Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas - Pradelles

This route is the third stage of a complete journey on the Chemin de Stevenson between Le Puy-en-Velay and Alès. This is undoubtedly the easiest stage of the tour. The route follows the GR®70 (follow the well-known GR® markings). Please note the route may have been slightly modified from what is shown on the map, in particular to avoid a few short stretches of busy road.

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: Chemin de Stevenson (Robert Louis Stevenson Trail)

Technical sheet

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 20.74 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: No
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 305 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 377 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,235 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 980 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The route starts at the church of Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas.

(S) On the left side of the church, take the small street in front of you when you have your back to the church; then in this small street, immediately take the street to the left which brings you back to the D31 which crosses the village; you are opposite the bus stop. Turn right for a few metres on the D31, then left, not onto the road to Landos, but onto the smaller road also on the left, at the foot of the wooden sculpture of Stevenson with his donkey Modestine. Leave the village and follow this road straight on for about 1.2km until you come to a forked intersection.

(1) Take the left-hand branch then bear right after a few metres. Follow the path which continues more or less in front of you in the same direction while ignoring the path which goes resolutely to the left and dead-ends a little farther on in the fields. You're now on a fairly long, flat and straight stretch of walk for just over 1.4km, which brings you to a crossroads. Continue in the same direction. After 300m, the track bends slightly to the right, then shortly afterwards to the left, as another small track joins it at the angle of a small wood.

(2) Continue on the main path for just under 600m. Another track joins you on the left, continue ahead on your path which undulates slightly for 350m, with farm tracks starting out on the left. Another wide track meets yours on the left, stay on your path, continuing straight ahead for another 900m. At this point, you come to a crossroads, with a small track to your left and a small road.

(3) Follow this road to the left. You gradually descend for 1km towards Landos, which you can gradually see, until you reach a road (Route des Amargiers) which you turn right onto just after the small bridge over a stream. You'll notice the old bridge just a few metres ahead. Continue down this road for 250m, leaving one road on your left and another one on your right. You'll come to an open space in the form of a small square, where you turn left into the Place du Marché.

(4) Turn right and follow the small street to the right of the square. You'll find yourself opposite the Town Hall, on the edge of the D88 road that runs through the village. Take the small street between the Town Hall and the veterinary practice (Rue du Coin). Continue along this street until you reach the junction with Rue du Quartier Sous le Collège, then continue straight ahead.

(5) A little over 100m farther on, leave the path that starts on your right and stay on the road (you'll see a sports field to your left). A short while later take the next path, which starts off to the right then gradually approaches a road coming from the school (below the old railway line) and joins a track.

(6) Turn right. 650m farther on, you come to a rather tricky crossroads. Keep going straight on then come to a track which you take to the right (almost in front of you). After about 1km you'll reach Jagonas after passing a large silo on your right.

(7) Immediately afterwards, at the first houses, turn left without entering the hamlet unless you want to do a loop tour and see the castle in particular. Go along a few houses then turn left again at the next crossroads. After 200m, you come to a crow's-foot where you take the path which turns left and then makes a half-arc to the right, passing over a small stream. After this half-arc, you leave two tracks coming up on your left and continue on your undulating path for 800m (you leave a small farm track to your right as your path veers to the left). An old railroad track gradually appears on your left. After two right-angled bends, you leave a small farm track on your right and continue straight on to reach Arquejols. At the first crossroads, continue straight ahead; you'll see some farm buildings on your left and then a small road. Turn left, then immediately right onto another road (Rue le Barribas). Stay on this street without entering the village maze of small streets, walk past a picnic area and go on about 200m; descend into the valley of the small Arquejols stream on your left.

(8) You are now facing the remarkable Arquejols viaduct, which supports the old railroad. The path laces up at the bottom of the valley to cross the stream; you then go up into a small wood and, at the end of it, at the Y-junction, take the left-hand branch. Continue upwards and after 200m turn left to pass under the old railroad line and immediately take the left-hand path on the other side. Continue to climb towards a wood (Bois de la Ribeyre) and once at the edge don't go straight on, but turn right to continue climbing along the wood. Climb to the top, leaving the paths to your left and right, and continue straight on. On the way back down, you come across a road (the D284).

(9) Bear left for a few metres and then immediately right onto a small road. 100m farther on, at the Y-junction, leave the road and take the path on the left-hand side. Continue straight ahead for 900m, leaving a track on your left after skirting a new wood. Then pass under a power line and reach a crossroads.

(10) Continue ahead, bending slightly to the right. A little over 400m farther on, you leave a track on your left, then your track makes a half-arc to the left to pass over a small stream. At the end of the stream, a first path meets your track at an angle to the left, but you ignore it and take the next one to leave your track and climb steeply. After 200m, this new path bends slightly to the left and again 200m farther on, you meet a new track at a rght angle.

(11) You take the path opposite you, continuing to climb until you reach a wooded area; you can already see Pradelles in the distance on your right. Your path makes almost a right angle to the left; shortly afterwards, two paths meet it on the right in opposite obliques; you continue straight on, staying well on the left-hand branch, and climb up to meet another path coming down towards you.

(12) Turn right to go downhill. At the next junction, you continue straight ahead and your path continues to descend more and more steeply until it meets a road (the D40) at a bend.

(13) Turn left onto this road to come to the first houses in Pradelles; continue along this road, ignoring the streets on either side, until you reach the main road (which is also the N88); turn right onto this road to descend into Pradelles. 200m farther on, after a slight bend to the left, you arrive at the Place du Foirail, the finish point of this route (E).

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 1,227 m - Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas chuch
  2. 1 : km 1.44 - alt. 1,197 m - Turn left
  3. 2 : km 3.16 - alt. 1,162 m - Angle of the woods
  4. 3 : km 5.09 - alt. 1,139 m - Road to the left
  5. 4 : km 6.48 - alt. 1,093 m - Place du Marché
  6. 5 : km 7.01 - alt. 1,094 m - Straight on
  7. 6 : km 7.56 - alt. 1,108 m - Track to the right
  8. 7 : km 9.91 - alt. 1,050 m - Jagonas
  9. 8 : km 12.64 - alt. 982 m - Arquejols' viaduct
  10. 9 : km 15.39 - alt. 1,138 m - D284
  11. 10 : km 16.45 - alt. 1,159 m - Ahead
  12. 11 : km 17.46 - alt. 1,190 m - Ahead
  13. 12 : km 18.7 - alt. 1,234 m - Track to the right
  14. 13 : km 19.93 - alt. 1,143 m - D40
  15. E : km 20.74 - alt. 1,155 m - Pradelles Place du Foirail

Practical information

Shops with everything you need in Landos.
(E) Various types of shops and accommodation are available in Pradelles.

In the nearby area

(7) Jagonas - Castle (small detour).
(8) Arquejols - Viaduct.
(E) Pradelles - Old medieval quarter.
View of Naussac lake.
View of the Gévaudan and Margeride foothills.

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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