GR®3 Monts du Forez

Walking on the Hautes Chaumes means crossing a landscape shaped by centuries of pastoralism. The jasseries, those stone summer farms, recall the time when the herds went up to spend the summer there. Today, it is the wind, the bilberries and the silence that have taken over.

In spring, the slopes turn yellow: daffodils first, then broom. This is when the Forez is at its most alive. Our frank take: this GR is made for anyone who loves long days in the open, a clear horizon and the idea of unspooling a thread over several days. Nothing technical, but you need stamina and commitment. Take water and a windproof jacket, because up there the weather turns quickly.

This section of the GR3 links Chabreloche to Retournac across the Monts du Forez, over nearly 121 km of path. The numbers: more than 3,200 m of cumulative climb, a low point at 511 m and ridges that rise above 1,600 m. You don't do this in one go. Allow about five days of walking, or split the route into stages to suit your wishes and your legs.

The path gains height quickly after Chabreloche, then swings onto the Hautes Chaumes, those big plateaux of short grass that run along the ridge line. You walk in the open, between moorland, peat bogs and meadows, with the Massif Central spread out on either side. The route follows the watershed, skirts Pierre-sur-Haute, the roof of the Forez, then heads for the Col du Béal and the Col de Baracuchet.

The second half comes back down into village country. You pass through La Chamba, Estivareilles, then perched Montarcher, which offers a 360° panorama over the Velay and the surrounding mountains, with its church whose choir dates back to the 12th century. After Valprivas, the route drops towards the Loire valley and Retournac, right at the bottom.

Classic GR waymarking, red and white, to follow from start to finish. Spring and autumn are the best windows. In winter, snow shuts the Chaumes and the path is no longer passable.