Park in the car park at Montrosier Town Hall.
This route is virtually unmarked. The few yellow markings encountered belong to the Vallée de Bonnan route or to a route unknown to the author.
Very short section on theGRP® Cordes-Penne-Coustous, marked in red and yellow.
(S/E) With your back to the town hall and the wrought iron calvary on your left, head towards the east corner of the square and turn right into the cul-de-sac.
After 50 metres, take the path on the left between two houses. Walk along the slight incline between woods and hedges to reach a track suitable for vehicles. This is the cul-de-sac, which you quickly left at the start of the route and which you now find yourself back at.
(1) Follow the track to the left, which changes from tarmac to gravel. Continue climbing until you reach a fork. Take the right-hand branch, a dirt track, to enter the forest. Continue climbing until you reach the T-junction at an altitude of 317 metres, ignoring a path coming from the left.
(2) Turn right onto the communal path. Climb up to La Peyrière, elevation 347. Leave the communal path and veer left. The end of the right-hand bend marks the end of the climb. A wide clearing opens up with a view of the Rocher de Lexos and the Bonnan valley.
At the fork, go straight ahead along a narrow path that is not shown on the IGN map. Stay alert as it is not very visible. Walk along the cliff and further on you will find a left-hand bend at elevation 371. Descend very carefully along the bend to the edge of the Ruisseau de Bonnan. The slope is very steep.
(3) Make a round trip to discover the tufa waterfall. To do this, go left. At the bridge, continue along the wide track opposite. Walk about a hundred metres to reach the foot of the waterfall.
(4) Petrified waterfall. In summer, the waterfall is dry, but in winter, the spring flows abundantly or becomes covered with stalactites when it freezes. It is possible to climb up to its source.
After exploring the waterfall, retrace your steps to the previous point.
(3) Continue straight ahead along the stream. Walking up the stream is great fun if you stay on the left bank. There are numerous fords that allow you to cross to the right bank and rejoin the widePR® trail in the Bonnan Valley. Walking on the left bank involves ascents and descents where you will need to use your hands on the rocks.
(5) Ruins of an old chapel. Continue until you reach the Sentier de Bonnan trail.
(6) Cross the stream of the same name one last time. Follow the yellow marked trail, which winds its way through the woods. Walk alongside a cattle enclosure and then a wooded pasture. You will come to a wide track suitable for vehicles.
(7) Turn left. Pass a tree with a small signpost on your right. You will arrive at the entrance to a meadow with a large shed. Continue to a crossroads, elevation 378.
(8) The path runs alongside the Touron farm where cows graze freely. Do not forget to close the pasture gates behind you. At the T-junction, turn right. At the road, continue to the right to enter Roussayrolles. A visit to the church is a must.
(9) Roussayrolles Church dates from the 13th century. Continue on and pass by the picnic tables. Walk through the hamlet, between the houses opposite.
At the triangular crossroads, follow the wideGRP® Cordes-Penne-Coustous trail on the right. Ignore the Clavillières access road. At the next crossroads, leave theGRP® trail on the left. Stay on the trail and continue to a path marked by a small cairn on the right.
(10) In front of the cairn, turn onto the path.
(11) Discover the tumulus-dolmen. Return to the track via the tracks heading west. Follow it to the right. Reach the Pas de la Clède junction.
(12) Turn onto the track on the right. Keep heading generally north-east. Ignore a path on the right. Keep right at the fork. Reach the track at the T-junction, elevation 327.
(13) Follow the road to the right, which has three hairpin bends. After the last bend, find a dirt track leading off to the left. Turn onto the track. Continue to the X-shaped crossroads.
(14) Stay on the wide track. Continue along the left branch of the X, heading north. Lean into the bend to the right at the fork. You will reach an inverted fork junction.
(15) Turn sharply left. After 50 metres, there is a long descent. Head north to the bottom of the valley, in front of Bordés. Go around the building to reach the D34. Turn right. Note the pretty little Church of the Nativity of Our Lady as you pass. Continue straight on the road to return to the village and its town hall (A/D).
