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Parking at Moulin Grillet, about 1 km from the centre of the village of Cléron: at the fountain, take Rue du Pater and park 150 m after Moulin Grillet.
(S/E). Climb up the small tarmac road to the Château du Pater farm, then continue for another 200 metres on the right to find the start of this short hike, marked by a Castel Saint-Denis signpost. Climb up this sunken path. You will soon reach a gravel road, which you take on the right. Three hundred metres after this gravel road straightens out, look for a discovery trail on the right that descends the hillside (marked by a small post with a dragonfly on it, I believe).
(1) Descend this superb mule track with views of the cornices and the bottom of the Ravin de Valbois valley. Walk along a dry stone wall. The path becomes a narrow track winding through the grass and joins a wider path at the bottom of the hillside, continuing the climb to the left.
(2) This path enters the woods, quickly blocked by a log barrier that you can easily cross via a small step. Soon, you will come to a fork at the foot of a pole with a bird (a black woodpecker) on it. Take the path on the left through a pretty green undergrowth, dotted in mid-spring with white wild garlic flowers. You will arrive at a charming little rocky cirque. At the foot of the rock, turn right.
(3) Immediately after the rocks, you will come to a fork. Continue climbing to the left via a small staircase carved into the rock. Cross the barbed wire fence via a chicane and turn right. You will come to a beautiful gravel road, which you take to the left. 200 metres further on, look for a sign on the left and the path that leads you to the edge of the cliffs (be careful) and a magnificent viewpoint over Castel Saint-Denis, the Rocher de Colonne and the Cléron valley. A beautiful platform, ideal for a picnic break. Leave the viewpoint via the path that runs along the cliffs. You will come back to the gravel road and some signposts. Directly opposite you, on a tree, are some signs. Turn left onto the gravel road. You will soon come to a fork (and another viewpoint). Turn right to reach the ruins of Castel Saint-Denis
(4). At the castle, there are new viewpoints over the entire valley and the Val de Cléron and Mont Poupet. Pass in front of the Porte aux Ânes and go to the foot of the keep, which is still under renovation and therefore off-limits. Then go down the stairs on the right. At the bottom of the stairs, turn left and walk back to enjoy the view below the keep, without going beyond the recently concreted steps.
Return to the foot of the previous staircase and continue straight ahead along the walls. Pass the Porte aux Ânes and descend along the walls, taking the VTT28 mountain bike route and following the clear signposts along a very pretty path lined with beautiful tall trees, creating a magnificent chiaroscuro effect on this hillside. You will return to the sunken path you started on, which you will follow downhill to return to your car park (S/E).
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