Heathland, chestnut trees and old drovers' roads in Bonnevaux

Small car park at the foot of the village – around 15 spaces.

(S/E) Walk up the street towards the village, past the first few houses, until you reach the first bend on the right.

(1) Leave the tarmac, climb the two steps on the left and take the path that climbs to the left. After passing through a chestnut forest, follow the fence of the modernised farm (sheepfold, goat shed) and reach the ‘Bastides’.

(1) Take the hairpin bend and follow the stony path.

(2) At the three-way junction, take the path to the left which leads you onto the old ‘Drovers' Road of Languedoc’, first along a scenic path lined with broom and then across heathland dotted with heather and pine trees. At the ‘Garde de Dieu’ (cross), continue straight on for about 200 metres.

(3) Turn right onto the^GRP®4(modified route). The path curves to the left and quickly becomes a track leading down into the forest. Ford the small stream (using a few flat stones) and reach a clearing of broom and heather where the path climbs towards the Peyre Grosse forest junction.

(4). Take the wide path to the right and note the few menhirs or standing stones on either side of the path. Continue to the next crossroads.

(5) Ignore the two paths on the left and continue straight on along a track that quickly narrows to a path and leads to another forest junction.

(6). Do not take the small, almost invisible paths branching off on either side. Take the stony path climbing to the right to reach the Sommet de la Fage (948 m) and then descend towards the Sommet de Font de l’Aille (916 m, with a reservoir and two standing stones nearby).

(7) Follow the grassy path to the right along the edge of a larch forest for a few hundred metres.

(8) Turn right onto a path (marked in yellow) which leads away from the forest. Walk down, following the yellow markings, to the T-junction.

(9) Take the path to the right to reach the hamlet of Nojaret. Walk through it and follow the small road down to the hairpin bend.

(10) Take the path straight ahead, which slopes gently downwards. Avoid private property and all turnings to the right. Follow the yellow markings: this cliff-top path takes you to the Pont de l’Abbaye, marked by a stone cross inscribed ‘1865’.

(11) Cross the bridge and continue for about 200m along the road. Take the path leading uphill to the right (yellow markings). It will take you to the centre of the village of Bonnevaux, though it requires one final effort (a 15% gradient for 1 km). At the White Cross, head uphill to the right towards the church and the cemetery. Below the church, turn left into the narrow lane that passes under an archway to reach the point.

Then walk down the street to return to the car park (S/E).

The approach via the narrow D320, which is closed to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes for 7 km on the eastern side, is an adventure in itself. The ascent from the west via the Col du Péras is easier.
Water point in the ‘rubbish’ shelter by the car park: is the water drinkable? – probably, as it’s a tap, but there are no signs.
There are no shops in the two villages and hamlets along the route.

The pretty villages and hamlets of Bonnevaux and Nojaret.
The Château du Cheylard, standing proudly on a rocky outcrop, can be seen from the D51 between Aujac and Bédousse Basse