Le Saut de Vezoles from the col de Cabaretou

Le Saut de Vezoles from the col de Cabaretou. 7.5km. 2H (if you don't stop to pick wild blueberries and raspberries!).Easy. circular route.Take the D907 St Pons to La salvetat road. Park at the picnic area for the Col de Cabaretou.

Here you will find a forest track, GR7. Take the track east along the Cabaretou forest track. The first part of the track is lovely beech woods with honey coloured grasses below and lots of beautiful wild flowers edging the track. Follow this track past a forest lodge and ignore a right hand path at the col des Biaous. The  sentier de legende, yellow marked trail heads downhill here but don't follow it, keep straight on the main path, GR7.

This track has some lovely views to the south and the Jaur valley below. You will see yellow markers here too. Soon you will come to the fontaine des cabanes, a good place for dogs to find a drink. When you pass another picnic area with stone picnic tables in the forest you know that soon you will find the right turn to the viewpoint. Now leave the forest track and take the little path to your right with both red/white and yellow markers.

The path leads over pretty heather slopes that eventually reach the lake above (Vezoles, yesterday's walk). The viewpoint is a short distance along this path and here you will find the most spectacular views imaginable. From here you can see down to the coast and the Pyrenees, The Somail, Espinouse and Caroux mountains and along the beautiful Orb/Jaur valleys.

You will hear the sound of the cascades beautiful you see them as they tumble from the Lac de Vezoles down to reach the valley below. Magnificent! Now retrace your steps to the confusing marker post that has yellow markers in both directions upon it. Go left but then immediately right if you want to do the circular route or retrace you steps along the GR7 if you prefer. After the right turn you will see two smaller forest tracks, take the one to your left. This is a lovely route, I think I prefered it to the first part.

Only this track we found wild blueberries and blackberries, so we stopped to pick an abundance of the first and look forward to the blackberries ripening more over the coming weeks. There was one fallen tree across this route but it was easy to go around. Soon you come to the reseau vert and more GR markers at a junction. Go right and then left under a barrier.

This path has lovely views to the north across the Somail forest, there are lots of beautiful wild flowers here and an abundance of wild raspberries. We picked these too and enjoyed a plentiful supply of muffins for our coming walks. The track now descends a little and you will see a grassy track to your left. Take this, a little uphill to some rocks and then it contours the hill until it reaches a track to your right.

Take this, it will descend and bear left until it reaches the main track. Turn right onto the main track and then right again into the picnic area. Enjoy it a super walk for a hot sunny day. It was a cool 17c with us when it was 30c in the valley below.

Blueberry Muffins and Raspberry muffins with cinnamon.

So many wonderful wild berries along my walk today;  Le Saut de Vezoles from the col de Cabaretou. When I got back I made blueberry muffins and raspberry and cinnamon muffins too! If you get up there to pick some, this is the simple recipe; 300g self-raising flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder   mixed together. Add 50g unsalted butter and rub together. Stir in 80g caster sugar and 150g fresh blueberries.

Then in a jug mix 225mls milk, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract beaten together. Combine all ingredients and spoon into prepared muffin cup or cases. Bake 200c for 20 minutes and leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from tin. Lovely hot or cold. The raspberry ones where the same but instead of vanilla use cinnamon. Lovely were well worth the walk even without the beautiful views.

Lac de Vezoles and the "sentier de legende du saut de Vezoles"

Lac de Vezoles and the "sentier de legende du saut de Vezoles". 11km,3H.30M.Yellow (some parts are also red/white) The walk of lake itself is very easy and of about 5.5km distance (around 2 hours)mostly flat walking. The second part has a downhill part with spectacular views and a gentle ascent through woodland on the return.

This part is around 4.5km distance and around 1H.30m. It was so hot in the valley today (around 38c) so we returned to the Espinouse and Somail mountains for our walk, where it was a pleasant  24c. Take the D169 to the main parking area for the lake in the woods, then walk towards the lake but turn off to the left as the road comes out into the open. Take this yellow marked trail down to the lake's edge (west side of the lake) and continue following the trail past a pleasant picnic area in beech woods and through pine woods.

There are plenty of places all around the lake to enjoy a paddle or let your dog have a dip. The trail goes through cut wooded which has recently been replanted but you still have the shade of trees on the lake's edge. There are meadow areas and boardwalks here too before you reach the forest road and a small stream going into the lake.

Turn right here and pass a group of stone buildings used by groups for outdoor stays. Before the next junction you will see a yellow marker to your right in the parking area for the buildings, take this and follow it through a beech lined small draille beside a meadow. On this section you will also see the red/white GR markers. You are now on the eastern side of the lake heading south.

The little draille rejoins the main track for a short while(turn right onto it) before turning off it to your right once more. You are now near to the lake once more. The route now leads up past a lovely cool picnic area under old beech trees and beside a small stream. On joining the main track once more bear right past three old stone buildings and keep to the track until you reach another turn to your right onto a meadow.

After this meadow area join the main path, turning right once more onto it through the woods.At a junction turn right and head down to the barrier. You are next to the lake here once more. The lake is still pretty low at the moment due to repairs to the barrier during the winter but it's still a lovely blue in the sunshine. Cross the dam/barrier and head uphill to the rocks where the road begins. At the rocks take the little path to your right if you want to do the second part of the walk or head back down the road to the cars if you don't.

The little path now goes along the edge of the mountain with superb views down to the valley below, the somail, Espinouse and the Pyrenees and the coast in the distance. After a couple of lovely rocky viewpoints it heads down through a wooded path and back up then bearing left it descends on heather slopes to a magnificent viewpoint.

From the viewpoint you can see and hear the wonderful waterfalls of the Saut de Vezoles, that tumble down the rocky mountain slopes to a lovely path that descends into the valley(well that walk is for another day). Now the path heads to a forest track where you will see yellow markers both turning left and right. Turn right and head up along this pleasant forest road past another old stone building until you come to a junction. The yellow route now leaves this track to your left and reaches the edges of a small pond before returning to this track.

If you do not wish to take this detour continue on the track past another building and soon you will reach a turn to your right on a small path just where the track widens out. The path directs you to the Saut de Vezoles through the woods, but it will bring you back to the parking area very soon. Once you see the parked cars to your left there will be a track to your left at the top of the slope leading down to them. This is a very lovely walk and apart for a few sections it offers a cool walk with lovely views. Enjoy.

Circuit of Cambon

Circuit of Cambon. 8.5km 2H 10m. Easy. partly marked. The walk starts in Cambon which can be reached by driving up from Olargues on the spectacular D14 to the col de Fontfriode and then down to Cambon on the D53. There is plenty of good parking in Cambon with lovely picnic areas and a beautiful river. The air was a cool and breezy 23c compared with 34c in the Jaur valley.

From the church in Cambon follow the D53 and the GR71 for 1km in the direction of Salergues. After a junction in the road (a small road to your left) you will see a small track/forest road on your right about 200m further. Take this track up hill through the beech woods. At the top you will come to a junction, where you join the GR7, turn left and then right at the next junction. Soon you will reach some spectacular views down to the Jaur valley and the sea beyond.

At the Roc de l'Escayrou, a great place for a picnic stop you will see the the Montahut, Olargues and the mountain valley and pass that you drove up through. The air is full of butterflies here and there are meadows of flowers and heather too. Keep walking now through more beach woods (still the GR7)and you will come to a junction with sign post and a water tank.

Here you can decide to keep on this track which will take you to the road and the river before returning to Cambon or turn right at the water tank and follow the GR7 down through pine woods and then onto the Chemin de Vent trail.

This is what we do. When you get to another junction go straight on, following the GR7 down to a lovely meadow/boggy area, which is crossed on a wide track. At a cross keep left down to another cross where you join the road back into Cambon which is to your right.

If you turn left as you enter the village you will find a lovely picnic area next to a delightful area beside the river for camper vans. You can either park here or next to the church beside the river. Enjoy.

Boucle de Montbringue, Brenas

Boucle de Montbringues .Easy. Blue markers. 5.5km 2H. A beautiful walk at Brenas today. This is a lovely cool walk in the woods above Brenas, it starts in the pretty village of Brenas where you will find a shady car park beside the church. 

Walk into the hamlet and turn right at a blue marker. The little concrete track goes straight uphill to the woods above. (Be careful to take the Valquieres walk and not the Les ruffes one that goes down to the valley below). Once in the woods follow the path past a house and then you will come to a junction where you turn right. 

A little while later at the second junction you take the lower path to your right. Continue to the top of the hill and cross a lovely field with open views down to the plains, coast and lac de Salagou. Now descend down through the woods but be very careful here as the path is made up of small stones that roll. (This is the place where I injured my ankle before!, beware!). 

The views down to the pretty village of Valquieres is lovely with the limestone cliff behind it. (If you have a dog with you go onto the junction a little further, there is a stream here where it can get a good drink). Now turn left at the junction and take a lovely track up under chestnut and walnut trees. At the top of the hill the track bears left and descends towards Brenas. 

Here you will find the start of some wonderful views down to the Malavielle ruins and les ruffes. At the bottom of the track the route joins the little road back into the village, take a left here and a left again at the village itself.

Foret des Ecrivains Combattants.

Foret des Ecrivains Combattants. A lovely walk through forests with 2 picnic areas. 5.5km. 2 H .Easy. The area contains memorials for French writers who have died in combat. 

Park in the large parking area and walk down to the cross (first picnic area). Follow the GR7 down to a second picnic area. This is a lovely wooded walk in chestnut and pine trees. The picnic area is cool and is also the start of a sports/fitness course. 

Now turn right and follow the path until it takes another right turn and then winds up on zig zags to gain a magnificent high point with lovely views of the Orb valley down to the coast and across to the Caroux. Here are views also of the gorge de Madale and the col behind it, with views to the north. Now continue until a junction taking the higher path up to the small road. 

There are more stone memorials here once again. Cross the road at a roundabout and continue up to another viewpoint, this time of the Monts de Orb. The views are stunning here and the air is cool and breezy. Keep on the GR7 once again which you will find on your right. 

This will take you back to the road near the car parking area. http://www.randodoc.com/?page_id=4116

The Three Spas, Lamalou-les-Bains

Lovely shady walk from Lamalou-les-Bains up into the hills and down to Le Poujol-sur-Orb. It was very hot but we found plenty of shade on this pretty walk.

This is an easy walk that goes up through the woods above Lamalou-les-Bains and contours the hillside through lovely forest before coming back down again at Poujol and along the piste vert. Very shady and great for walks with dogs in this hot weather. (there's a funny picture at the end). I will add the walk instructions from an earlier post.

The Three Spas. 7 km / 2 H . Mostly marked - blue and then red/white. Easy but the first part is uphill. A walk from Lamalou-les-Bains through the woods and up the hill with beautiful views of the Caroux before returning via le-Poujol-sur-Orb. The walk has lots of interest with a 12th century chapel, vineyards and 2 little towns to visit of have lunch in on the way if you want to. 

Park at the Voie vert parking beside the old station in Lamalou (above St Pierre-de-Rhedes). Start walking towards Poujols sur orb. On your left you will see the lovely old 12th century church of St Pierre de Rhedes, it's worth going and having a look at it before the walk. After 100m you will come to a small path on your right, marked blue. The little path climbs through woodland of chestnut and pine(Usclade) and then joins the GR7, red/white markers . Turn left here on this rock path. The path continues to climb with some views through the trees of Lamalou. You will then come to the intersection of the Three Spas. Turn right and then left as you pass the green water tank. Leave the GR and turn right almost straight away at the next junction.

The track descends slightly to reach a stream (Borie) and then it rises again. Ignore the small grassy track that descends to the left and continue up until you come to a crossroads where you take the path on your left (GR signs, red/white) again. This little path runs beside a little stone track but you can use either path.

 It goes downhill for about 1 km (ignore any smaller tracks on either side of the path) before joining a small concrete road that winds its way past pretty vineyards and newly restored chestnut terraces. ( you will pass a sweet little shrine and iron cross with a bench on the way) .The views of the Caroux and the Orb valley are lovely here. The little road comes out in the Poujol-sur-orb near its pretty church. (You can visit the little town if you wish and have lunch). Turn left at a small parking area and about 400m down the small road you will see some steps leading to the Voie vert, go down these (they are opposite the old Poujol station) and turn left. Walk to Lamalou les Bains now, which is about 1.5 km down the greenway. 



This is a lovely walk with lots of contrasts, it was a lovely little find and we really enjoyed the beautiful scenery and lovely history on the walk.

Mons to la Coste.

A lovely early morning walk from Mons to the Gorge d'Heric and across to la Coste. Then down to the piste vert and back up through the little path beside the river to the gorge carpark and on to Mons. 

Takes about an hour and is mostly under shady trees. There is also a cafe on the way. It's also possible to continue on the piste vert into Mons la trivalle where there are other cafes and bars(a super spot to relax with a coffee).

On a Sunday or Thursday morning you can visit the lovely local market in Mons la trivalle. 

It has some great stalls with fruit and veg, local wine, local honey, arts and crafts, plants, teas, pottery and more. The bread at the bakers is lovely too and he does some great pizzas and lunches.