Country:
District:
From Béziers, take the D909 towards Bédarieux to Hérépian, turn off onto the D908, turn right and enter Lamalou-les-Bains. Take the D180 towards Rosis, pass the Col de Madale and at the hamlet of Cabaret, continue on the D180E5 towards Douch. Parking is compulsory in the car park on the left at the entrance to the village, which is closed to cars.
Yellow markings
(S/E) From the car park, head east on the track (closed by a barrier) that leads up to the Caroux plateau. The snow cover at this time of year means you can set off from the car with your snowshoes on. The gentle, steady climb offers far-reaching views of the snow-covered northern part of the massif.
(1) Turn left (elevation 1060) to climb towards the Tour du Caroux (tall square stone building, elevation 1091).
(2) Continue to the right to reach a track.
(3) Turn right and, further on, continue on the right, ignoring the GR®7 marked trails on the left. This route allows you to continue on almost flat ground, returning towards the point (1) without actually reaching it.
No markings
(4) Turn left and follow the track westwards (elevation 1060) then southwards, passing to the right of a stone building. Continue southwards at the intersection of the following tracks to pass Plo de l'Aygue and reach another intersection of tracks (elevation 1063).
White and red markings
(5) Ignore the track on the right that leads to the refuge, which you will pass later, and turn left towards the south onto the wide path that passes through the undergrowth to the viewpoint where there is an orientation table.
(6) After enjoying this extraordinary view of the hills, the plain and the Mediterranean to the south, turn left and follow the GR®7 trail heading north-west to the Font Salesse refuge (altitude 1,045 m).
(7) Continue north on the GR®7, going around the refuge on the left. Walk through a beech forest and cross a small stream on a wooden footbridge. Leaving the forest, the trail winds through heath and arrives at a track junction.
No markings
(8) Take the track on the left, heading roughly west for about 300 metres.
(9) At the cairn on the right-hand side of the track, leave it and turn right towards a small group of beech trees, following the path (which is not visible due to the snow but can be followed using the Visorando trail). After this grove, descend northwards towards the wooden pylons and the Col de l'Airole visible below (sign). The slope is a little steeper than on the previous sections of the route, but snowshoes make it easy to descend.
Yellow-red and white-red markings
(10) At the Col de l'Airole (elevation 946), turn right and follow a track that leads to the hamlet of Douch, then take the tarmac road on the right to reach the car park (S/E).
