Caroux

A beautiful walk on the Caroux. Takes about 5.30h to 6h(with a couple of picnic/coffee stops) and is fairly difficult.(D grade), 14km. From Mons it's a little further but the little village is a pretty place to park and parking is free. If you park in the gorge car park you only pay from April to September. Take the path from the car park to the first little bridge. There is a sign here for the Sentier des Gardes path, which takes one hour to climb to the col de Bartouyre following the yellow markers. Keep going along the path, past the col and one zig zag up until you find 3 signs ( be very careful here not to follow the red and yellow signs). Here follow the red dots to the Refuge de font Salesse. this takes another hour up but with a picnic on the way and all the wonderful views it's worth the effort. Now follow yellow markers once again (also red/white GR7) until you can see the village of Douche. Turn left here and walk towards the gorge until you come to a stone with a small orange triangle on it (don't worry you're not going climbing, that's the other way!) No go down this little track to re-join the GR7 at the col de l'Airole. Turn left onto this path and head down through the chestnut woods to Heric. You can have a drink, ice cream,snack or even a beer here at the pretty little café. Now turn left onto the Heric gorge road/path back down to the car park.

Caroux walk from Mons.

A walk from the gorge d'heric up to the Refuge de Font Salesse and back via Heric to the car park. Start in the Car park. Allow 6 hours. Grade D. 13km. Go up to the pont des soupirs (the small foot bridge when you first come into the gorge). Cross and take the footpath to the left. Its a steep path and requires effort and caution. This path has red/yellow and yellow markers. At the col de Bartouyre you pass through some cool woods before coming out on to a view point. After one switch back you come to a junction. (The yellow path goes down to your right, the yellow/red to the right too). Take the red spotted trail to the left . This continues to wind up over the rocky mountainside until you reach a small beach wood at the top. Here you will find the Refuge de Font Salesse, a small hut for protection in bad weather. There is a picnic area under the trees here go to the left of the hut and keep following the red/white or yellow markers until you come to a junction of paths. leave the main path turning left and follow the occasional orange triangle until you see some rocks and a small path leading down to the GR7. Turn left onto the GR7 red/white markers, follow the path down through the woods to Heric( this path becomes a little broken and difficult near Heric). Before the hamlet take the main track down the gorge back to the car park. Its a long way down.

Albine waterfall and Caroux, via the Roque Rouge

Starting in Mons I walked along the lower balcony to St Martin de l'arcon.. Following the yellow makers from the gorge.Up to the beautiful Albine waterfall ( Following the blue marks) and up to the Roque Rouge (following the pale yellow markers). Quite a climb. Form there I followed the blue marks around the edge of the plateaux and then at a large cairn up along the green/white forest marker to join the yellow path in the direction of the table d'orientation (left). Then take the red path (left) at the refuge font salesse, to join the yellow path once again near the col, (here you can cut down to St Martin on the fleysses path) or keep to the right and passing the col de Bartouyre, finally ending in the gorge once again.Parking at Mons, Gorge d'heric or St Martin. 6 to 7 hours. around 15km difficult scrambling on the blue and pale yellow routes.