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By car, from Saint-Chamond. Head towards the Parc du Pilat and La Valla-en-Giers via the D2. At the Bachat turn-off towards a transformer in a concrete building, follow the sign for Notre-Dame de l'Hermitage on the left. Park in the car park once you have passed the monastery.
(S/E) At the Parc du Pilat sign, take the white and brown marked trail which climbs up into the Hermitage gardens. At a junction, turn right and join a small road (Chemin de Coulaud).
(1) Follow it to the left.
(2) Just before the hamlet of Lardière, turn sharply right onto the small Route des Mures. Follow this road for a long stretch until you reach the hamlet of Petit Pouay (triangular junction). Leave the road on your right and turn left. Walk through the hamlet of Pouay
(3) On leaving the hamlet, take a path that descends to the right. Ignore a path coming from the right and cross a stream. Join another path and follow it to the left, then walk alongside the Soulages reservoir on your right.
(4) Cross the Gier (which feeds the reservoir) and you will soon reach a road.
(5) At the signpost, follow the road to the left and, after about 75 m, turn right onto a path (follow the Valla en Gier, marked in white and brown). Cross the road (D2), leaving the Barrage de la Rive on your right.
(6) On the other side of the D2 (signpost), climb the embankment. At the fork that appears shortly afterwards, keep to the right and you will reach another fork 50 m further on (signpost). Then turn right and head downhill to reach the shore of Lac de la Rive.
(7) Walk along the right-hand side of the lake to its far end.
(8) Take the metal footbridge over the river (ignore the path to the left towards La Surchette). Then ignore a footbridge on the right and, immediately afterwards, take a wooden bridge to reach the hamlet of Les Ponts (signpost).
(9) Turn left towards Rossillol (white and yellow markings) and immediately turn right to start the climb.
(10) Cross the D37 and take the road opposite which climbs towards Rossillol. At the signpost at the bottom of the hamlet, follow the signs to the left towards Chomiol.
(11) At the signpost at the top of Rossillol, turn right onto Chemin de La Fouilla towards Péalussin (marked with white and yellow signs) and, at the end of the tarmac road, continue along a footpath. Walk uphill for about 1 km and continue through the forest.
(12) At the fork, turn left, then take two hairpin bends, first to the right then to the left, and arrive at a junction.
(13) Take the path on the left, which climbs steeply up to the Crêt de la Chaume (south-south-west).
(14) Once you reach the foot of an antenna, continue straight ahead (south-west) along the track towards the Plateau de Barbanche, following the white and brown markings (ignore the white and yellow markings on the right towards Péalussin). On the climb, at an altitude of around 930 m, ignore a track on the right and continue straight on along a stony path (marked in white and brown). Continue along the ridge and, after a slight descent, reach a junction (signpost).
(15) Then turn left (white and brown markings). After about 400 m, you’ll reach another junction.
(16) At the signpost, continue straight on towards Le Sapey and the Plateau de Barbanche. Walk south for about 1 km.
(17) At the “Sapey” sign, continue straight ahead towards the Plateau de Barbanche. Further on, you’ll come to a GR®42 sign, near a picnic table.
(18) At the signpost, follow the GR®42 to the right, towards La Violette (red and white markings), and ignore all side paths.
(19) At the "La Violette" signpost, continue straight on the GR® towards Rochetaillée. Further on, pass the Driguière farm on your right and head down to the hamlet of Charteloup.
(20) Turn right onto a path, still following the GR®. Descend through a few bends until you reach a picnic table, which is the perfect spot for a break. Further down, you’ll reach Rochetaillée.
(21) Follow the Route Du Mas (D36) to the right and, after about fifty metres, turn right towards Le Breuil (white and brown signposting).
(22) At the exit of a hairpin bend to the left, leave the road and take a path that runs alongside it on the right before rejoining it at Les Tailloux. Continue straight ahead for about 100 metres.
(23) At the signpost, leave the road and take a shortcut on the left towards Le Breuil. At the top, rejoin the road on the left and arrive at the hamlet of Le Breuil.
(24) Climb a short but steep slope to the right. At the signpost, take the left-hand path up towards Salvaris (white and brown markings) and at the junction (elevation 967), go straight on to reach a track.
(25) Cross the track and continue straight ahead to the next junction.
(26) Turn right Photo: Short, steep, enclosed slope. At the junction shortly afterwards (elevation 974) Photo: , go straight on. The path descends into the hollow of a small valley, crosses a stream (elevation 893) then climbs up the other side.
(27) You’ll come out onto a track; follow it to the left until you reach the hamlet of Salvaris.
(28) Walk past the Auberge des Genêts d'Or and continue along the small road.
(29) When the road turns left, take a path on the right Photo: . At the junction that appears immediately, continue straight ahead for 50 m and turn right onto the wide, unmarked, level track which, 50 m further on, has a round sign fixed to the top of a tree on the right-hand side. It follows a very wide curve from south-east to north-east.
(30) After about 1.3 km, turn 90° to the left, ignoring a path branching off to the right Photo. Start a steep descent.
(31) After about 200 m (at an altitude of 880 m), turn onto the first track on the right Photo. Head north and descend to a junction.
(32) Then turn right ( Photo) and follow a wide track north-east for some time. At the junction, keep left and reach the next one.
(33) Continue straight on (north) along a track marked in white and brown. Pass a cross and ignore a path branching off to the left. Continue for 200 m until you reach a fork.
(34) Take the path on the right which descends towards scree (marked in white and brown) Photo. Pass a hairpin bend to the right and reach the entrance to the hamlet of scree.
(35) Turn left against the flow of traffic. At the signpost, continue straight on towards Le Bachat. Head north-east then north. Pass under some high-voltage power lines and come to a road.
(36) Cross it and continue northwards along a descending path.
(37) Come out onto a road and follow it to the right towards L'Hermitage. Take the road that winds down and follow the white and brown markings to the D2 road.
(38) Turn right onto it and pass under the high-voltage power lines again. At the fork, turn left towards the Hermitage Notre-Dame to reach the car park where you started (S/E).
Visorando member
Moderate 
Easy 
