Wednesday 14 May 2014

Mons to Ceps, returning via Vieussan

Mons to Ceps, returning via Vieussan. 20km -25km. 6 to 8 hours. A beautiful route form a spring walk. Starting in Mons(car park by the church or down in La Trivalle) go into La trivalle and cross the bridge. Here turn right after the bridge and head down a small road to Ornac, in the hamlet take the tiny concert road to Carnoulet,then on to Fenouillede. Here take the left track and on up to Costeplane. Don't take the tiny path back downhill through the woods, there is one that goes to the left of the hamlet (house) and on to Courbou (down hill to the right). Again here be careful to take the trail on to the col de Courbou(follow the cycle trail signs), not the small trail on the left. This trail is smaller and goes past the hamlet and on through the scrub to the col with lovely views to the north and now to the south. Here you cross the larger track and take the one with red/yellow signs downhill to the right.( not the forest trails going uphill or downhill). This trail leads down to the col du Bac where you cross the road and take the trail to the right (marked with cycle trail markers). This trail leads down through the vineyards and turns left just south of the village of Ceps. Go through the village, picking up the yellow marked trail under the bridge. This goes up hill to become a smaller path, with lovely views of the river Orb. When you get to Boissezon you can either go the same way back to Mons via the col du Bac, walk the road back to Mons via Tarassac or get a bus. Vieussan is very pretty and there is a good way to cut over the hill through the village and castle then down a blue path to the road. There is a nice restaurant called Le Lezard bleu.http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g2137471-d40…
If you walk in spring time there are many different varieties of orchids and lizards about, watch out for the big blue and yellow lizards.