Lac de la Cula circular

Thank you for your feedback. Of course, it's easy with the app.
Mastering GPS navigation, or better yet, smartphone navigation with this app, which is perhaps the best after downloading the track, greatly increases your hiking possibilities.
So, in my opinion, it's really useful to learn how to use it properly.
Personally, by doing so, I have always arrived safely at my destination and at the top of the peaks.
You can see my climbs on my YouTube channel, "randonnées montagnardes" (mountain hikes)
The automatic compass option on Android, which is also available on iOS and orients the map in relation to the route, allows you to immediately see the direction to follow at intersections.
Connecting your smartphone to an external battery (such as Anker) allows you to keep your smartphone fully charged and go on several hikes without needing to recharge it.

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Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

thank you for this route, which avoids having to do the hike there and back. With the directions provided, we found the starting point easily. You do need to be careful and follow the route on the app closely.

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Date of your route : Jun 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Marmot as soon as we climbed up to the car park.
The start from the car park is not signposted, making it extremely difficult to find.
Be sure not to take the first footbridge. But between the first and second footbridges, there are no signs. It is very difficult to find the path in the meadows (tall grass, no trail) and there are no landmarks to help you climb. After the second footbridge, take the path on the left.
It is essential to have an IGN map.
But it's a superb hike, with a pretty lake at the end.

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Following some feedback, I have added a few lines to the practical information about the off-trail section mentioned in the hike description.

The advantage of this off-trail section is that it allows you to complete the route as a circular one.
Progress on this type of route is made easier by GPS navigation. Feel free to use the Visorando app, which is very good (see the practical information section).
This off-trail section is not long (840m) and not difficult.

In fact, the starting point of the trail from the car park is not marked by signs.
However, this trail is marked on the IGN map and leads at least to point (1), then disappears a little further up into the grassland, which is where the off-trail section begins.

However, for those who do not wish to hike off the beaten track, it is entirely possible to reach this lake and return via the same path.

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Date of your route : Aug 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This lake is simply magnificent, and if you climb a little higher, you get a magnificent 360° view. The only downside is access: the directions are not always clear, and part of the route has no real trail

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Date of your route : Jun 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a very pleasant walk, especially the first part along the stream; the path is not always easy to follow, particularly at the start. At the end of June, tall grass hides the few traces of the path and you can sometimes get carried away off route, but it's never a big deal. The easiest thing to do is to set a course that roughly follows the riverbank. You'll be "misled" several times by the many small tributaries of the Cula at the end of June, which you should ignore to stay close to the main river. Thank you all for helping to maintain the few cairns on this unmarked section (which cannot be marked without damaging the area, so it's fine as it is!).
The second part of the walk (descent to Laval) is less pleasant, but we appreciate that the route offers it in this direction, as those who do it the other way round have a bit of a slog!

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Exactly! Thank goodness I had GPS!

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Date of your route : Jun 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Wonderful hike: thanks to GPS, I was able to find the starting point relatively easily via the small path. Very beautiful climb despite the numerous marshy areas. No one else on the climb.

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Date of your route : Aug 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

magnificent, just a bit too easy... beautiful view of the Cerces

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Date of your route : Jul 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Having misread (and, above all, misunderstood) the description of the starting point and delighted to see the GR country signpost, we did the route backwards
It was only on the way down (and when we reached the end of the car park) that the starting point became obvious (at least the explanations), but the path is very poorly marked and you really need to have the Cula torrent in your sights to find your way (and yes, I still don't know how to use a compass properly: lol
Otherwise, the lake is nice, but the view of the Cerces from the observation point is sublime.
Thank you.

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Date of your route : Jun 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A rather short weather window, just enough to climb up to the lake. Departure at 9:30 a.m., sunshine and clouds, the climb is splendid, the view of the valley below is worth it.
The section through the meadows, from one footbridge to the next (don't take the first one, as clearly indicated in the description), is a bit of a pain at this time of year. No path, no cairns, water everywhere, making our shoes a bit soggy.
After the second footbridge, everything is fine... or almost. No more sun, an icy wind (less than 4°C on the thermometer). Bingo, a few snowflakes... No problem, we're climbing! We made the right decision. When we reached the lake, there was a nice lull and the sun came out again.
We spent some time observing the peaks with binoculars, but didn't see any animals (except for marmots, of course).
We made a leisurely descent along the path (marked in red and yellow). The sun was shining... but when we reached the car park, the sky was black and it was raining again. A tailor-made hike for us. Thanks to Britanicus.

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Thank you for your comment. Yes, it's very pleasant to go hiking at the moment.

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Date of your route : Oct 07, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful lake in the Clarée Valley – autumn is a magnificent and peaceful season for hiking.
This is a short, easy 3-hour hike.
You just need to find the starting point, which is not signposted at all (with a little sense of direction and a compass, you'll find it straight away).

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Hello everyone
Britanicus100 is right in saying that you can find the starting point using GPS, as the coordinates are given in the practical information sheet for the walk.
There is also a link called "Click here to find out how to get to the start of the hike" in the practical information section.
Of course, all this must be planned in advance before setting off on a hike.

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To find the starting point of the trail, you need to use a compass or, better still, a GPS.

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