Pierre Brune and Pierre Blanche

Park in the car park near the Parc de Loisirs de Pierre Brune.

(S/E) Start the climb straight away on the path that winds through the scrub, not far from the park entrance. After a few metres, turn right at the Fork in the road. Continue for about a hundred metres.

(1) Halfway up the slope, take a short detour along a small signposted path to the right which descends for about ten metres to a viewpoint overlooking the Pierre Brune site.
Once at the top, take the Allée de la Belle Cépée to the right until you reach the road. Go round the log barrier and take the D99a road to the left, walking carefully on the right-hand side for about 400 m, and look out for another log barrier on the right.

(2) Go through it to leave the road and head towards the Allée de Pierre Blanche. You’ll reach the end of the path at a circular clearing. On the right, an information sign for the Pierre Blanche climbing site marks the start of the stony path you need to take.

(3) Turn off onto one of the many paths leading off to the right towards the viewpoint above the Pierre Blanche climbing site. Follow the railing to the left, then leave the viewpoint and rejoin the stony path a little further on to descend to the banks of the Mère. Further on, the path branches off to the left at the confluence of the Mère and the Ruisseau des Verreries. You’ll come to a footbridge on your right.

(4) Ignore it and continue along the path, which continues to follow the stream upstream. (see Practical Information) Climb the steps to reach the Pont du Déluge.

(5) Carefully cross the D99a to take the path opposite and continue along the Ruisseau des Verreries to the Allée de la Levrette.

(6) Turn right onto the bridge (known as Gué de la Levrette) and turn left after about a hundred metres to follow the stream along the opposite bank, reaching a crossroads a little further on.

(7) Turn left and take the wooden footbridge to continue following the^GR®®364, which climbs due north. Keep going straight on, ignoring all the paths branching off to the right and left, until you reach the edge of the forest.

(8) Leave the marked path by turning left, then keep to the right, walk alongside the pond hidden behind the trees, then past the Maison Forestière des Verreries on the left before reaching the small cross-road.

(9) Turn right and after about 100 m, turn left onto the path that enters the forest. Pass Les Cinq Jumeaux, then further on turn left onto the^GRP®® (signpost for a notable tree at the junction) and join the Allée de la Belle Cépée.

(10) Cross it and continue straight ahead, still on the GRP^®. Continue downhill to the lake and reach the Pierre Brune Dam.

(11) Go round the barrier; do not cross the dam to the right but head left and follow the road further to the left towards the car park, which runs alongside the road to point (S/E).

This route follows several sections of signposted routes. Do not follow these; instead, follow the description and/or the route on the map, or better still, use the Visorando app.

The path between points (4) and (5) is a bit tricky. To avoid it, you can take the footbridge and then head back up the road, turning left to return to the Pont du Déluge. You can also wade across the stream a little further on (if possible) to take a parallel path that runs along the other bank and cross back just before the bridge to reach the steps leading up to the road.

In the northern section between points (8) and (9) near the Grande Rhée pond, the path is often very wet, or even impassable in winter. In this case, turn left after the footbridge over the Ruisseau des Verreries at point (7) onto the path that rejoins the route just before the Maison Forestière des Verreries.

Generally speaking, you need to wear suitable footwear as, whilst most of the paths are perfectly fine, some sections are very rocky, whilst others can be damp, very muddy and slippery depending on the season. Gaiters and a walking stick can be very useful.

• Pierre Brune Amusement Park. Pierre Brune Park (S/E)
• The Pierre Blanche Climbing Site Climb at Pierre Blanche (3) (Closed from 22 January 2023 until further notice.)
• The Grotte du Père de Montfort – Unusual sites – access from point (11): cross the Pierre Brune Dam and follow the path up to the left.
• The Five Twins – Sculptures on standing dead trees – between points (9) and (10)

non-exhaustive list