The Stone with Seven Holes

From the car park at the Col de Baracuchet, situated 6 km from the village of Lérigneux via the D113, you’ll enjoy a stunning view of the peaks of the Haute-Loire and Mont Mézenc. This walk (PR®20) will take you past the Pierre aux Sept Trous and close to the Grande Pierre Bazanne.

^PR® 20 trail

Details

n°25162926

Creation:
09 Aug 2022

Last update:
18 Oct 2022

Last review:
22 Jun 2026

Activity: Walking
Distance: 3.39 mi
Average duration: 1h 50
Difficulty: Easy
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 315 ft
Descent: - 331 ft
Highest point: 4,281 ft
Lowest point: 4,055 ft

Country: France
Areas: Massif central, Monts du Forez
City: Saint-Anthème (63660)
Start/End: N 45.578332° / E 3.926656°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2732SB
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Description of the walk

Park at the Col de Baracuchet car park

(S/E) Cross the D113 and follow the path to the east, below the road, for 500 m until you reach the Pierre aux Sept Trous.

(1) Leave the^GR®3as it enters the woods and climb up the embankment to the left to cross the D113 again. To the left of the quarry, follow the path uphill for 400 m until you reach a junction. Views over the Forez plain, the Pilat mountains and, on a clear day, the Alps.

(2) Take the path on the right which follows the 1,300-metre contour line, then descends gently through a dark spruce plantation, followed by a more recent one. Continue the descent to the Champbey shepherd's hut, a sparse woodland of birches, beech trees (or fayards) and Scots pines.

(3) Ignore the track on the right which leads down to the bird observatory and take a gently sloping path on the left. At a fork, continue straight on, then follow a fence on the left until you reach a junction where the^GR®3passes. Off the route, to the right, the Hautes Chaumes are 250 m away and the Grande Pierre Bazanne is 2.3 km away on the GR^®.

(4) Take the^GR®3to the left for 1 km, until you reach a clearing.

(5) Turn onto the path on the right which descends to the D106.

(6) Take the road on the left to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 4,167 ft - Baracuchet Pass car park
1 : mi 0.36 - alt. 4,144 ft - The Stone with Seven Holes
2 : mi 0.57 - alt. 4,272 ft - View over the Forez plain
3 : mi 1.37 - alt. 4,055 ft - Shepherd's hut at Champbey
4 : mi 2.09 - alt. 4,278 ft - Junction with the GR3
5 : mi 2.74 - alt. 4,245 ft - Clearing
6 : mi 3.26 - alt. 4,150 ft - D106 road
S/E : mi 3.39 - alt. 4,173 ft - Baracuchet Pass car park

Notes

You can find details of other walks on a noticeboard at Place des Écureuils, in the village of Lérigneux. All these walks can be linked together to form longer routes.

Worth a visit

On the other side of the D106, 250 metres away, lies the Baracuchet bog, where bog rosemary, cranberries, sundew and red bilberries grow.
The ‘Pierre aux Sept Trous’ (Stone with Seven Holes) has stood there since the year of grace 1217, placed there by the princes of Forez to mark their territories and put an end to their senseless feuds. 290 such stones are listed at ‘La Diana’ in Montbrison. They stretch from Garnier to Montarcher.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5

Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5

Ease of following the route
4 / 5

Route interest
4.4 / 5

chenedra

22 Jun 2026 at 21:48 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk. You’ll soon come to the stone with seven holes.

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User 29367671

08 Jun 2026 at 10:09 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk! The route description and the IGN map go hand in hand.

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Commune de Lérigneux

23 Oct 2024 at 14:49 7200 • Edited: 23 Oct 2024 at 14:50 7200

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will look into it.

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Frederic42

21 Oct 2024 at 08:32 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very enjoyable route, though there is an error in its layout. This needs to be checked again and corrected.

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Commune de Lérigneux

23 Feb 2024 at 14:31 3600

Thank you for your comments and for your interest in our walks.

We look forward to seeing you on our trails soon.

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OtmanEH

21 Feb 2024 at 13:06 3600 • Edited: 21 Feb 2024 at 13:07 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk through woods and clearings. A refreshing change of scenery. Takes between 1½ and 2 hours, depending on your walking pace. I’d recommend it for a short afternoon outing 😉

Please note that the GPS coordinates aren’t always accurate, but it’s perfectly possible to follow the signposts for the PR20 ‘Pierre aux Septs Trous’

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pierjac4477

27 Sep 2022 at 11:58 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy and enjoyable walk. We extended the walk as far as the Pierre de Bazanne, where we enjoyed the splendid views and explored the Hauts de Chaumes.

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