Country:
District:
Park in the hikers' car park in Pégairolles-de-l'Escalette.
(S/E) From the car park, cross the village heading north, leave a path on your right, pass the castle flanked by four round towers and continue along the Grand Rue. You will soon leave the village.
(1) Just before the cemetery, turn left onto a wide path with a gate. Read the instructions and continue. 300 metres further on, as you approach the houses, take the path that curves to the right and climbs slightly.
(2) After one kilometre, you will see a metal ladder leaning against a 2-metre drop. Leave it there (for now) and continue straight ahead until you reach a large pool in the Lergue.
(3). On your right, you will see the remains of an old passageway, which is impassable due to the water level (early May). Return to the ladder.
(2) Pass it and continue left on the path that approaches the stream in places. Continue to the hamlet of Le Bronc and its few houses. At the stone walls, take a path on the right that climbs up and joins a wide track that skirts the properties.
From there, stay on this side of the valley. Continue along this path, which is marked with old red and/or blue signs. Depending on the season, you will have to cross springs or waterfalls on your right.
You will see a stream running alongside the path and crossing a hollow over an intact aqueduct arch. Continue in this way until the marked path turns to your left.
(4). Continue down a beautiful descent. You will reach the edge of the stream (there are some nice photos to take) and enter an area where the path is less easy to follow. Follow the path, looking for the markings to guide you. You will come to some large steps (you may need to use your hands), an area with a rope to help you through, then you will rejoin a path that passes close to the power line (there are some old pylons on the ground) and you will come out under the Pas de l'Escalette road.
(5) Keep left on the disused road, cross the Pas de l'Escalette, where the signs are still in place. It is hard to imagine the traffic that used to pass through this narrow bottleneck until 1994.
You will arrive at the D155. Take it to the right for about 600 metres. It is very quiet and serves the service entrances to the A75, which you will cross above the entrance to the Pas de l'Escalette tunnel.
(6) Take the wide road that descends to the right towards the east and turns south-east 350 metres further on.
You will walk south-east on a wide plateau with a series of small ascents and descents, but the total elevation gain will not exceed 80 metres. You will come across the very old blue markings several times.
(7) After 2.3 km, leave a well-marked path that heads northeast on your left.
after 200m, turn right (west) towards a large open area, cross a sort of fault (100m long, 0.5m wide and the same height) and continue south-west on a path that winds through the undergrowth. Continue, there is no real ambiguity, until you reach the next crossroads.
(8) Turn sharply right towards the west for about 100m, then turn left towards the south-east. There are still some markings (fairly faint paint).
You will walk for about 3 km, with little elevation gain on this plateau overlooking the Lergue Valley.
At various points, you will approach the edge, but do not attempt to descend in this area. Admire the view.
The last kilometre (before the next crossroads) climbs slightly.
(9) At the crossroads, turn right onto a path which, after 100m, begins a steep descent. It is actually easier than it looks on the map. It is impossible to go wrong.
At the bottom, just before the house, several signs prevent you from cutting across to the bottom of the Ruisseau du Vignal (cutting across is dangerous and serves no purpose whatsoever).
Join the road, pass under the A75 and continue on this road until you reach the village (S/E).
Visorando member
Difficult 
