Very beautiful walk, part of which follows an old sheep trail. Wooded sections, clear views from the summit (over Mount Lozère, the Vivarais Mountains, the Rhone valley and Mount Ventoux), valley floor with schist walls and chestnut trees.
Very beautiful walk, part of which follows an old sheep trail. Wooded sections, clear views from the summit (over Mount Lozère, the Vivarais Mountains, the Rhone valley and Mount Ventoux), valley floor with schist walls and chestnut trees.
Department | Gard |
---|---|
Departure municipality | Bonnevaux |
Outing type | Hike |
Difficulty | Intermediate |
Duration | 5:00 |
Recommended period | from january to december |
Environment | Mountains |
Kilometres | 8 km |
Altitude upon departure | 780m |
Change in altitude | 400m |
Make your way towards Aujac and park at the Péras Pass (1 km from the village). At the Pass, visit the "stone theatre" which is used for the Bonnevaux festival in the summer.
1. From the Pass, climb up towards the peaks which dominate the village along the old sheep trails above the stone theatre (signposted path).
2. You will then follow the rounded peaks ("le plateau" or "cham") through a landscape covered with moorland and grazing sheep with a view over Mount Lozère and the Cèze valley, a pleasant and easy walk to La Garde de Dieu, a cross at the entrance to the forest (alt. 944 m).
3. Take the trail on the right and then immediately turn right on to the path which you will follow past a pine forest then through another forest which offers many signs of the local wildlife and various plants depending on the season. You will arrive at the large track which leads to the peaks above another part of the Bonnevaux valley: the hamlets of Coulis and Nojaret.
4. Follow the path on the right and watch out for the small trail indicating "Nojaret" which will take you back down to the valley floor along an attractive route through the chestnut forest and down the stairs which the local inhabitants built in order to be able to farm this mountainside.
5. From Nojaret (hamlet with a fountain offering drinking water), take the path on the right which leads gently down to the abbey (from the last hairpin bend on the small road).
6. Once you have reached the abbey, cross the bridge and climb up to Bonnevaux taking the first path on the right (signposted "Bonnevaux" 20 mins).
7. Do not leave Bonnevaux (another water point + toilets) without visiting the Romanesque church and its cemetery with a view over the Ventoux. From there a path will lead you on a 20-minute walk to the Péras Pass.