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In Thueyts, park in the square (large car park) on the right coming from Aubenas.
(S/E) Follow the main road towards the mountains (west, or on your right as you leave the car park), and take the first major road on the left marked with a sign for "Belvédère". Follow it until you reach the stadium.
(1) Turn left onto the path that goes around the stadium and follow the signs for "Échelle du Roi". Three-quarters of the way around the stadium, go through the Belvédère and follow the path downhill to the left. You will arrive in front of the Échelle du Roi.
Caution: this staircase, built into a natural fault, may surprise you with its steepness, but there is a handrail along its entire length.
Go down this "ladder" and follow the path that turns around and runs along the Ardèche in the direction of the current. Continue along the "Chaussée des Géants", a huge lava flow that descended from the north and stopped there.
(2) Just after the start of the Via Ferrata on the right (ignore it), take the log stairway that descends towards the Pont du Diable. Cross the bridge, turn left, then 20 metres after that, take the path on the right that climbs quite steeply (yellow/white markers). Follow this path, after the hairpin bends, cross a first stream, then the Fargebelle on a stone bridge. The path winds its way up before reaching the ruined houses of Fargebelle. Be careful, the ruins are unstable. Continue to the last house and a small pass.
(3) Take the path on the right that descends, marked "Thueyts" and "Vernède". Follow this path, which quickly becomes a trail and descends quite steeply in places. Cross the Peyserine stream. Leave a trail on your left and continue downhill until you see the Vernède bridge and reach it.
(4) Cross the bridge, follow the fences and continue along this path which will take you to the foot of "L'Échelle de la Reine" (the Queen's Ladder), which you will need to climb (250 steps).
(5) At the top of the ladder, turn right along the low stone wall (small sign, half faded, marked "Village"). Follow this path and the yellow/white markers, then the small road parallel to the main road. Join the main road at the restaurant Le Ch'ti Perdu, turn right and head for the square and the car park (S/E).
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