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Park in the car park along the D3, located at the junction of marker 260 in Bramafan.
(S/E) Take the tarmac road at marker 260, heading towards Pré-Royer (GR®51). A sign indicates “dead end”. Proceed with caution, as this road leads to a private residence. Pass a beautiful fountain, then marker 259, and continue for a further 100 m to reach the junction with a footpath.
Yellow markings
(1) Turn right: a well-meaning person has put up aGR®51sign, but it is the yellow markings that will guide us to the summit. The path climbs gradually through a sparse oak forest. At the junction with the Loup aqueduct, continue straight on following the yellow markings until you reach a crossroads where there is a one-metre-high stone shaped like an ‘open mouth’ (see photo). Nearby, a cluster of houses and a chapel form the Pré de Marthe. Continue to the left (north).
(2) Leave the path by veering to the right to head towards the house and see an ancient well. Then rejoin the path to the junction of trackways (cairn).
(3) Turn left and continue until the track ends (field).
(4) Turn left and continue along the track.
(5) At the 897m mark, stay on the track, which becomes tarmac about a hundred metres further on.
(6) Leave the track at this bend by heading left; a path descends and joins a grassy track which you will follow. It ends a few metres from a stone enclosure (see photo).
(7) From this ancient site, continue about fifty metres uphill to the ridge line. A lovely path runs along the sheer drop. Then pass under the rocky outcrop, heading north, through the vegetation, without attempting to climb. Reach a fork in the path.
(8) At this point, follow the path to the left to reach the summit of the Bau de Saint-Jean, an ideal spot for a break to admire the villages of Gréolières and Cipières.
(9) Turn back.
(8) Follow the path down to the left, which is not marked on the map but is well signposted with cairns. At the track, turn right to reach marker 170 a few metres further on.
(10) Continue a few metres to the right, then take the path on the left (south-east), towards Bois de Garavagne. Much further on, look out for a small lake on the right.
(11) Continue straight on at this junction. The forest is sparse, with many piles of stones lining the path.
(12) At this crossroads, turn right: signpost with no number, only indicating Bramafan. Turn left at the next fork (elevation 991) and continue straight on.
(13) Turn right onto the descending path, from where you can see the Pré Saint-Marthe below. Reach another junction with an unnumbered signpost.
(14) Turn left; after a few metres, the path runs alongside a distinctive stone fence, approximately 80 cm high and 2 m wide, stretching for 100 m. You will reach the junction marked by signpost 258.
(15) Turn right (north) towards Bramafan and return to the junction of the circular route.
(2) Turn left at this “open mouth” junction and retrace your steps along the outbound route in the opposite direction.
(1) At the tarmac road with no traffic, turn left and return to the starting point (S/E).
We had a bit of trouble finding the path to Baou St Jean. There was a lot of vegetation around the ruins of the sheepfold, which led us astray.
Visorando Member
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