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Park your car in the small car park just at the entrance to the village of Bondons, on the left after leaving the road that climbs up to the Col de Montmirat.
(S/E) Go back down this road and join the D135, which you follow to the right until it leads to Lozerette on the left.
(1) Turn onto it and follow it to the village. As you pass, ignore the road on the left that leads to Les Colobrières, at the bottom of the valley that the circuit bypasses.
(2) It is hard to imagine that the few houses in Lozerette once housed up to 90 inhabitants. But that was before the First World War, which emptied the countryside, particularly in Lozère.
The road ends at the last buildings and continues along a path that climbs up the hill. Follow this path until you reach the ridge. As you climb, the view opens up over the Cros valley and then the Tarn valley towards Florac.
(3) Once you reach the ridge, the view opens up over the Rûnes valley and the Bougès mountains beyond the Tarn.
Take the path that continues to the left, following a hairpin bend. It climbs for a kilometre and a half, below the ridge where you can see the first standing stones. The first two menhirs welcome you as soon as you reach the plateau.
Don't worry, the hardest part is over and most of the walk is at an altitude of around 1,200 metres, until you start to descend.
Up to La Veissière, the path is dotted with megaliths. There are 154 in total across the Cham, only half of which were restored in the 20th century. It's a shame that this restoration is so visible due to the concrete used to reinforce the base with blocks of rock.
On the right-hand side of the path and stretching to the foot of the Mont Lozère massif is a vast, gentle meadow, which contrasts with the aridity of the limestone plateau and the mountains. This beautiful valley is called... Combelle! To the north, the Veissière farm is a landmark.
(4) After the quarry, turn left and follow the D35 departmental road to the Baraque de l'Air. This road marks the boundary between the limestone plateau and the granite massif. The Cham des Bondons is an extension of the Causse de Sauveterre, and the granite quarries from which the menhirs were extracted are a few hundred metres higher up.
(5) There is no shortage of air near this old sheepfold. Standing alone in the middle of nowhere, it is exposed to all the winds at the highest point of the plateau. Stay on the road and do not enter the property under any circumstances.
After the Baraque de l'Air, continue along the road and take the path that branches off to the left a hundred metres further on, towards three new menhirs. The path is clearly marked between fences, and you just need to follow it until you reach the stile a little further on over the fence on the left.
(6) The stile allows you to cross the fence without damaging it or injuring yourself. The same applies to those following behind.
Once past the first stile, head south-east, following the highest part of the plateau. Another fence blocks the grassland, but you just need to find a second stile to determine the direction to take. Otherwise, follow the fence eastwards until you find it.
Other menhirs mark the rest of the route, which continues along the ridge between the Briançon valley and the Combe Sourde. There are other fences to cross, but they are all equipped for this purpose.
(7) At the end of the ridge, before the track descends towards Lozerette, pass close to two types of stone columns, which from a distance can be mistaken for menhirs. In fact, they are an assembly of dry stones in the shape of truncated pyramids, as if to extend the alignment formed by the menhirs on the ridge with small stones.
The path descends into the valley, following a fence. An opening in the fence allows you to leave the enclosure and follow the track that runs to the right.
(8) After crossing the Combe Sourde stream, climb up the opposite slope. Once you have passed this last bump, the path winds down between two stony embankments before leading to a farm building via a beautiful tree-lined path. Continue to the right until you reach the RD135.
(9) Cross the road and turn left. A few dozen metres further on, a path branches off to the right and leads to the first houses of Les Bondons.
At the crossroads in the centre of the village, you can return directly to your vehicle by turning left. However, it would be a shame not to continue on to the church and return via the small streets of the village, on the right, below the main road, to the starting point (S/E)
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