Country:
District:
From the car park opposite the town hall in Peyreleau.
(S) Go down the D29 and take the first road on the right to arrive at a place called La Grave
(1). Head east at the corner of a gate along a path lined with stone walls. After 30 metres, turn right and climb up to a paved road.
(2) Turn left and then left again onto a track at the entrance to a property. The track climbs up the Jonte Gorges for 2.3 km.
(3) At a house below, the road narrows to a path that begins to climb steeply. After 100 metres, turn right and follow a steep slope, keeping to the right-hand path. The path leads to a pass at the foot of a rocky outcrop on which stand the ruins of the Saint-Michel hermitage.
(4) At the foot of the ruins, continue south on the path. At the first crossroads, stay on the path on the right. At the second crossroads, after passing the ruins, turn right again. The path, which is sometimes narrow and slippery, runs along the jagged edge of the Causse Noir for 2.5 km. It comes out in front of the "prehistoric mushroom", so named because of its shape and age.
Up to the prehistoric mushroom, you can enjoy numerous views of the Causse Méjean: Capluc, the Chinese and Sèvres vases, the Jonte gorges with Le Truel upstream and Le Rozier downstream, and the cornices of the Causse Noir. The path follows the northern edge of the Causse Noir forest several times, as evidenced by the numbered markers planted in the ground at the edge of the paths.
(5) Go around the prehistoric mushroom on the left and continue straight ahead towards two telecommunications pylons.
(6) Continue west under the telephone line for 100 m, then turn right and follow a vertiginous path that descends to Peyreleau. When you reach a paved road, turn left, then after 50 m, turn right onto a path that takes you back to La Grave. Return to the starting point via the same route as on the way there (E).
Visorando member
Difficult 
