Park along the D518, below the village centre.
(S/E) Leave the Lieudieu car park and follow the departmental road north-west towards Cazeneuve (signposted). Follow the yellow markings.
(1) You will arrive at the corner of a house on the left, where a small road joins yours. On your right, you will see a grassy path that climbs between two fields. Take this path, leaving the yellow markings behind. When the field on the left gives way to woods, the path narrows. Continue along it. At the end of the field on the right, turn left to find a forest path. Take this path on the right.
Very quickly, at a fork, turn right. Then, further on, ignore a path on the left.
(2) You will arrive at a grove of trees forming a sort of roundabout. On the right, a path leads to a field and a hunting platform. Take the path on the left. At the next fork, take the left branch. You will pass two hunting platforms on your left. Your path descends gently. When you reach the valley, you will see a metal post on your left with a yellow circle on top and a small sign on the back saying "France Télécom". Continue on.
(3) You will come to a first ford, which is usually dry. Cross it. Your path turns left, then right. You will come out of the woods. When you reach a small road, take it on the left, where you will find the yellow markings again.
(4) After a while, you will see a sign for "Maison Cazeneuve". Turn opposite to reach the beautiful fortified house of Cazeneuve. The small road becomes a track, then a path. When you reach a crossroads, turn left (yellow markings) and you will come to a small road, which you take on the left.
You will soon come to the D518. Be careful! Most drivers here consider 80 km/h to be the minimum speed limit. If you are with children or in a group, take care when crossing the road.
Opposite, take the small road to Meyssiez (D41g). Continue to be careful and walk on the left-hand side of the road. At the bottom of the hill, turn left towards Bonnevaux Castle. Very quickly, turn right and cross a bridge over the Gère.
(5) You will see the sign for "Bonnevaux alt. 455 m". On the left, overlooking the road, you will see the castle of the same name. Take the narrow path that climbs up to the left. Follow the yellow markings.
(6) You will pass the sign for "Allée Royale alt. 495 m". At the fork, turn right. The same scenario will repeat itself further on. At a T-junction, turn left again (white arrow on a bollard).
(7) You will pass a ford with a footbridge on the left. Your path climbs and you will see Avril Castle on your left. You will come out onto the D41, which you take on the left. It is not very busy, but traffic can be fast, so be careful. Further on, take the first road on the left towards Lieudieu. You will see numerous ponds on both sides. Ignore a road coming from the right and take the next one on the left (Chemin de Cholley).
(8) You will arrive at the sign for "Cholley alt. 505 m". Ignore the path that branches off to the left. Further on, you will appreciate the attention paid to hikers: a shelter and picnic tables. Your path turns left and descends.
(9) You will reach athird unimproved ford. Your path climbs back up and joins another path, which you take on the right. You will cross the D518 again (traffic moves quite quickly here, even though you are leaving the built-up area...). You climb up opposite, taking the Chemin du Budud (signposted). Take the first lane on the right (signposted "Chemin du Bas Lieudieu"). You will come out onto a small road, which you take on the right to return immediately to your starting point. (S/E)
