A local classic short and steep in places but well worth the effort.
Description:
There are a few parking options shown on the French map but the best is the one on our map, it’s just before the village of le Bourgea on a slight bend and signed as parking for lac des Cordes. It’s the best as it gives you a nice walk up a flat river bank to warm your legs up before the first steep climb and keeps cars out of the village.
From the parking head south and cross a bridge, follow a big path upstream until you cross back over the river. A sign for the lac sends you through the trees (sw) the path is steep in places and uses a small section of cable to protect a steep rock section, after this it opens out a bit as it continues to climb up to the lac.
At the lac you can go round it or just stick to the southern bank, you will head south and climb to the second lac (the lac des Maits) and then on to the Col des Marsailles. From the Col descend following the main path, there is a path junction just after the ravin des coutiers, head south towards the col de peas (the other path seems shorter on the map but has a horrible steep muddy descent). Once you have joined the GR 58 follow it north through a pretty valley towards the village of les Fonts. Once passed Fonts cross the bridge and pick up the main path that follows the torrent de la Cerveyrette back to the parking.
