Les Capitelles, Courniou-les-Grottes.

Les Capitelles, Courniou-les-Grottes. 1h30. 3.1km. Blue markers, easy. Lovely views, varied and loads of wonderful wild flowers. There is also a lot of history to enjoy as you discover all the wonderful capitelles, stone buildings and beautiful old stone walls. Parking at the Grottes car park on the Voie verte or as we did opposite the old school building on the D612 in Courniou. Opposite the museum building you will find your first blue marker at the bottom of a rather long flight of steps. I think it must be Courniou-les-Grottes answer to Jacob's ladder. The good thing about this walk if you find climbing difficult is that you will find quite a number of seats to enjoy the fine views. At the top of the steps turn left to go quickly up over a steep, rocky area that looks rather like a beautiful rock garden fill with orchids, Pyrenean snakeshead Fritillary and buttercups. Heading up to a right turn you will soon come to a lovely lookout with a stone information board. The views of the mountain scenery is wonderful here, don't leave too quickly, it's such a lovely spot even on a windy, spring day. Now heading back to a little right turn you follow a little path of really beautiful discovery. A little community of lovely capitelles and wonderfully covered stone walls, wrapped in a shawl of mosses and ferns. The path continues through lovely woodland. Here is pine, beech and oak too. Lots more little stone houses and a short diversion to your right to enjoy before heading left and then bearing around a little old stone house and coming back out on a good track. Now you tack a small left turn down to a lovely old stone wall where you turn right and continue to reach the broad track once again. The track through the woodland has it's own delights, so many lovely orchids line the sides as it winds down on a left and then a right turn to reach the village. The walk finally turns back on itself to head back on the voie verte to the parking.