. You will come to a crossroads.
(2) Take thefirst left towards Grisail. Continue straight on to the hamlet of Grisail.
(3) Cross the D8 and take the Chemin du Four opposite. Very soon, turn left and leave the hamlet. Ignore a dirt track that appears in front of you and follow a good track on the left. Go downhill, cross a stream and climb steeply up the other side.
(4) At the “Malseret” sign, continue straight ahead (south). Very soon, ignore a private track on the right and continue straight ahead on a narrower path. You’ll come out onto a small road at the entrance to the hamlet of Ponsonnanche.
(5) Follow the road to the left, and immediately turn onto a path on the right. Cross a stream and continue straight on until you reach a junction (signposted “Les Vaches”).
(6) Turn left and head down a lovely stony path. You’ll see the bell tower of Saint-Paul’s church ahead. You’ll come out onto a small road, which you follow to the right. You’ll arrive at the church.
(7) Walk past it and turn left. You’ll reach the D8, which you follow to the left to return immediately to the starting point (S/E).
We did this hike on Ascension Thursday in grey, rainy weather. We decided to extend the route by taking a detour starting at point 6, at an elevation of 916 metres. Please be aware that this path is very narrow, steep, slippery and poorly maintained; look carefully for the yellow and green markings on the trees. We saw someone working along the way who advised us against climbing up to the cliffs, as the ascent is even steeper and longer, and without walking poles it’s a real struggle. On her advice, we took a detour leading to a private property, but asked permission to pass – no problem, as we came across a group of young adults who were celebrating the holidays; they were very friendly. After a long descent, we reached point 6, but from there to point 7 it was a real struggle with lots of mud and water on the path. (Total: 9.8 km, 435 m elevation gain. A word of advice: take walking poles and good shoes.)
Visorando Member
Moderate 
