Chambaran and Mouchet Route

(S/E) You are in the heart of the village of Saint-Bonnet-de-Valclérieux, on the D67a. Turn your back on the church, which overlooks the village. In front of you, a small road lined with plane trees winds down into the valley. Don’t hesitate; head down the road and cross a stream (the Valéré). On your right, you’ll see the Château de Solage.
You reach a crossroads and continue straight ahead.

(1) Very soon, on your left, you’ll see the sign for “Château de Solage alt. 395 m”. Leave the marked path and continue straight ahead. At the fork immediately after, turn left towards Chambaran. The path climbs steadily.

(2) Once you have passed the last house in Chambaran (No. 1215), take a path on the right that leads into the forest. It narrows before opening out onto a field which you follow. Very soon after passing the field, ignore a path on the right. Then, at a crossroads, continue straight ahead.

Very soon after, the path turns right. Do not go against it. You’ll come across some yellow markings, few and far between and rather faded. Ignore the faint forest tracks on either side. After a while, the path turns right again: carry on. You’ll see a few scattered yellow markings; you’ll emerge onto a field and follow it straight ahead.

(3) At the edge of the field, you come to a crossroads. Carry straight on, leaving the markings behind. Gradually, you descend steeply (don’t worry, every centimetre you go down, you’ll go back up!). You leave the woods and come out into farmland. You emerge onto a small road.

(4) First turn right then left onto a small road (signposted ‘Chemin des Pourpeaux’). You’ll see the yellow markings again.

(5) You come to a T-junction. Turn left, following the new signposting. Almost immediately, you reach a fork. Ignore the private track leading uphill to the left and continue to the right. You emerge onto a wider track (above you, you can see the remains of a caravan). Turn right. At the bottom of the valley, the track veers to the right.

(6) You will see the sign for “Le Grand Vernay, 454 m”. Turn right, heading towards the Thivolet Forest. You will very quickly come out onto a small road. Turn right and cross a bridge over the Mouchet. Your road bends to the right; ignore a faint path on the left. Once you have fully rounded the bend, on the left, you will see a rather obscure path leading into the woods. Take it. It climbs steeply but not for long. Follow the path, ignoring any other routes that may appear on the right or left (there are sparse yellow markings here too). At a fork, you’ll find an old stone marker. Take the right-hand path. You’ll come out onto a wide track. Take it to the right.

(7) Very soon, on the left, you’ll see the sign “Forêt de Thivolet alt. 526 m”. You continue along the wide track. You emerge from the woods. The track turns to tarmac and veers to the right. Quite soon, you turn left, following the yellow markings (brand new!). You pass a very charming hunters’ hut (ACCA).

(8) You reach the signpost “Croisée de Cachot, alt. 521 m”. Turn right towards Saint-Bonnet-de-Valclérieux. Quite soon, ignore a track coming from the right as yours turns left (there are three signposts: Chemin de la Feyta, Chemin de la Mure and Chemin des Paillers). Follow your track to the left.

(9) You’ll come to the signpost “Revoiron alt. 515 m”. Take the path on your right. Gradually, it descends steeply (it was well worth the climb back up…).

(10) When you reach a T-junction, turn left, then quickly turn right to return to the centre of Saint-Bonnet de Valclérieux (S/E).

The walk starts at the foot of the church in Saint-Bonnet-de-Valclérieux, a small village in the north of the Drôme department, on the border with the Isère department.
The main difficulty is finding a parking space, as there are very few. The best option is to park in the car park to the east of the cemetery.

During the second half of the walk, you’ll enjoy beautiful views of the Monts d’Ardèche and the Pilat, and, if you turn around, of the Vercors massif.