Balcony walk around Saint-Julien-Chapteuil

When you reach the centre of the hamlet of Les Ardennes, walk a few metres down the road heading west and park between a notice board and a cross.

(S/E) From the cross, take the flat path heading south-east, which joins the road after a few dozen metres. Follow the road to the first crossroads and take the small road that climbs to the left. When this road turns left, continue straight on along the beautiful path surrounded by stone walls. This joins the access road to an isolated house.

(1) Continue straight ahead on this road, which turns back into a path. Follow this path until you reach the D15. Cross this road (be careful, as cars drive very fast here) and take the beautiful path opposite, which descends into the woods and leads to a crossroads.

(2) Take the path opposite, following the yellow markings. Follow this path, which goes around the beautiful isolated farmhouse of Garay de la Roche. This will take you to a ruin and a sign indicating Garay de la Roche.

(3) Leave the yellow markings and go down the path on the right. Follow this path, ignoring a path on the left, and join a small road at a bend. Immediately leave the road on the right, cutting across another bend via a well-marked path. You will rejoin the same road one bend further down.
Here you will join a faint yellow trail marker coming from the right, which descends opposite you along a wide grassy path through a sheep pasture.

(4) Follow it until you reach a small road in the hamlet of Fraisse. Go up this road on the left, following the markings. At the three-way junction, turn right and continue to a final farm. The road turns into a path that climbs more and more steeply. A hairpin bend leads to a junction of paths marked in yellow. Turn left to continue climbing steeply. Shortly before some ruins, you will reach a crossroads.

(5) Leave the yellow markings and turn right onto a path that follows the contour of the land. The path enters a beech forest and begins to climb. Continue climbing this forest track, leaving the paths that descend to your right. After a flat section, the slope becomes steeper and you will reach the highest point of this climb, where another track joins from the left.

(6) Continue straight ahead on the track that descends and joins the D150. Follow this road to the right for 100 metres and leave it before a house to descend via a beautiful path on the right. This path turns into a small road and leads to a pass at a place called La Pradette Basse. There, continue straight ahead towards a cottage.

(7) Walk alongside it to pass between two houses, following the yellow markings that you have just found again. Descend the sandy track and join a small road at a crossroads. Follow it to the right to descend towards the hamlet of Chanalez.

(8) At the crossroads in the hamlet, take the small road on the left and, less than 200 metres further on, join the^GR® (this is a section shared by^{the GR®} 430 and 65).

(9) Follow the^GR® and leave the road to take a path on the right that descends and crosses the Fraisse stream (ruined mill on the right). Climb up opposite, cross the D15 (take care) and turn right at the next two forks to reach a crossroads in the hamlet of Les Couderts.

(10) Turn right with the^GR® onto a road that turns into a track and passes close to a pond and then some old mills. Follow this track uphill, ignoring a wide path on the right, to reach the small road that connects Neyzac Bas and Bourgeneuf. Turn left onto this road^, continuing to follow the^GR® markings^. You will come to a junction with a path coming from the right just before the^GR® leaves the road on the left.

(11) Leave the^GR® and the road to take the path on the right, make two hairpin bends and return to the starting point (S/E).

If you prefer to start from a lower point, simply begin the hike in the hamlet of Les Couderts at point (10), but arriving in Les Ardennes at the end of the day allows you to enjoy the sunset.

Yellow markings between (2) and (3), (4) and (5), (7) and (8).

^GR® (Red and White) markings between (9) and (11).

Between (4) and the hamlet of Fraisse, you can see the Tortue ostrich farm below on the left.

After (6), once you reach the D150, you can take the path opposite that descends into the beautiful Gagne valley. Once at the bottom, you can even climb back up opposite towards the unspoilt hamlet of Bigorre, which is made up of numerous thatched cottages and home to an eco-museum.

Just before (10) in the hamlet of Les Couderts, you can climb to the top of the knoll of Chapteuil and admire the remains of the castle that once stood on the site.

On the climb between (10) and (11), you can leave the^GR® and turn right onto the wide path to reach the hamlet of Neyzac Bas. There you will find a route for visiting the many mills of Neyzac.