Monday 27 July 2015

Les Rivieryrals, col de la Bane, Fraisse-sur-Agout.

Les Rivieryrals, col de la Bane, Fraisse-sur-Agout. 4H 12km. Yellow markers. A lovely walk, on high ground, mainly forest tracks with some super views of the valleys below. Lots of wonderful wild flowers and masses of wild fruits, including raspberries, strawberries and blackberries.
                                      
Park in the large parking area off the D169 at the col de la Bane. Turn left and follow the yellow markers along a wide forest track which crosses the GR7 (if you want to shorten the walk turn left here and you will cut about 2km off the walk).

Just before the path bears to the left and goes down hill you will see an large old ruined house on your right beside a field. This house was used by the resistance during WW2 as a headquarters. The track becomes quite rough and rocky, but the woods are very pleasant and mostly beech here. Now the track joins the GR7 which you turn right onto.

After walking through some more woodland you come to an open area where you may here the wind turbines on the hill above. A little further on after more woods you come once more to another clearing. If you want to do the full walk turn right and down past a little building to Riveryrals. The track winds through the forest with some open views too here, joining the GR7 once again and turning left onto it to meet a cleaning at the top of the slope with wind turbines in full view. (if at the small building you prefer to shorten your walk once again you can continue on the GR7 to meet the cleaning with wind turbines, cutting off another 2km from the walk).

Finally pass the wind turbines(good views here)and head north along a wide forest track. A few tracks join this one, but the route is clearly marked so stay on this track and it will return to the parking area after some time. This area of the walk has been recently deforested and offers some good views, raspberries and lovely wild flowers.

It was 30c in the Orb valley, having had a rather hot walk yesterday we headed up to the hills for this walk having checked the forecast for our valley. It was 15c, low cloud and windy up there.

Every time we came near to the edge of the mountain we saw blue sky only to return to a passing cloud as we turned the corner. Do check the forecast before you leave home. It can be a different world up there.

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