Water sources below Grand Veymont, starting point: Maison Forestière de la Coche

Depart from the Coche car park when arriving by car via the Coche forest road from Rousset, heading towards the Luire cave. Park at the back of the car park, just before the Coche forest house.

(S/E) Take the tarmac forest road that passes in front of the forest house. Go through a barrier that is open in summer, with a multi-directional sign on your left saying "La Coche Alt. 1350m. Grand Veymont via Le Pichet - Pré Peyret".

(1) 200 m after this barrier, take a path on the left reserved for pedestrians (no bicycles or horses due to a fallen tree and small rocks to cross) with the direction to follow now being "Le Grand Veymont". In a few minutes, you will reach a forest path accessible by 4x4 and follow it, turning left. Further on, the path widens and leads to the vast Pichet plain.

(2) As soon as you enter this plain, you will see a path on your left that climbs northwards, which serves as a landmark, and a faint trail that branches off to the right towards the trees. Follow this path; near a tree at the edge of the plain, you will see a wooden sign planted quite low down saying "Fontaine du Pichet, 300 m". The path winds a little and you will find the fountain in front of you, flowing into a stone basin.

(3) Turn back to return to the forest path.

(2) Cross the plain, turning right.

(4) Pass between two cairns and follow the path ascending diagonally to the left. Leave the forest path on your right. Reach the Jasse de la Chau.

(5) During the summer grazing season, be sure to go around the closed areas reserved for shepherds to respect their work. Reach the next crossroads with a sign indicating the^GR®91to the left and right.

(6) Turn left, heading north. Climb just 400 metres to find the Fontaine de la Chau.

(8) Head back down south to return to the previous crossroads.

(6) Continue along the^GR®91. At the edge of the woods, you will see five concrete blocks on your left. 100 m further on, there are cairns on your left. Follow them, leaving the^GR®91for 100 m. The Fontaine des Serrons flows intermittently from the rocks between two cairns.

(8) Return to^{the GR®91}and follow it south until you see the Grande Cabane. The shepherds reserve a large enclosed area for themselves. During the summer grazing season, walk around it in an anti-clockwise direction until you are level with the entrances to the huts on your left.

(9) On the right, the return path climbs back up towards the west (no other indication, no sign). Follow it until you reach the intersection with the path from Pré Peyret, which is signposted.

(10) Turn right and follow the signs for "La Coche, 1h15 and 4.8km". Pass a hut reserved for shepherds on your right, then reach the Baraque de Gerland, an older wooden hut, which is also closed but in ruins (unfortunately). On your left below, you can't miss the Gerland fountain.

(11) Finally, follow the Rachier forest road to the narrow passage where a sign invites you to turn right onto "La Coche direct pedestrian access" via a path that is steep at the beginning and end. Take this path, then when you reach the forest road you took on the way there, walk up it for about 200 metres and take the path on the right indicated by the sign for "La Coche".

(1) Turn right onto the tarmac road, pass the forest house and return to the car park (S/E).

The "Difficult" rating is due to the length of the hike (approximately 19 km) and the fact that it is not always easy to find your way on the Vercors plateau.

Bring Visorando or a GPS device, or even a GPS app on your smartphone, along with a compass and an IGN map of the area.

GPS and location of the springs: according to the Fontaines website
Fontaine le Pichet:
Longitude: 5.47011 Latitude: 44.87927.
In degrees, minutes and seconds: Longitude: 5°28'12.4", Latitude: 44°52'45.4".
La Chau: on the^GR®91:
Longitude: 5.50971 Latitude: 44.88854.
In degrees, minutes and seconds: Longitude: 5°30'35" Latitude: 44°53'18.7".
Les Serrons: the most difficult to find. 100 m after the five concrete blocks, on your left, cairns lead up towards the Pas des Chattons. About 100 m along this path, opposite in the rocks, there is a hole and an engraved metal plaque reminding us of the scarcity of water. Longitude: 5.50894 Latitude: 44.87131
In degrees, minutes and seconds, Longitude: 5°30'32.2" Latitude: 44°52'16.7".
Gerland: on the forest path to the Gerland hut below on the left. Longitude: 5.4758 Latitude: 44.8677.
In degrees, minutes and seconds, Longitude: 5°28'32.9" Latitude: 44°52'03.7".

The water is drinkable, of course, but be sure to take the following precautions: use a cup that does not touch anything else and fill your water bottle with it. For your information, I treat the water with tablets when the flow is low (so bring purification tablets). The Fontaine des Serrons fountain does not have a good reputation for digestive health. Is this a myth?
Be careful not to pollute the rest of the water when serving yourself, dipping your hands, washing, or even splashing yourself; it's a matter of survival locally.
If you feel like a good Samaritan, note the filling time and report the result on your return under Fountains with a short message and a photo of the outflow. This is valuable information for other hikers.

A little game based on reading the rare landmarks on the ground: when you arrive at the Chau spring (8), let someone else take you back to the previous signpost, heading south, but without giving them the GPS. Normally, your young Padawan guide will veer off on their own towards the Jasse de la Chau hut 300 m to the right, because all the animals are heading that way (from east to west), the path is uncertain and the trails are oriented that way. This confuses people in this area. This is why those arriving from the north sometimes miss the source of the Chau by following a sheep track...
You can also try to find the source of the Serrons as soon as you see the concrete blocks on your left. It is 100 cm further to the left, on the path with cairns that leads to the Pas des Chattons, to the right of the Grand Veymont. It's also a delightful walk, but that's another story...

As a reminder, the regulations of the Hauts-Plateaux du Vercors nature reserve impose the following main prohibitions:
- Dogs are not allowed, even on a leash
- Flying is prohibited within 300 metres (i.e. drones and paragliders are prohibited)
- Fires are prohibited
- Deliberately disturbing wildlife is prohibited (be careful not to disturb marmots and ibex, among others!)
- Picking is prohibited
- Camping is prohibited, but bivouacking is permitted from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.
- Littering is prohibited (including in the shelters, which are open to all!)
These strict regulations are necessary to protect the species and environments that inhabit this wild and unspoilt territory!

Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors. Friendly restaurant and bar near the church. Lodge

During the summer, you can sometimes see the shepherds at work: gathering the animals, caring for them, and moving them at the end of the summer. Be careful around Patou dogs, as they are guard and defence dogs for the flocks and are not pets.