Circular loop above Les Cabannes

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Circular route from Les Cabannes station. Beautiful views of the valley and varied surroundings.

Details

n°32722250
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.19 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 536 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 536 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 961 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 527 m
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Photos

Sheep
Verdun Church
Les Cabannes
View of the Hermitage

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the station, walk down the street towards the town hall square. Turn left, walk past a few shops, then turn left again until you cross the railway tracks and the Pont de Verdun bridge. Continue straight ahead, cross the bridge over the Ariège river and continue straight ahead for a few metres in the village of Verdun, ignoring the first sign indicating a path to the right.

(1) Take a small path that climbs to the right along the road (Chemin de Mounet). When it rejoins the road, cross it to take a path on the right and stay on it, ignoring thefirst path on the left further on.

(2) At the next intersection, turn left onto a track towards Col Darques. Stay on the path straight ahead, ignoring a track coming from the left.

(3) At Col Darques, go under the fence and turn right to reach the forest. From this point, there are signs: follow the sign for the hermitage, which points to a narrow, steep path. Reach the Hermitage of Saint-Pierre.

(4) Turn around and return to Col Darques.

(3). Go back under the fence and take the path that climbs to the right. Follow the yellow markings. There are several information boards about pastoralism.

(5) At the Cabane de Pierrol, stay on the path on the right that climbs up to a fork.

(6) Follow the sign for "Pas de Soulzan". The path is marked in yellow. The climb is a little steep over the last few metres and there is no shade.

(7) At Pas de Toulzan, there is a picnic table. Follow the signs for Verdun, not those for Senconac. The descent through the forest on the north side is cool and pleasant. The forest path leads to a track suitable for vehicles.

(8) Follow it to the left. Soon, a path branches off from the road, avoiding the need to walk on it (although it is not very busy). When you rejoin the road, you are at the entrance to the village of Verdun. Follow the road straight ahead to the town hall. Turn left and then, at the fork, keep to the right to return to the Pont de Verdun.

(1) Follow the outward route in reverse to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 535 m - Gare de Les Cabannes
  2. 1 : km 0.84 - alt. 537 m - Barry d'en Bas - Ariège (rivière)
  3. 2 : km 1.38 - alt. 580 m - Track towards the - Col Darques - 730m d'altitude
  4. 3 : km 2.12 - alt. 727 m - Col Darques - 730m d'altitude
  5. 4 : km 2.53 - alt. 834 m - Ermitage de Saint-Pierre - Altitude 841m
  6. 5 : km 3.37 - alt. 739 m - Pierrol Hut
  7. 6 : km 3.78 - alt. 761 m - Fork
  8. 7 : km 4.61 - alt. 951 m - Pas de Toulzan
  9. 8 : km 5.91 - alt. 750 m - Track to Verdun
  10. S/E : km 9.19 - alt. 535 m - Gare de Les Cabannes

Notes

This hike is largely inspired by this route, which it extends by 2 hours.

The section between points (5) and (7) is very dry and has clearly been affected by fires in the past. It is therefore advisable to be cautious. You may also encounter sheep on this section.

If you are coming by car, you can park at point (1), near the small bus shelter.

Despite the low altitude, there is always a possibility of snow, which would make the climb to the hermitage impassable without equipment. Check the conditions carefully before setting off.

The section between points (3) and (4) is the steepest and narrowest part. It is also very clayey, so in wet weather it can be very slippery.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 9 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
Lucie666
Lucie666

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

You can hear the noise from the main road for most of the walk, which is a shame...

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Fuxi
Fuxi

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

At the Darques Pass, the direction signs have been torn down. I saw several people take the wrong path to climb up to the Hermitage.
Very pleasant descent through the forest from Pas de Toulzan to the stream.
We encountered a flock of sheep at Pas de Toulzan.
Don't miss the beautiful Romanesque church of Verdun at Barry d'en Haut.
This hike is not recommended in hot weather due to the steep climb on a south-facing slope between 3 and 7.

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TO57207
TO57207

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk with two highlights: the Hermitage of St Pierre and the Pas de Toulzan with its shaded table and beautiful view of the valley, as well as the descent to the river through the beech forest: magnificent.
However, the climb to the Hermitage is quite tricky, if only to find it, and should be avoided in rainy weather or when the ground is wet: it must be slippery.
I would recommend crossing the ledge at the start of the season before the brambles have taken over the path!

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CMA31
CMA31

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice route. The only downside was that a small section was poorly cleared (nettles, brambles), which was a bit annoying...

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jess rando
jess rando
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike, but be careful at the Darques pass: the sign pointing towards the Pas de Toulzan is no longer there, so take the path on the left (the signpost remains) because if you go straight on, you will end up at the Hermitage of St Pierre. There are no particular difficulties, except for two slightly steep climbs, one to get to the Ermitage St Pierre and the other before arriving at the Pas de Toulzan.

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patou09
patou09

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Just follow the directions. We had a wonderful time, enjoying beautiful scenery through woods and across mountains. I highly recommend it.

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J_Jihem
J_Jihem

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Excellent hike, thank you. You do have to be careful on the descents, but when it hasn't rained, it's very good. Unfortunately, I didn't come across the flock of sheep.

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wonderno
wonderno

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful outing in the heights of Les Cabannes. I don't recommend it in rainy weather, as the descent from L'Ermitage can be slippery. Thank you to the volunteers who had the great idea of placing a picnic table at Pas de Toulzan, between tranquillity and views.
No particular difficulties, but pay close attention to your surroundings, as the signs are sometimes a little hidden from view at first glance, but they are definitely there.

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Dominique Gente
Dominique Gente

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Sunny hike, two good climbs at points 3-4 and 6-7, otherwise nothing difficult (be careful in wet weather as these climbs can be very slippery).
Picnic possible at point 7 (after the effort comes the reward) pleasant viewpoint
Be careful at point 1, as the small path that climbs to the right is not very visible (the yellow mark on the post does not indicate that you have to turn right).

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