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Park at the side of the road, at the end of the 10E1 departmental road, 1.7km after the hamlet of La Combe Saint-Pierre. Good quality yellow and blue signposting.
(S/E) Go straight ahead on 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 will walk along beautiful ledges with numerous views of the valley. You will soon arrive at pastures dotted with gentians.
(1) Caution! When you re-enter the woods after about 20 steps, look for the signpost indicating to descend to the left via a pretty path winding under the rocks. After a metal gate, you will return to the pastures. Head towards the electricity pole and, at the corner of the low wall, turn left diagonally, keeping the farm building in sight.
(2) In the village, turn left towards the Refrain dam. On leaving Fournet, turn left down Rue Ulysses Robert and at the first bend, head back into the woods along the grassy path. Immediately, at a fork, turn right. When you come back to the departmental road, go down the pasture on the left until you reach the road, which you should cross carefully (cars come fast here). Go down to the left until you reach the rest area.
(3) At the foot of the reconstructed customs hut, go down the path on the right, which is badly damaged by logging. Further down, it becomes a more pleasant sunken path. When the path turns right, skimming a pasture, take the time to enjoy the view of the cliffs. You will arrive at the wooden house of La Côtotte du Bas and rejoin the D464, which you will descend carefully to the right for 200 metres.
(4) Turn left onto the stony path. A little further down, in a more open area (known as La Baume), you will come to a crossroads. Continue straight ahead, still heading towards Le Refrain, winding your way between beautiful sharp limestone pavements. Cross a footbridge over a stream lined with wild garlic, depending on the season. Further down, at the new fork in the hiking trails, continue downhill to the right towards the dam that you can see.
(5) At the ugly dam, which fails to spoil the natural beauty of these gorges, go up the small tarmac road for about 50 metres and rejoin the riverbank via the stony path that starts in the space between the metal barriers. Accompanied by the sound of the river, you will walk along this superb path, not knowing where to look first: to your right, the river rushes by, nestled in the hollow of high cliffs; to your left, the forest, where beautiful slender trees mingle with large mossy rocks that tumbled down the cliff long ago. Along the way, you will come across the Antre du Loup cave, then a signpost marking a fork in the trail. Continue straight ahead along the river until you reach the paved road, which you will take to the right until you reach the car park at the power station.
(6) Don't be afraid to climb the wooden steps on the left, which will take you to the ladders with the intimidating name: these are actually comfortable stairs with wide steps and sturdy handrails that are very reassuring. At the top, there are two superb viewpoints overlooking the upper and lower parts of the valley.
(7) Head towards the sign explaining the local wildlife and set off again along the path behind it. Immediately after the fork, turn right. Then quickly, when you reach an open space, turn left towards La Cendrée.
(8) At the small wooden mountain bike bridge in a gate, continue climbing up the wide path on the right, leaving the signposts behind you for a short while. Quickly leave a hiking trail that descends to the left, continuing straight up to the small chalet. Climb up the small staircase in the low wall on the right and continue straight up the pasture to the edge of the woods. Turn around for a beautiful view of the valley and its mountain pastures surrounded by fir trees. Then head left. At the wooden steps, climb the stony path on the left.
(9) When the path turns sharply to the right, take the path on the left (towards La Cendrée). Be careful! After the steps, there is a fork in the path. Go up to the right for about ten steps and, at the large rock, take the left fork in the path that runs along the ledges. After a steep climb, leave a path on your right and continue along the hillside on this beautiful 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 find the path you started on and follow it back to the start (S/E).
Association / Club / Walk leader
Visorando member
Easy 
