Argut Circular Loop

Thank you for your comment.
The building you’re referring to is surely the school. I think you can still make out the writing on the pediment, can’t you?

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Date of your route : Feb 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The temperature was 20°C in the shade at the start of the walk in Fos at the very beginning of February (but no, there’s no such thing as global warming...).
The cliff-top path between Fos and Argut-Dessous is very beautiful, but it’s true that every vehicle travelling on the road below (heading towards Spain) leaves a noise trail that lingers far too long.
I enjoyed finding my way along the path between 3 and 4 – it wasn’t too difficult, and it gives your sense of the terrain a (slight) workout.
Just before the first house in Argut-Dessus (a more interesting village than Argut-Dessous), there were some car wrecks that anyone under 60 probably wouldn’t recognise (a Renault 4 CV, a Renault Dauphine, and one I couldn’t identify…). A strange, large building on the right: a manor house or a former school???

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Date of your route : Oct 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

At the start of the route, the path is very pleasant to look at, but you can hear the noise from the road. Then you’re exposed to mobile phone signal as you go round the large mobile phone mast, which isn’t exactly ideal, and finally, between points 3 and 4, there’s a dangerous section: it’s more like rock climbing than a walk.
In short, I wouldn’t recommend this route (I regularly use the routes suggested on Visorando… this is the first time I’ve been disappointed).

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Date of your route : Jul 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello,

As mentioned in previous comments, the route is no longer passable between points 3 and 4.
It is very difficult to find your way through the vegetation, and the path is even dangerous in places (running along the side of rocks).

Furthermore, the car park is particularly difficult to reach: a very narrow village road stretching for over 500 metres.

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Date of your route : Mar 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello everyone;
We went on a hike in fine weather; it was very pleasant up to point 3, but then it was like a ‘jungle’ all the way to point 4.You can make your way round the right-hand side (along the ridge) as far as the ‘crevasse’; then you need to head off to the left, cutting across and going round the two hillocks, where you’ll find an old path that takes you to point 4 via an old car wreck. After that, the walk becomes more conventional. A visit to Argut-Dessus, a charming village with lovely views over the peaks of the Val d’Aran and the Luchonnais. Then a trouble-free return journey as described. As for the distance, I’d put it at 9 km.

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Date of your route : Jun 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
this route description does not appear to be up to date (only part of it, points 3 to 4).
After the climb up to Argut-dessous, the description suggests taking a path on the right to reach the mast.
This path is blocked off and impassable; this section has not been maintained for several years.
It is possible to reach Argut-dessus by crossing the village via the circular loop.
Otherwise, the walk is pleasant and accessible to all; it therefore becomes a return walk rather than a circular one.

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Date of your route : Jul 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

As geidik wiot mentions below, the stretch between 3 and 4 is very strongly discouraged: there are no paths or landmarks; it took us over an hour to cover the distance between these two points, stuck amongst broom and ferns that towered above our heads, with a few moments of anxiety. The end result: we came back with about fifteen ticks all over our bodies. On the plus side, we came across several does (hence the ticks). This just goes to show how important it is to have a tick remover when you’re out hiking...

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Date of your route : Feb 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A really lovely walk… Apart from the mast, which is a real shame…
The scenery is varied: woodland, meadows, villages, scrubby ridges… and the fact that it’s circular makes it quite pleasant.
It’s not physically demanding as there’s not much elevation gain and no major climbs… but plenty of little ones… and descents!
We did it with two children aged 9 and 12 who were quite grumpy and not very fit, but it went very well… though it did take us about 4½ hours (including a lunch break of about 30 minutes). Mind you, we took it at a leisurely pace, stopping to look at the creatures…
Lovely view over the valley!
We’ll definitely do it again in the autumn or in the summer.

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Good evening
It’s entirely reasonable to point out that this section warrants special attention. That’s why I mentioned the issue in the walk description – which, incidentally, is an easy and enjoyable walk. We do it frequently all year round.
Thank you for your help.
Yosemma

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Good evening,
I felt it was important to warn potential walkers about the difficulty of finding your way without getting lost on an unmarked path with a very subjective and haphazard route. It was a local farmer I met on the way down who told me that this area was no longer maintained and should be avoided. I believe it is my duty to inform Visorando of the difficulties encountered on walks suggested by the site, so that the routes on offer remain safe.
Kind regards.
Geïdik Wiot

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Hello,

The path is no longer maintained; you get lost in the broom, which is 1 metre 50 high

For your information, the maintenance of paths and signposting is the responsibility neither of the author nor of Visorando. The ‘Route on map’ feature is not intended to assess the quality of path maintenance, but rather to check that the route shown on the map matches the actual terrain.

See you soon

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Date of your route : Feb 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

Hello,
Between 3 and 4, the route is not recommended. The path is no longer maintained, you’ll get lost in the broom, which is 1.5 metres high, with no visibility of any possible path; there’s a gap between the first two peaks where you risk getting stuck in an impenetrable thicket if you don’t head far enough east, or you’ll find yourself at the edge of a ravine, scrambling up the slope on unstable ground. Dangerous!!! And, above all, in summer, ticks are a real hazard in the gorse and ferns.

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