Country:
District:
Park in the church square in the centre of Saint-Hilaire-le-Château.
Yellow markings on some sections.
(S/E) From the car park, cross the D941 and take the D34 opposite.
(1) Cross the bridge over the Thaurion.
(2) In the bend, take the path on the right, which climbs very gently. At the first three-way junction, turn left. The path climbs then descends towards La Virolle.
(3) At La Virolle, take the road on the right. This road leads to a single house, the Maison Rouge, and is not used by other traffic. After the Maison Rouge, the road becomes a track.
(4) At the first three-way junction, take the right-hand path and continue straight ahead until you reach a footbridge. Cross the footbridge, which leads to a small meadow. Cross the meadow towards the wooden gate, which is visible as soon as you cross the footbridge.
(5) Do not follow the yellow markings. Turn left onto the road, which ends 50 metres further on. Go around the fence marking a building site. This is actually a protective fence for a house that is in danger of collapsing; there is absolutely no danger and no building work going on! Take the small path, pass a few ruins and admire the waterfall.
(6) Turn around and follow exactly the same route back to the hamlet of La Virolle.
(3) At the hamlet, this time continue along the road that only serves these houses, which is therefore not very busy. Follow the yellow markings again. At the intersection, continue left towards the hamlet of Fourneaux. 200 metres after the last house in the hamlet, take the farm track on the right, between two meadows. Continue along this path at the edge of the forest, then through the undergrowth.
(7) At the three-way junction, turn left onto a slightly grassy path that does not appear on the IGN map but which climbs uphill under a power line for 200 metres. At the end of the path, at the T-junction, turn left, then immediately right down a grassy path towards the hamlet of Cosnat.
(8) In the centre of the hamlet, ignore the yellow signs and turn left to join the D34A4. At the intersection, there is a memorial to the Resistance fighters. Turn right onto the D34A4. The road crosses a stream.
(9) Less than 100 m after the stream, on the left-hand side of the road, there is a field with two large trees and a few electricity poles running through it. Cross this field via a wide entrance, then follow the line of poles. This shortcut avoids a 500 m walk along the D34A4 and then the busier D34. Leave the meadow at the last pole, cross the D34 and take the track directly opposite. Look for the yellow markings. The track climbs slightly then turns into a path that descends.
(10) The path passes between two ponds. Continue along the path, turning left. Then cross the footbridge to cross the Thaurion again.
(11) At the T-junction, turn left onto a wide track that turns into a road. At the intersection, turn right to return to the start (S/E).
Tourist office
Moderate 
Visorando member
