La Cabriere

La Cabriere, 7.5 km/ 2.30H, Easy. Marked. This is a wonderful short hike on the Caroux massif without any real difficulties. Throughout the whole circuit there are exceptional views, beautiful heather on the surrounding hills, a good chance of seeing mouflon and a delightful contrast of landscape. 

You can either start at parking areas near Madale or Le Fage. For this walk we started at the parking area for Le Fage, near Rosis, but it may be easier in hot weather to start from the carpark at Madale. Walk up the wide track to another parking area with signs for climbing. Take the track to your left until you see yellow markers directing you to turn right. 

Take this path down until it splits and then take the path to the left. This path leads all the way around the upper Gorge de Colombieres with delightful rocky views of the gorge, Caroux, and the Orb valley below. Finally you start to go down to a point where the zigzags begin. 

Here you will see a wooden post, now look for a small blue marker for a trail to your left. You may find it a little difficult to see at first. Take this blue trail (do not go down the zigzags). (If you want a shorter walk there is a little green marked trail that goes up from a large cairn just above here, this would take you past the quarry and over the hill of la Cabriere itself, a walk of around 1 hour). 

Now follow the blue trail back up the hill a little and then down into the woods. It drops down through lovely old chestnut woods, on a little path with lovely views of the gorge de Madale. You will notice that you will not see many blue markers only old yellow ones this is fine. Now the trail drops down onto a wide dirt road beside a house and a yellow wooden post. 

Turn left and walk along this track towards the Col de Madale, passing a small old quarry working. The track reaches the hamlet of Madale before the col. (We saw several eagles here and hillsides covered with pink and rose coloured heather). After the village you will come to a wooden signpost at the col. Take a left turn onto the GR7 red/white markings. 

This small path leads over the beautiful heather and broom covered tops with remarkable open views of the Espinouse, Caroux, Monts d'Orb (it can get rather hot in the open on this part of the walk if left until the afternoon), and what seems like the whole of the languedoc down to the coast and over to Montpelier. The path now drops onto the wide track, turn right and go back down to the car park. This is probably the easiest walk on the Caroux massif.