History and landscapes of Marlhes

Parking is available around Marlhes church.

(S/E) Facing the church gate, head east along the streets on the right: Rue des Narcisses, Place de la Chaux, Rue de la Chiratte. The road becomes an uphill path.

(1) Climb up to a crossroads at the edge of the forest at an altitude of 1018 metres and turn left. Ignore the paths on the right and left and continue straight on to the hamlet of Le Rozet. At the road, turn left and cross the village to reach the chapel and house of Marcellin Champagnat.

(2) Take the path going uphill opposite the chapel. Cross the D74 road with caution. 200 metres further on, ignore the path on the right and follow the path on the left towards La Frache.

(3) At the crossroads, turn right and enter the forest. At the first crossroads, continue straight ahead. At the second crossroads, you will come to a main road. Follow it to the left for 1 km.

(4) At the road, cross it and follow the path on the right that leads to a house. You will come to a path coming from the left; continue to the right. Walk alongside a building and you will come to a steeply ascending road.

(5) Follow the road uphill to the left. Pass a farm on your right and walk past the foot of the pylon. Follow the path on the left leading to the cross and the Crêt de Chaussitre orientation table.

(6) From the cross, turn around and quickly follow the path on the left down into the heath and then the forest.

(7) At a crossroads on a flat section, before the 1076 metre mark, take the second path on the left that descends. This path joins a busy road.

(8) Be careful when crossing the road and follow it north for 300 metres. Near the houses, take the path on the left. Join a road at the hamlet of L'Allier. Enter the hamlet and, in the centre, go to the Maison de Béate on the right and back. Leave the hamlet and continue along the slightly downhill road to its lowest point at La Faye. The road curves to the left and then to the right. At the junction in the second circular route, follow the road to the right, passing a small aqueduct. Leave a path going up to the right.

(9) Follow the flat road to the hamlet of Le Monteil. Enter the hamlet to see the remains of the Maison de Béate and the Cross of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem.

(10) Turn around to return to Le Fayet.

(9) Take the path ascending to the left. Follow this path, which climbs almost in a straight line through meadows and then to the edge of the forest. Ignore the paths crossing to the right and left. Walk past the La Cordelière campsite on your left.

(11) 200 metres further on, take the path on the left and you will arrive near a road and some houses. Leave the road on your right and follow the forest path on your left. The path curves to the left and then to the right to reach a road at an elevation of 983 metres.

(12) Follow the road to the left and walk past the ADAPEI buildings. Cross the hamlet and continue along the road, ignoring the road on the left towards the Virgin Mary statue. Ignore another road on the right and then one on the left at an elevation of 977 metres.

(13) 100 metres after the last house, take a path on the left. Continue straight ahead until you reach a path at an elevation of 925 metres. Follow the path and then the descending trail until you reach the D10 at a crossroads near a hamlet.

(14) Be careful to take the road going uphill to the left. Note the buildings below on the left. Shortly after these buildings, take the small road on the left. Follow it for 300 metres.

(15) Turn right onto an uphill path. At elevation 880, find a path to follow opposite. Walk alongside a nursery on your left.

(16) Continue straight ahead until you reach the village of Marlhes. Return in a straight line to the starting point (S/E).

No special equipment is required.
As for water, the repeated passage near houses can solve any problems.
Expect cooler temperatures in the upper section near Crêt de Chaussitre.

Following the map, the route can be divided into two parts, left and right (Rozet side and Joubert side), continuing after Le Monteil via La Forie and Les Montagnes to return to the nursery near Marlhes. The Rozet route is approximately 15 km long and the Joubert route is 12 km long.

Le Rozet: Chapel dating from 1958 and birthplace of Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marist Brothers community, which is present in many countries, on 20 May 1789. He created this organisation in 1816 to educate children in rural areas. The chapel and his birthplace are open to visitors.

Crêt de Chaussitre: With an orientation table and a monumental cross, beautiful views of the region as far as Mont Mézenc. In the past, this area was communal land where children from the surrounding hamlets came to graze their flocks.

Hamlets of L'Allier and Monteil: Former houses of the Béates. "Filles de l'instruction" (Daughters of Instruction) was an order founded in 1668 by Anne-Marie Martel. These young women were semi-secular, semi-religious, responsible for teaching reading, writing, arithmetic and religious instruction in the villages, supporting families and caring for the sick.

La Faye: From 1900 onwards, Jean Courbon Lafaye developed a model farm for the production of buttermilk and butter. From 1903 onwards, a velvet ribbon weaving factory was set up next door. Today, you have to use your imagination, as there is not much left.

Hamlet of Le Monteil: House of Béate and cross of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem.

Hamlet of Joubert: In 1897, Canon Guitton found a farm here that could be converted into a clerical school and accommodate around forty boarders (a kind of minor seminary). The school closed in 1966 and in 1967 the premises were taken over by ADAPEI.