Access:
Cross the village of Saint-Julien-en-Beauchêne towards the old Durbon charterhouse and park on the left in the large car park of the communal lodge.
(S/E): With your back to the lodge, turn left and go straight ahead at the next crossroads. Follow the tarmac forest road of Bouriane for 1.4 km until you reach the intersection marked 993.
(1) Continue along the road on the left and drive slightly past the Maison Forestière des Étroits.
(2) The trail starts on the left along the meadow (there is a fountain below the trailhead).
Follow the trail, which turns into a small track. Go up to an intersection and turn left for 20 metres.
(3) Once again, the trail starts on the right in the embankment, immediately cutting across the steep track left just before. Now the trail climbs gradually to an altitude of 1239.
(4) Take the track on the right (downhill) for a short distance and follow the clearly visible path that branches off to the left towards the Col de Guillotier and the Chartreux path.
(5) At the pass, head left towards the small clearing (north). After about 50 metres, you will find the path that follows more or less the contour line. Follow it to the junction with the north-west ridge of the Penne summit (a block painted white with the number 49).
(6) Climb left along the ridge to the summit of La Penne.
(7) Follow the ridge line to the right, due west, and pass the point marked 1614. There is a flat rock on the ground with a white rectangle on a green rectangle (ONF boundary).
(8) From this landmark, descend the steep grassy slope to the left, following the white markings with green lines painted on the trees. You will arrive at the wide Ventabre pass.
(9) Turn onto the slope on the left (south-east), in the beautiful forest, keeping to the right so as not to miss the path that follows.
There are two options from here:
1: The route chosen and described here: follow the path downhill, which quickly becomes a stony track and leads to the main track below Pra-Pinet.
2: Take the uphill path, which quickly leads to a clearing in the forest. Cross the clearing, keeping to the same direction. When you reach the vegetation, the path veers slightly to the left to go around the point with an altitude of 1404. The path is difficult to find, but it is a nice alternative.
(10) Turn right at the descent and follow this track, which turns into a path at the end of the plateau near L'Aupet. After a few hairpin bends, the path leads to a housing estate.
Continue straight ahead. At the next crossroads, take the left-hand bend and, at the nearby junction, turn right to return to the communal lodge car park (S/E).
