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Pass the house in the countryside and, after the Blache Pécou farm, continue to the picnic tables in the woods.
Park at the Départ de la Faye, signposted for cross-country skiing.
(S/E) Take the forest road heading south-west, ignoring the cross-country skiing signs. Pass Le Knoll des Trois Chiens and you will soon come to a crossroads.
(1) Continue straight ahead, past Les Cimes, until you reach a fork with a sign for Tour de Pyfarat.
(2) Turn right and follow this path, which is as wide as a forest road, climbing through the undergrowth.
You can enjoy a small viewpoint between the trees over the Côtes de la Droit and Les Cortinaux.
Cross an area that resembles a bog, as the ground is soaked with water, to reach another fork at theGR®7crossroads.
(3) Take this path, turning left. Leave the forest and arrive at the Les Bruyères crossroads. Continue straight ahead on theGR®7.
(4) Continue right on theGR® to reach the Planchettes fork.
(5) Turn right and continue on theGR®7. Climb gently through the woods, then begin a long descent to the Col de la Charousse. The arrival at the Col de la Charousse is marked by a remarkable painted calvary. This pass is one of the departmental borders between Ardèche and Loire.
(6) Leave theGR®7here. Go around the calvary and take a new forest road on the left of the D187. Climb uphill in the open until you reach a wide bend on the left.
(7) Leave the road that turns left and continue on the road that descends straight ahead. A fairly steep descent leads to a forest road near Grand Pignat.
(8) Take it on the left. It is rocky at first but becomes more or less grassy, making for a pleasant walk. Gaps between the trees offer superb views over the Annonay basin and the Rhône valley. On a clear day, you can see the Vercors massif and the Alps.
Continue along the road and pass Combes Bechia and Faucher to reach a small pass marked by a log warehouse.
(9) Ignore the two paths that branch off to the right and take the one that goes straight down. At the intersection, ignore the towpath that comes up from the right. Opposite you, at the fork, there are two paths. One is wide and goes up, the other is narrower and goes down. Do not take either of these. Follow a third, wide, grassy path between the two. This path is no longer in use and has no signposts. The IGN map is rather confusing at this point as the path does not exist.
Continue along this path, which shows signs of having been used by vehicles in the past, and climbs gently into the forest. You will reach the Cellarier building, where an old stone fountain, whose vault is visible from the path, has a trickle of water running from it.
(10) Pass in front of it and continue along the path that climbs, leaving a trail on your right. Join a wide path that comes from the left and is also not shown on the IGN map. Continue straight ahead to reach the forest road.
(11) Continue along this road, turning right to return to the crossroads with the Tour de Pyrafat sign that you passed on the way there.
(2) Retrace your steps in the opposite direction to return to the initial crossroads.
(1) Take the path on your right, which is not shown on the IGN map, to reach the small tarmac road and turn left towards the Faye car park (S/E).
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