Country:
District:
Park in the church car park.
(S/E) Take the stairs leading to Rue du Péage and continue to the right until you reach the signpost marked "La Roche 350 m". Turn right onto Chemin du Rastelet towards the Chapel of La Roche. Climb this tarmac road.
(1) Ignore the street on the left, which you will take on the way back, and continue straight ahead, passing the old silk factory (private property) and, further up, the Château de la Roche (private). Continue to the Chapelle de la Roche or Église Saint-Secret (12th-13th centuries) and its cemetery. The entrance to the path is blocked, but a gate accessible via a path on the left provides access. Very pretty timber-framed nave inside. Follow the path for a few more metres until you reach the next junction.
(2) At the signpost for "Chapelle de la Roche 433 m", leave the small tarmac road and take a stony path on the left which climbs quite steeply. Follow the red and whiteGR® markings and continue climbing (be careful, slippery rocks!) until you reach a fork.
(3) Take the path on the left, which descends slightly into the undergrowth. A large arrow-shaped stone slab bears theGR® markings. The slope becomes steeper. Continue down carefully on this stony path, which leads to a large lavender field at the bottom. Continue until you reach the tarmac road and a large crossroads.
(4) At the signpost marked "L'Étournelle 474 m", continue straight ahead on a small tarmac road. Pass a beautiful farmhouse, then turn left just before the entrance to a private property. Further up, leave the tarmac road and turn left again, continuing to follow the red and white markings (GR®). The path runs alongside a field bordered by an embankment and comes to a low stone wall.
(5) Go around it on the right and immediately climb up to the left onto a ridge path that follows a rocky spur to the ruins of Béconne. Pass a beautiful viewpoint on both sides, overlooking the Ravin de la Riaille and the Chapelle Notre-Dame on the left, and the foothills of Dieulefit on the right.
At the end of this path, an information panel presents the old village of Béconne (13th-14th centuries). You can carefully continue along the path that leads to the ruins (beware of falling rocks!).
(6) Then retrace your steps a little and descend to the right on a path marked in yellow. Continue downhill until you reach a tarmac road. Turn left and climb up to the Notre-Dame Church (14th century, enlarged inthe 17th century).
(7) Turn around and head back down the same tarmac road. At the next crossroads, turn right to pass in front of the old town hall of Béconne. Enjoy beautiful views of the ruins of Béconne as you walk along the vineyards.
(8) Turn onto the first path on the left (yellow markings): magnificent view of the Montagne de Champlas and the Tour d'Alençon, bordered by vineyards and lavender fields.
After the ruins of a dry stone hut, look for a passage on the left between the lavender that turns slightly higher up to the right at a right angle, still between the lavender. Then follow a path on the left that goes around the lavender. The yellow markings are difficult to find but easier to follow further on (small wooden posts and mountain bike trail 8).
(9) Turn right to follow the VTT 8 trail and the yellow markings. Walk along a vineyard before entering the undergrowth. Make sure you keep going in the same direction, more or less parallel to the D 538, which is some distance away on your right.
When you leave the woods, turn left onto Chemin des Essards to rejoin Chemin du Rastelet, which you followed at the start.
(1) Turn right, then at the T-junction, turn left onto Rue du Péage and walk up in front of the village church. Take the stairs on the left to return to the car park where you started (S/E).
Visorando member
Local authority
Difficult 
