Le Sentier Prevert 5km 1H30m and Le Sentier Borias . Fraisse-sur-Agout.

Le Sentier Prevert 5km 1H30m and Le Sentier Borias . Fraisse-sur-Agout. 2H. 6.5km total. Today it was very hot once again in the Orb/Jaur valley so we headed up to the Somail once again. Such a lovely area with high beech forest, rolling farmland and heather covered tops. This walk starts by taking the D14 to the village of Fraisse-sur-agout, and parking at the stade which is found by turning off onto the D169 that goes up to lac de vezoles. You will see the yellow signs leaving the car park. We made the walk up out of the 2 walks from there to make a larger circular one but it is also possible to do an even shorter one of 2.4km that has lots of lovely signs and information to interest children.

After turning right out of the parking area turn right one more and follow a path that leads to a junction. Take the middle path up the hill. (If you do the shorter one you will return to this point).Now follow the path up over the field (there is a tiny small here to cross and down to a track beside the fields edging woodland.

When you reach a junction you will turn left through woodland on a small path. The track crosses a small road now, (if you decide to take the short walk turn left and then right the Arboretum) The longer walk heads up to some lovely beech woods where you will see the large stone monolith, keep left and you will see the tiny path through the trees just after the place where children have been making bivouacs. The little path joins a larger track and just before the road you will see a little path to your left so you can avoid walking on the road.

Soon you will see a small path to your left over the heather tops. There are amazing views up here of the whole valley. Take this path as it decides down to a junction. (The path to your left is the way that the shorter route takes, it will follow this route and then turn off just before the arboretum) . Now turn right and follow the grassy track to the beautiful little arboretum.

This is a delightful place to rest on seats under the trees. It was laid out in 1984 and again in 2003 by the children of the village who undoubtedly made a lot of the painted information boards on the first part of the walk. It's only a small area, but beautifully kept and has a spring for thirsty dogs. (Although there are 2 more sources of water along the way). The small arboretum has ginko trees, broad leaf oaks and many others, each with little information plates below them.

Now cross the road to a track on your right with recycling bins at it's entrance. Col du Triby. The yellow Le Sentier Prevert signs turn off to your left here and the track runs parallel with the road for sometime before joining the road as it descends into the village.

The Le Sentier Borias, also marked yellow, goes straight on the track following the yellow/red markers to a small path ahead. (Don't turn left at this junction, keep straight on down the side of a field and you will see a tiny path to your left very soon that hugs the edge of the field. This goes between trees and emerges onto a track which it crosses and goes straight back into another tiny path. Soon the path descends into the tiny hamlet of Le Fau (which means Beech in Occitan I believe). After reaching the road, follow it until just before the stream and then turn left up a grassy path beside a building to a junction of paths where you turn right.

Here you will see more lovely views and pastoral images of country life. There were sheep crossing a little stone bridge below us and sheltering from the midday sun in the gentle shade of beech trees, chestnut horses and rolled hay bales left on honey coloured fields to dry in the summer sunshine. It's a delightful place to picnic, watching and listening to the whir  of the wind turbines. The track contours the golden hillside and after passing a large farm descends to the road. Finally turn right to complete the walk and find the car park. Enjoy, it's a very lovely ramble.