Les Balcons du Suzon, part 1

Follow the yellow and blue markings.
From Messigny and Vantoux, park your car on the (wide) verge at the junction of the D7 (Val Suzon) and the D104 (Route d’Étaules) near a meadow (horses).

(S) From the car park, cross the road and take the track for 200m, which climbs towards a fenced-in field.
Walk along the left-hand side of the park (path). You’ll reach a first junction of tracks; take the path on the left, through the woodland, which descends slightly at the start.
After 200m you come to a crossroads of tracks; turn right (uphill) then take the first track on the left, still through the woods.
A climb without hairpin bends leads beneath the rocks (Roche Château), which you walk alongside.
A steep, stony, winding climb leads to a good path, wide at the start, on the hillside which, after 100m of gentle ascent, offers a beautiful, unobstructed view of the Val Suzon. You then follow roughly the 425m contour line.
Follow this path for about 400m before it curves sharply to the right and enters the woodland again. Continue for about 300m, still on level ground (slightly uphill or downhill). You arrive in a hollow at a junction of tracks.

(1) Take the track immediately on the left, then the next one on the left (a grassy path) and follow it for 50m. You will then come to a wide track. On the left, there is a gate (Blue Cross and Yellow Cross). The path beyond the gate descends towards the Val Suzon; do not take it.
Follow the track on the right, which climbs gently for 300m, to reach another track, suitable for vehicles.

(2) Turn left; on the right is a gate which you must not cross.
Follow this track to the left for about 350m until you reach a water reservoir.
Return to the track just to find, 20m to the left, a path leading down into the woods. Take this path but do not descend the valley to the left; stay on the hillside and follow the path uphill.
The path then runs along a contour line for nearly a kilometre. It is in open woodland and runs alongside a wall on the right. Straight at the start, it then curves widely to the right. You then arrive in a clearing via a short descent.

(3) Do not take the wide path on the right which leads up to a leisure centre, nor the valley on the left which descends (Combe de Lambrun). Take the path opposite which enters the woods. Follow it, more or less along the contour line, for about 600m. It leads onto a wide track. Follow this, keeping to the left; do not take the first two paths on the right or go back down into the valley on the left.
Continue straight ahead and, after a bend and a clear open area, head into the undergrowth. Follow this path, keeping to the left, along the slope without any significant change in elevation.
You’ll reach a rugged section where you can see the path opposite, on the other side of a valley.
Descend into the valley. Ignore the path climbing to the right and the one descending into the valley on the left.
Climb up the slope along this path, which has a small rock ledge to climb over (easy), then ascend the other side of the valley. You will then arrive above the rocks. Always take the path furthest to the left.
After a while, keep left to pass beneath these rocks. Steep rocks at the start, then a stony path leading right up to the base of the rocks. The IGN map mentions caves, but these were not visible on the day the route was walked.
Pass under the rocks (a descent and a short climb) to continue along a descending path ( switchbacks) then along a slope that rises and falls until you reach the Saint-Fol valley (clearing). Do not take the valley on the right that climbs (another route). Always follow the markings. Turn left then right. You will then arrive at the Saint-Fol spring; it is about 1 km to the Route du Val Suzon.

(4). Follow the track downhill, running alongside a meadow to the left of the track. After 100m, do not take the path on the right that goes uphill; keep to the left. At the next junction, the marked route goes uphill to the right (gradual climb, then keep left, final descent to the road (E).

Unless you’re hitchhiking, it’s best to drop a car off at the finish in advance and return to park another car at the start.

Roche Château: near the start, a group of limestone cliffs with a rock shelter.
Roche Château: beautiful view of the Val Suzon from the top of the cliffs and along the path that follows.
Rock shelters (Roche Château).
La Motte: a watering hole for animals situated on a beautiful limestone plateau and a ruined farmhouse. Nearby, the Sainte-Anne leisure centre and an adventure park.
Rocks of Saint-Fol or Sainte-Foy. The IGN map indicates caves, but the route lies further on. You must therefore look for them slightly further north.
Saint-Fol spring. A clear spring emerging from the hillside, in the undergrowth.
SPA refuge nearby.
Fountain of Youth nearby, on the other side of Val Suzon (alternative route).
Car park and picnic area.
^GR®7nearby.