Moderator's note: hike modified on 11/05/2023 due to private property issues. To reach point 4 through the fields after going around the pond, the route now passes through Bourdaleine.
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Car park at the edge of Jonas Pond, with plenty of spaces.
(S/E) Follow the lake along the road on the left when facing the lake.
(1) At the fork, leave theGRP® (yellow and red markings) on the left and continue along the path on the right alongside the lake.
(2) After about 300 m, leave the bridge on your right and take the path on your left to rejoin theGRP®. Continue 200 m north-east until you reach a fork.
(3) Follow theGRP® trail to the right, which climbs slightly towards Bourdaleine, and continue until you reach a road.
(4) Take the road on the left, then turn right at the next junction, where you will once again follow the yellow-marked route that passes between the houses in the hamlet of Larmont.
(5) After the big bend and before the hamlet of Chez Puyaud, turn onto the steep path on the left marked in yellow and red (GRP® Monts d'Ambazac). Continue to the charming stone houses of the hamlet of Les Barrys.
(6) Turn onto the road on the lower left, which climbs slightly opposite, to walk alongside the excavations of the former Grandmont Abbey. The information panels are interesting to read and give you an idea of the immense abbey that once stood in this pretty, remote valley on the edge of the lake.
(7) Just before the village centre, you will see the Saint-Jean-Baptiste chapel behind you. At the crossroads, take the road on the left that goes downhill (D78) and continue along it on the left. This is the route indicated: the Chemin des Moines, marked in yellow.
(8) After walking along the small pond, turn right towards the house in the middle of the meadow. The path passes between the house and the wooden terrace and continues into the forest. Follow this pleasant path through the woods on the side of Puy Fourmiget until you reach the road.
(9) Take the road on the right, leaving the marked trail on the left, and continue for about 600 metres.
(10) Before the road climbs slightly, take the forest path that climbs diagonally into the forest (not the one on the left) to the village of Saint-Sylvestre.
(11) At the entrance, turn left onto the road that climbs towards the stadium at the top of the hill. Keep to the right, ignoring the road leading to the cemetery.
(12) After the stadium, where the road ends, continue along the path that leads into the gently sloping forest until you reach a junction with another road.
(13) When you reach the road, continue downhill to the village of La Chaise, follow the road that goes around the hamlet and descends to the junction with another Y-shaped road. Continue to the right and after the bend, you will find yourself on a larger road under the forest canopy.
(14) After about 100 metres, turn onto the dirt track on the left of the road, which leads back to the marked path that runs alongside the Étang de Jonas (this time on your left).
(15) At the tarmac road, turn left between the lake and the water treatment plant, walk alongside the houses to return to the Étang de Jonas car park (S/E).
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Visorando Member
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Tourist office
