Between the Cèze and Auzon rivers from Saint-Jean-de-Valériscle

Park in the Place Jean Jaurès car park.

(S/E) Head to Rue des Écoles to the north of the square, follow it to the left and pass the town hall.

(1) Turn right along the street and, shortly after, turn right into Rue des Granges. Further on, turn right onto Ancien Chemin de Robiac (yellow signpost). Very soon, take a path that climbs up to the right.

(2) Cross the D59 and first turn right then left to take some cement steps (yellow markings). Continue on a path that runs alongside a few houses and gardens. Leave a ruin on your left and you will come to a fork.

(3) Keep right (yellow markings) and continue climbing. After a gate, walk along a farm on your left. You will arrive at the Croix des Brousses.

(4) Turn right onto the Route forestière des Brousses. Ignore a track coming from the right (elevation 379) and continue east-northeast until you reach a crossroads (signpost).

(5) Turn left onto the path that descends towards Gammal. This is a very quiet, shaded path offering several views of Molières-sur-Cèze and the surrounding area. Continue along this path.

(6) At the crossroads, continue right onto a wide road. Ignore the paths that branch off to the right and left.

(7) At an intersection, take a sharp left turn (ignore the road on your right). Stay on this wide road.

(8) At an intersection, continue straight ahead (ignore the path coming from the left). Ignore a road coming from the left and arrive at a place called Le Boisson. Take two hairpin bends, first right then left, and you will arrive at a T-junction at a place called Gammal.

(9) Then turn left and follow the school car park. Pass a wash house and you will arrive at La Luxerière. The road then passes between large old farms. Come out onto a small road and follow it to the right. The road quickly gives way to a path that descends.

(10) At the bottom, cross the D130, take a small road opposite and cross a stream. Immediately, when the road turns left, leave it for the path almost opposite the bridge; another one starts on the right. Go back up through a wood (yellow markings). At a cross, continue on the path that branches off slightly to the left.

(11) At the T-junction, turn right towards Poujol bas. The path immediately turns left and heads south-west, overlooking a railway line (be careful). Further on, cross a bridge over the railway line. Join a small road (cemetery on the left) and follow it to the church.

(12) Continue straight ahead on Rue de l'Église. Take the first left, Chemin des Bois (D146a). Cross the railway line again and turn left at the triangular junction that immediately follows.

(13) When the road turns left, leave it and take a path on the right. Go up and follow the yellow markings.

(14) When you reach a wider path, continue on the path furthest to the right. Join a wider path and follow it to the right for about 20 metres.

(15) At the fork, continue straight ahead on a path (leave the wide road that branches off to the left).

(16) After about 400 m, take the first path on the right (yellow signpost). Shortly afterwards, turn left with the path and head west-southwest, then southwest.

(17) At the crossroads, turn left at an acute angle. Shortly afterwards, turn right and continue to the Chapelle Lacham.

(18) Take the yellow-marked path that descends south (ignore another marked path on the right). The path is relatively quiet and shaded. Go around a hill (elevation 479) on the left and continue downhill to a cross. You will then join a wider path and follow it for about 150 m.

(19) Join a DFCI firebreak, the Chemin des Bois, and follow it to the right. Descend via a few hairpin bends.

(20) Take the hairpin bend to the left (ignore the path that goes straight ahead in the hollow of the bend). Follow a few more hairpin bends then head south across open ground. Pass under a high-voltage power line and you will immediately come to a small road (Rue de la Combe).

(21) Follow this road and cross the hamlet of Alteyrac. At the crossroads, turn right. At the fork that appears immediately, keep left and turn left straight away to reach the church.

(22) Turn right and go down a staircase between the houses. At the bottom (Place de la Mairie), turn left and ignore the street on the right. At the next crossroads, turn right and leave the cemetery on your left.

(23) You will come out onto the D130 (Route des Brousses) and follow it to the right. Turn immediately left onto Chemin de la Dugasse and follow a school on your right. At the end of the road, continue along a path between a high stone wall and gardens to reach the D59 (café and tobacconist; possible refreshment point in addition to water at the cemetery).

(24) Cross the D59 and follow Avenue René Bouquet opposite. At the crossroads, continue along Chemin des Terres and take the bridge over the Auzon.

(25) On the other side of the bridge, when the road turns left, continue straight ahead on a path that climbs uphill. At the foot of an antenna, reach the end of a road and turn right onto a path that leads into a wood. Continue to follow the yellow markings.

(26) At the T-junction, turn right and go downhill.

(27) At the next T-junction (signposted "Grange de Ribot"), follow the wider path to the left.

(28) At the fork that appears shortly after, turn left (yellow markings) and continue on the wide path, ignoring the paths on either side.

(29) Further on, at a fork, keep left. At the next intersection, continue to the right.

(30) Take the hairpin bend to the left and walk alongside an old factory on your right. Pass under a concrete bridge with information panels about how the old factory worked and its history.

(31) At the crossroads (tennis court on the right), turn right towards the cemetery. Just before the cemetery, follow Chemin de l'Auzonnet on the left and walk along the campsite. Then take a footbridge over the Auzon.

(32) On the other side, take the path on the right, still marked in yellow, and follow the river on your right.

(33) Leave the riverbank and enter the old village via Rue de Budos. Then turn left and right to reach the village church.

(34) Opposite the church entrance, follow Rue del'Égliseto the left. At the end, turn right then left to return to the crossroads you passed at the start of the walk.

(1) Turn right, pass the town hall and, after about 50 metres, you will find the car park on your right (S/E).

As I mentioned in the introduction, the climb from Robiac to the Lacham chapel is challenging, even though it is only 3.5 km long. It climbs all the way up with some fairly steep sections, but the scenery is definitely worth the effort. The descent from the chapel to Saint-Florent-sur-Auzonnet is also challenging, due to the large unstable stones typical of the Cévennes over much of the descent. After Saint-Florent, you might think you're almost there, but there's still a good little climb that takes its toll after almost 20 km in your legs. But it's easily manageable for athletes with good shoes and enough water.

There is one point on the route where caution is advised, as the path, although flat and straight at this point, overlooks a cliff with a beautiful view of the Cèze, but this may not be suitable for those who suffer from vertigo.

The Lacham chapel, the various villages and hamlets, the views of the Cévennes...