Mons, Piste Vert to La Pomarede, St-Martin-de-l'Arcon, La Coste, Gorge d'Heric. A walk in the Languedoc.

Mons, Piste Vert to La Pomarede, St-Martin-de-l'Arcon, La Coste, Gorge d'Heric. 7.5km. 2H. Easy. Starting in Mons from the car park beside the church follow the blue markers down the little lane through the fields with pretty views of the Juar valley to the piste vert. 

Turn left and walk towards La Trivalle where there is an auberge, a lovely bakers that sells wonder snacks at lunch time and bread for a delicious picnic. There is also a village shop selling local cheese, fruit and other items for the rest of your picnic needs. 

Keep heading along the piste vert and you will cross the first bridge with lovely views up into the gorge (ignore the blue marker on your left). Cross the bridge and through the first tunnel, it's quite long but lights will come on as you enter. Now you cross the next railway bridge over the road this time, with more fantastic views of the valleys. After a while you come to the second railway tunnel and after this there is a choice to continue on the piste vert or to follow the blue trail to your left just before a group of boxed stones marking a small under passage which takes you through fields near the river and joins the route as it goes under the main road. 

Follow the blue markers if you chose to do this or keep on the piste vert until you come to another area or boxed stones where there are some signs on your right for activity centres. Turn right here and go down the wooden steeps to join the blue route beside the bridge that passes under the road. Now go uphill past the horses to the activity centre and cross the road. Go up beside the building and around the little path beside the tree top adventure centre to come out in the little hamlet of La Pomarede. 

Turn left at the car park there and follow the road to the first left turn (at the moment there is a route barrée sign across the little road but take it anyway). The track goes through the woods in open areas with lovely views, a perfect spot for a picnic on a little wall overlooking the beautiful Orb valley. 

Now you come to the beautiful little church at St Martin de l'Arcon and at the junction turn right and left onto a yellow marked route (ignore the blue route markers now). Follow this route through the woods and old vineyards to La Coste. The path goes to your right up a slope before entering the hamlet and right again as you join the road. 

Go straight through the hamlet and turn right and quickly left down a little passage marked yellow to a small stream. Cross the stream and follow the path until it drops onto a large track. Turn right and then left onto the small path once again. Lovely views of the valley here before entering the woods again. It's a pretty path with stone walls and will bring you out in the Gorge d'Heric at a tiny bridge. 

Turn left and cross the bridge, then left again to reach the road to the gorge. Turn right onto the road and follow it until you come to some railings beside a house on your right. 

Turn right here and follow the red/yellow signs back to Mons through the pretty chestnut woods on old tracks.

Mons, col de Bardou, Bardou, Les Pradals a beautiful walk under the Caroux. Languedoc.

Mons, col de Bardou, Bardou, Les Pradals. 10km. 3H. Moderate. A beautiful local walk today. Starting in Mons. (There is a car park beside the church/ full today, it's a good job we live there!). 

Take the yellow/red trail up through the old village and pass between two houses at the top of the village into the woods (this part is quite steep, you can follow another route using old blue triangles that is a better start to the walk, this is goes up the road of the cross at the edge of the village and joins the red/yellow path after the steep part).

Follow the yellow/red path as it zigzags up the ravine. Ignore all other coloured routes. This path is lovely and has fine views both down to the Jaur valley and later into the ravine. It goes through beautiful holme oak and then chestnut woods. The path is most old stone and often edged with bloom and heather when on more open stretches. 

As the path nears the col (5km) you can look down on the little hamlet of Bardou and up to the Espinouse. Finally at the col you will see signs for the GR7 red/white, your route will turn left onto this but if you want a most wonderful view of the Gorge de Heric where it is possible to find a very fine picnic spot, take the blue path, opposite at the col for about 100m to Baou Filiti, the look out.

Here you can see all the way down the gorge and the beautiful Roc de Caroux. Retracing your steps to the col turn right towards Bardou but don't go all the way down to the village on the GR7 when you see it leave the route. Keep on this higher track until the track bares right. Keep straight on on this blue marked route. There are not many markers but keep going straight and ignore any other paths. The blue route finally descends onto a small zigzagging path down to the little road below. 

When it almost reaches the road you will see a vegetable garden below but stay on the little path above this for a little way until it drops down to the road a short distance further. The little road is not much more than a track as it descends into Les Pradals. It twists into the little hamlet with beautiful views of the Jaur valley again. 

Passing the pretty village you then join another road, take a left here towards Mons. There are vineyards and olive orchards here and lovely views across the valley. At the next junction take a right turn to go back to the parking or a left and a right to walk through Mons.

Mons, Bardou, Heric, Gorge de Heric .A walk in the Languedoc.

Mons, Bardou, Heric, Gorge de Heric. 11km/4h Medium distance and no really difficulties. Take the yellow/red lined trail from the village of Mons up a fairly steep track for about 5km .

The trail has beautiful views of the Jaur valley, ravine and Espinouse. It goes through mainly oak and chestnut forest. Watch out for mouflon here, I didn't see any today but did see a beautiful large deer near the river. 

There are also woodpeckers up here and red squirrel. Ignore all yellow, blue or red dotted trails that leave it from the left or right (the trail does level off a little as you get near to the col du Bardou. You now reach the GR7 at a junction of paths (If you want to have a picnic go up the blue trail here for about 100m, it's a beautiful spot overlooking the gorge and is my idea of heaven).

Take a right onto the GR red/white markers, this trail is steep for about 1.5km and takes you down to a little bridge over the river. Once over the river the trail climbs up to the hamlet of Heric and passes some lovely pools on the way. These are a good place for another rest or go on to the Buvette in Heric for refreshments.

Leave the GR in Heric and take the gorge road down through the beautiful Gorge de Heric for about 5km. There are waterfalls and pretty beaches along this route with magnificent scenery too. In the river I spotted quite a few dippers and slender wagtails in the water. Lots of information boards too.

Once out of the gorge follow the road a little way and you will see some railing beside a house on your left. Follow the yellow/red markers back to Mons though the pretty wooded path, lined by old stone walls.

Circuit of La Gleizo with a difference.

A lovely walk up the mountain behind Mons today. It's a new path for me. Quite a little gem I would say. No markings and only a few cairns on the edges of the little trail. This route cuts the Circuit of La Gleizo down from 3 hours to 2 hours, but still with all the beautiful views.

Start by taking the yellow/red trail in Mons but at the first junction turn right where there is a stone wall and a Y shaped tree. There is no markings on this trail but it goes up through the old terraces of chestnuts on a very old steeped path.

You come out on the red trail of La Gleizo but continue on instead up through the holme oaks on a tiny path to the col, where it joins the yellow path. Then go down the slope on the red path of the La Gleizo circuit. It's much more fun than using the ravine path. Beautiful views down into the Gorge de Heric and the Orb valley. It's a real little adventure path.