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Departure from Velars-sur-Ouche, La Cude; park along Allée de la Cude next to the municipal garage.
(S/E) Facing the street, turn right onto the main road D10E, heading south: yellow markings. At the fork, turn left onto Chemin des Pins. At the next crossroads, turn left and then immediately right.
(1) At the entrance to Combe Bertrand, take the path on the left that passes behind a fenced-in area. Follow the bottom of the valley for 1.5km.
(2) At the fork, take the valley on the right and tackle the first steep climb.
(3) Turn right as you climb and continue upwards.
(4) On a flat section where you can catch your breath, you will reach a wide path which you take to the left. Cross the fields, cut across a path to reach the edge of the forest: steep, wet passage, you are approaching the source of the Naizou.
Turn off onto the main marked path on the right and, 100 m further on, you will arrive at the Naizou Fountain crossroads.
(5) Ignore the path on the right and turn left. After 20 metres, turn left at a right angle and start the climb up Mont Afrique. At the top, turn right onto the stony path and continue to the civil aviation antenna.
(6) Just after the antenna, turn right and hold on tight: there is a steep 250-metre descent, leaving all the paths on the right and left.
(7) When you reach the bottom of Combe de Vic, climb up the opposite side without delay: a steep 230-metre climb, but now you're warmed up for the rest of the route. Cut across several paths and, after a welcome flat section, also cut across the ridge path to descend the Côte des Temps. Leave two paths on your right, pass a crossroads at elevation 427 and arrive at another crossroads.
(8) Climb up the left side of the valley to the crossroads at elevation 429.
(9) Climb the path on the left. Turn right 20 metres further on and join the ridge path. Turn right and, after 300 metres, descend to the left to the main path halfway up the slope.
(10) Follow this path to the left for 350 metres, then turn right and follow a straight path to the bottom of the Combe de Notre-Dame d'Étang.
(11) Continue to the left, then turn immediately right to begin the climb up the Combe de la Fontaine des Pins.
(12) When you reach the small spring at Fontaine des Pins, turn right to join the path halfway up the slope, at an altitude of 543 metres.
(13) At the barrier, turn left onto the tarmac road, which turns into a path leading to the summit of Mont Afrique (Tour Télécom).
(14) Turn right onto the road, then after 150 metres, turn left and continue straight on until you reach a crossroads. Turn right, then take the second path on the left to join the path that goes around Mont Afrique.
(15) Stay on this flat path, ignoring the numerous trails on the left. After 600 m, veer left and continue for another 400 m. Take the path that descends to the right for 100 m, then turn left to join the path halfway up the slope 300 m further on. Turn left, leaving the path on the right that descends, and join the fork just after the Naizou Fountain
(5). This time, take the path on the right that descends.
(16) When you reach a boundary marker, ignore the paths on the left and the one on the far right; take the path going downhill almost opposite. At the first path, turn right, pass the 412-metre mark and continue straight on to the bottom of the valley.
(17) Descend to the left, then left again at the next two crossroads until you reach the bottom of the Combe des Grenets. Cross a path and climb up opposite; the path veers to the right, climbs gently, then branches off to the left to climb steeply (elevation 341). Continue straight ahead, leaving three paths on your left, then veer slightly to the right (the path continues to climb) until you reach the main path.
(18) Turn left for 20 metres, ignore a path on the right, and continue on the small path that climbs. Ignore another path on the right and continue until you reach a wide path. Turn left for 50 metres, then right towards Fontaine Sainte-Anne. From there, follow theGR®7which climbs to Notre Dame d'Etang.
(19) On the ridge, turn right and pass to the right under the statue, continue straight ahead and descend via a small path to the junction with the main path, which you follow to the car park (elevation 401), then turn right onto Route de Notre-Dame d'Etang to the parking area (S/E).
I experienced particularly wet weather, which made both the ascents and descents more challenging, but I'm glad I did it! I agree with Karen about the difficulty of finding some of the trails (thank goodness for GPS and map tracking), which are completely invisible: you have to dare to venture into the middle of "nowhere" and you'll eventually come across the trail in question. That's why it's a good idea to do it in the direction indicated by the author and with good shoes that can withstand the wet conditions.
Visorando member
Moderate 
Easy 
