Parking is available at the entrance to Saint-Marcel-d'Urfé opposite the inn.
(S/E) Head south towards the church and pass in front of the town hall. Take the road that curves sharply to the right.
(1) Walk a few metres and then turn left and walk 150 metres. Take the road on the right towards the Bonnetant Chapel, which you can see at the end of the road. After visiting the site, retrace your steps and turn right until you reach a crossroads.
(2) Take the road on the left and almost immediately follow the grassy path going uphill opposite. Cross the road and take the road going uphill opposite towards Lafay. Ignore a road going downhill to the left. Ignore a path going uphill to the right at a place called Les Charmettes.
(3) Follow the tarmac road slightly to the right to Lafay, ignoring the road going down to the left. At the first bend in the road in the hamlet, follow the forest path going up opposite. Enter the forest to reach a major forest track at an altitude of 835 metres.
(4) Cross over for 50 metres, then turn right again for another 50 metres, then take the hairpin bend up to the left for 100 metres. Ignore a path coming from the right and continue slightly to the left on level ground. After 100 metres, turn right at a right angle.
(5) The path climbs steeply, going straight ahead, then to the left, then curving to the right. Ignore a larger path coming from the right. You will arrive at a road.
(6) Walk a few metres to the left, then take the dirt track to the right which leads to the Château des Cornes d'Urfé. Visit the site and climb to the top of the keep for a superb view. Go around the foot of the castle to the east and pass through the Arboretum and behind a building to reach the downhill road again. Continue along the road for 200 metres with a left-hand bend.
(7) At this bend, take the path that descends steeply to the right. Cross the forest and you will reach a path and the houses of Lagrôle. Cross the hamlet and after the last house, follow the wide path down to the right. Ignore a path that leads off to the right and you will come to a road.
(8) Follow this road to the right for 50 metres, leave this road and turn left, crossing over the motorway. After crossing, turn right at a right angle. In a left-hand bend, ignore the road on the right and descend towards the houses of La Forêt.
(9) At the houses, turn right between the buildings and continue along the wide path slightly uphill. You will come to a crossroads with a cross at elevation 695.
(10) Turn left onto the path in the forest, ignoring the path on the far left. Follow this path along the edge of the forest. Cross a larger path. Continue straight ahead through the meadows, cross a small wood and descend to a major road.
(11) Caution: for safety reasons, walk along the edge of the road. Take the road to the left until you reach the large crossroads 100 metres away. Take the road on the right, following the side of the road. On the right, you can see the Château de Contenson behind a curtain of trees and its two successive entrance gates 100 metres apart. Opposite on the left, note the hairpin bend running alongside the road in the opposite direction.
(12) Take this path for 100 metres. On the right, you will see a clearing in the forest where you will find the Way of the Cross and Calvary, accessible via granite steps covered with vegetation. On either side, up to the top, are the original 14 stations of the Way of the Cross. At the top is a statue of Christ.
(13) Descend to the bottom of the Way of the Cross. On your way down, note the Château de Contenson opposite, partially visible through the trees.
(12) Take the road (D53) on the right in the opposite direction to the crossroads at altitude 606. Follow the road on the left to the next crossroads and the Gathion farm. On the way, note the views of Contensin Castle on the left and, further away, the views of the white Trémolin Castle.
(14) At Gathion at elevation 607, take the road that climbs up to the right. Ignore a path on the left and a road on the left leading to a house. 200 metres after the house, you will come to a junction with the path you took on the way there.
(15) Take the path at a right angle to the left. Cross the middle of the meadow and then the edge of the forest to return to the crossroads at our starting point.
(10) Take the path downhill to the left and cross the farm buildings. The path turns into a tarmac road. Join a road and follow it straight ahead for 150 metres. Cross a path and follow it to the left, slightly downhill.
(16) This path joins another at an elevation of 568 metres; follow it to the right. The path approaches the stream and, before reaching the village of Juré at an elevation of 545 metres, take a path ascending at a right angle.
(17) This path climbs steeply through the forest until it reaches a crossroads.
(18) Take the road on the left that crosses the motorway. Continue along the road to the left and then to the right towards the village of Saint-Marcel. Pass by a pond on the right. 100 metres further on, you will reach the starting point (S/E).
