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Most of the walks in France are very well signposted and even tell you how long they are likely you to complete! Keep your eye out for yellow lines on trees, rocks etc as these help you to keep to the paths.
CHAPEL AND THE SAINTS (approx 1/2 hour) Leave the house and turn right along road. Stay on road (go past first brown sign on your right to chapel and saints) until you reach house on your left. Opposite is a little gate with a sign to the chapel and saints. Go through the gate and up the hill past the chateau on your left. Halfway up the hill is the chapel, which has a small graveyard. The family that used to own La Plaine house are buried there. Keep on up the hill and you will eventually reach the statues of the two saints. There is a fantastic view of the lake, the hills opposite, St Andre town and La Plaine from here. The two saints (Peter and Paul) used to be at the entrance to the town where you can see a bridge crossing over the lake to your left. When the lavender fields (as they were in those days) were flooded to create the lake, the statues were moved up to the top of this hill. From the brow of the hill, facing the lake, bear off to the right down the hill towards the trees (La Plaine will be on your right). There isn't a set path here but you are basically heading down towards the woods alongside the lake and you will pick up a path towards the bottom. ( Do Not climb down towards the lake edge or you will have a struggle to get back up!) Follow the path which will bear round to the right and will eventually come out right alongside the lake. Cross over the stream that feeds into the lake and up the hill the other side to La Plaine.
CRETE DE SERRES (approx 1hour) Leave the house and turn right along road. At bottom of hill you will see a brown sign to the left signposted Crete De Serres. The whole walk is nearly 8 hours to the top of the mountain so this is only a very short part of it! Follow the path to the left alongside the fence with the farm on your right to the brow of the hill. Cross over a small stream, up a small hill (great views of La Plaine and the lake from here) and then pick up the track that bears off to the right through the trees. Follow track along edge of field till you go through narrow opening and pass through into the woods. Stay on track (* the walk will bring you back out here eventually) up through the woods till you eventually hit a gravel driveway. Bear right for about five minutes and then you will see a sign to the right for the Crete De Serres. Take this path down a steep hill (** See below for alternative walk from this point) and shortly afterwards you will see a small track off to the right (there is a tree marked with a big yellow cross) - go down this track Follow the path and it will eventually come out into a clearing. Follow track till it flattens out and pick up the path which goes off at a right angle along the bottom of the slope you have just walked down. Stay on this path which will take you back towards the farm you passed on the first part of the walk (you will be able to see it from the path). The track will eventually join up with the first track as asterisked above * then do the first bit in reverse to get home!
CRETE DE SERRES - ALTERNATIVE ROUTE ** (approx 2 hours) If you don't mind coming back the same way that you walked there is an alternative which brings you out to a clearing with a house, wooden chalet and railway in the garden and some good views. Basically, don't turn off down the small track to the right but stay on main path and you will eventually reach the clearing with the house. You can follow the signs which then begin the actual climb up the Crete De Serres but I have only ventured the first part and it gets VERY steep!
ST ANDRE TOWN (approx 40 minutes) Leave the house and turn left along the road (or you can walk along the grass alongside the lake) till you reach the iron bridge. Over the bridge and then turn immediately right through the two big stones and walk alongside the river, tennis courts etc (there is a children's adventure playground in the woods on your left). Through the next set of big stones and follow the road past the houses. You will eventually come to a crossroads with a small square on your left hand side with a fountain. Go through the square and up the narrow street, cross the road and you will come out in the main town square. The best boulangerie is down the road to your right which has a small low archway into the shop. Go home the same way!
RIVER / LAKE (approx 40 minutes) Leave the house and turn right along road. Stay on road, past house on your left, chateau on your right, down hill and then you will see the river running under the road and a clearing on your right with a small stony path. Turn right and follow the path along and across the river. If you look up to the right you will see the chateau and chapel on the brow of the hill. The path will eventually come out alongside an inlet from the lake. The path will then climb up along the foot of the hill and follow the inlet right up to the lake. The path comes out into a small wood and you will be right on the edge of the lake. It is a good sun trap and very peaceful here - nice place for a picnic! Go home the same way!
COL DES ROBINES (approx 2 hours) Leave the house and turn left along the road (or you can walk along the grass alongside the lake) till you reach the iron bridge. Turn left after bridge and follow road along till you reach the Spar supermarket. Cross over the road and turn left and go past the Hotel Lac et Foret on your right. Just after the hotel you will see a stony road off up to the right signposted to Courchons. Follow the road up the hill and then after about ten minutes on a bend in the road you will see a brown sign off to the right into the woods to Col Des Robines. Take this track and follow it along. At the first main clearing you will see a small track to the right - if you follow this you will have the most amazing views of the town, La Plaine, the lake and the mountain ranges. Re-join the main track and follow it through the woods. It will eventually join a forest track and after about five minutes on this track you will see a sign off to the right to St Andre. Follow this down the hill, and you will come out into a clearing with horses and stables. Walk through this and join the road and come out of the woods past a house on your right and the electricity tower on your left. Turn right down the main tarmac road past the houses that are being built and you will come out at the main St Andre road opposite the Spar. Cross over and follow road back to La Plaine.
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