The route
From the start signboard between the church and the town hall, walk up the street in front of the town hall.
At the first junction, and again at the second, go right, go through Les Hauts de Picherande and carry on to the right. Keep straight on past the tennis court, ignoring the road to Lac de Gayme. At the track, continue right for 250 m, then take a steep path on the right as far as the road (view of the Pic de Ravel).
Go left. At the entrance to the hamlet of Ravel, head left, then follow the Route du lait (the milk road). At the fork, keep right. Ignore the tracks on the left until you reach a footbridge.
Cross it, get past the fence and follow the grassy trail across the meadow, parallel to the stream. Climb a steep path on the left through the beech wood. At the pasture, carry on along the path to reach a footbridge above the waterfall. Cross it, get past the fence and head right (view of the Barthe waterfall), along the edge of the spruce wood. At the road, go right as far as the junction with the D203.
Turn right onto it for 900 m and, at the picnic area on the left, climb the path that runs alongside the road. At the junction with the Lac Chauvet road, go left as far as the house on the lakeshore.
Turn right (view of the lake). Keep right, then at the T-junction turn left. At the crossroads, turn right and then immediately left. At the road, go left and, at the fork, head right (view of the Sancy range). Carry on to the entrance to Grouffaud.
Keep to the right. At the house with the thatched roof, turn off to the right. Keep right as far as the junction with the D614. Climb the track straight ahead (view of Picherande), ignore the first track on the left but take the second on the left. Cross the Neuffonds stream on a footbridge made of stone blocks. After the farm, go right. At the junction, go straight ahead under the D614, climb back up towards the departmental road, take the first left and keep climbing to get back to the start.
What it is like
The trail runs alongside a stream and takes you over footbridges, through a beech wood, woodland and pastures to the Cascade de la Barthe and Lac Chauvet. The lake is volcanic in origin and sits at an altitude of 1,162 metres, with a surface area of 54 hectares and a depth of 86 metres.
Advice
- Keep dogs on a lead and keep them away from herds in the pastures. - Thank you for helping to protect the places you walk through.
