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Park at the side of the road, at the end of the D10E1, 1.7 km after the hamlet of La Combe Saint-Pierre. Good-quality yellow-and-blue signposting.
(S/E) Head straight along the small tarmac road towards La Cendrée. When you reach the house (private property), take the path that climbs to the right above the building (towards ‘Sur les Roches’). You’ll walk along the beautiful ledges with numerous views over the valley. You’ll soon reach the pastures dotted with gentians.
(1) Caution! When you re-enter the woods after about twenty paces, look out for the signpost indicating you should head down to the left along a pretty path winding its way beneath the rocks. After passing through a metal gate, you’ll find yourself back in the pastures. Head towards the electricity pole, and at the corner of the low wall, turn left diagonally, keeping the farm shed in your sights.
(2) In the village, turn left towards the Refrain dam. On leaving Fournet, head down to the left into Rue Ulysses Robert and, at the first bend, head back into the woods along the grassy path. Immediately after, at a fork, head down to the right. When you come out onto the main road again, head down the pasture on the left until you reach the road, which you should cross with care (cars travel fast here). Head down to the left until you reach the lay-by.
(3) At the foot of the reconstructed customs hut, head down the path on the right, the start of which is badly rutted by logging. Further down, it becomes a more pleasant sunken path. When the path turns right, running alongside a pasture, take a moment to enjoy the lovely view of the cliffs. You’ll reach the wooden house at La Côtotte du Bas and join the D464, which you’ll follow carefully to the right for 200 metres.
(4) Turn left onto the stony track. A little further down, in a more open area (known as La Baume), you’ll come to a crossroads of walking trails. Carry on straight ahead, still heading towards Le Refrain, winding your way through beautiful sharp limestone pavements. You’ll cross a stream via a footbridge, lined with wild garlic depending on the season. Further down, at the next fork in the hiking trails, continue down to the right towards the dam that you can see.
(5) At the unsightly dam – which fails to mar the natural beauty of these gorges – head back up the small tarmac road for about fifty metres and reach the riverbank via the stony path that starts in the gap between the metal crash barriers. Accompanied by the murmur of the river, you’ll walk along this superb path, not knowing which way to look: to the right, the river, rustling with its cascades, winding its way through the hollow of high cliffs; to the left, the forest where beautiful, slender trees mingle with large, moss-covered boulders that tumbled down from the cliff long ago. Along the way, you’ll come across the Antre du Loup cave, then a signpost marking a fork in the trail. Continue straight on along the river until you reach the tarmac road, which you’ll follow to the right until you reach the end of the power station car park.
(6) Don’t hesitate to climb the wooden steps on the left, which will lead you to the ladders with such a daunting name: in fact, they are comfortable staircases with wide steps and sturdy handrails that are perfectly reassuring. At the top, there are two superb viewing points overlooking the upper and lower reaches of the valley.
(7) Head towards the wildlife information board and set off again along the path behind it. Immediately at the fork, turn right. Then, shortly afterwards, at a clearing, turn left towards La Cendrée.
(8) At the small wooden mountain-bike footbridge within a fence, continue the climb along the wide path to the right, leaving the signposted route for a short while. Soon, you’ll pass a hiking trail that descends to your left; carry on straight up the slope until you reach the small chalet. Climb up to the right via the small staircase in the low wall and head straight up the pasture to the edge of the woods. Turn round for a lovely view of the valley and its mountain pastures surrounded by fir trees. Then head off to the left. At the wooden steps, take the stony path up to the left.
(9) When the path veers sharply to the right in a hairpin bend, take the path on the left (towards La Cendrée). Caution! After the steps, at a fork in the trail, go up to the right for about ten steps and, at a large stone where the path forks again, turn left onto the track that runs along the ledges. After a steep climb, ignore a path on your right and continue along the hillside on this lovely cliff-top path, with stunning views, until you finally reach the Cendrée viewpoint.
(10) After the viewpoint, turn left in front of the bench to rejoin the original path, which you follow back up to the starting point (S/E).
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