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Departure from Col du Banchet, small car park opposite the chapel; if it is full, walk down the western slope a little to park at an old quarry, climbing school. The pass can be reached from Pont-de-Beauvoisin via Verel-de-Montbel, from Saint-Genix-les-Villages via Rochefort or from Novalaise via Ayn.
(S/E) Take the path that climbs to the left of the chapel to a first viewpoint overlooking the climbing school site. Continue north for 200 metres to a crossroads.
(1) Leave thePR® markings and turn left onto a less frequented path that starts off flat. Further on, veer to the right to climb up and rejoin the marked path, which you follow to the left for a few metres before a major crossroads.
(2) Turn left to take the ramp ascending westwards. The path heads north towards the edge of the Banchet cliff.
Follow the marked path near the edge of the cliff, which passes by a viewpoint and leaves two paths on the right that lead back into the forest. Descend a few dozen metres, then climb back up and finish on a wooded plateau that leads to a gravel forest road.
(3) Descend on the left to a crossroads near a clearing. Turn right until you reach the next crossroads.
(4) Turn left to climb up a forest track. At the top of this climb, take the path that branches off to the right towards the ruins that can be seen between the trees. This path climbs quite steeply up the slope, then crosses to the left, with a few metres of descent down the slope, before climbing back up to a dip in the ridge.
It reaches a small plateau where you can see the remains of the castle's first defences, turns sharply right and climbs gently towards the ruins: the old rampart, square tower and then the large, gutted wall of the keep.
(5) Retrace your steps to a flat area and turn right to follow the old access road to the castle, which descends towards the south-east until it joins a path climbing up from the left.
Turn right onto this path, which gradually climbs uphill. Ignore the path on the right
the path and continue straight ahead, either along the path at the edge of the forest or along the tracks in the meadow. You will arrive at the forest road at Le Chatelard, very close to the forest road.
(6) Turn left onto this road, which descends and becomes tarmac. At the edge of the forest, turn right onto a path in a field, which curves upwards to re-enter the forest and join a good marked forest path.
Take it on the right towards the south for a long flat stretch. In the middle of the forest, turn right to go straight to the crossroads.
(2) Descend the marked path.
(1) Continue downhill for 100 metres and turn left onto a forest track that leads back to the road, passing just behind the chapel (S/E).
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Difficult 
