Lussan loop at the Portail des Concluses

Start at the car park below the village of Lussan.

(S/E) Take the access road to the car park and, at the crossroads, turn left onto Chemin du Mas Valadier, towards the cemetery, and follow the yellow signs. Continue straight ahead on this road until after the car park, where a path branches off to the left.

(1) Take this path and follow it until you reach a crossroads, then take the path opposite.

(2) When you reach the signpost, turn right and then left towards Prade. When you reach the tarmac road leading to Valcrose, do not enter the village of Prade, but take the road on the left.

(3) Just before the bridge over the Aiguillon, turn right onto Chemin du Moulin. Just before you reach the mill, take the path on the right for a few dozen metres and, at^{the first} crossroads, turn left, still following the yellow signs. Continue to follow the yellow signs until you reach the start of the Concluses discovery trail.

(4) Follow the discovery trail towards the Portail des Concluses. There are several great viewpoints over the Concluses. When you reach the Portail, cross the Concluses. If there is water, cross using a small wooden bridge and continue on the other side.

(5) On the other bank, follow the trail, which runs alongside the river for a while and then quickly climbs higher, offering more beautiful views of the countryside and the Aiguillon, if it is in water. The climb is a bit strenuous but not very long.

(6) At the end of the steep climb, there is a warning sign because the path is narrow and runs close to the edge. It's nothing serious, but be careful. The path then winds through the woods until it reaches the Combe de Queue de Bœuf crossroads.

(7) Take the path on the left at the junction and continue following the yellow markings.

(8) At the junction with the signpost "Plan de Bœuf", take the DFCI track on the right and follow it until you reach a path on the left.

(9) Take this path, which simply cuts across the bend, passes through the undergrowth and joins the DFCI track a little further on. Continue along the track until you reach the end, at the hamlet of Valcrose.

(10) Then turn left onto Chemin de la Tuilerie, which leads to the D787 road, and turn right. Follow this quiet road until you reach the hamlet of Malataverne.

(11) Cross it and take Impasse Le Valat opposite, passing under the D979. Continue to follow the yellow markings. At a crossroads, continue straight ahead for 250 m.

(12) At the fork, take the left-hand path, still marked in yellow. Cross the D187 and continue straight ahead.

(13) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead towards Vendras on Chemin les Teyssières. Cross the D37, then enter Vendras via Chemin du Moulin à Vent.

(14) In the hamlet of Vendras, take the road (Route de Rossière) on the left after a large building. There is a signpost and yellow markings. Continue on this track to the hamlet of Rossière, then pass a riding centre.

(15) 270 metres after the riding centre, leave the road at a left-hand bend and follow a path that continues straight ahead. A little further on, there is a ford to cross.

(16) After crossing the stream, take the second path on the left and follow the yellow markings.

(17) Turn left at the crossroads at Mazet de Toulouse. A few hundred metres further on, join a perpendicular path, turn right, then immediately left. Continue to follow the yellow markings at the fork.

(18) Take the middle path, not the one on the left or the one that turns sharply to the right. It joins the left path a little further on. Cross the stream and you will arrive at Chemin du Stade. Continue straight ahead until you reach the D979, or Route de Barjac.

(19) Take the D979 on the right, cross the bridge and, just after, take the path that climbs up on the left. Pass behind a bus shelter and climb up to the village, joining the road that leads to the car park. Visit the village, which is very nice and has some interesting views. Then return to the car park (S/E).

There are many hikes available here around the Concluses, but I was disappointed that there were very few hikes longer than 20 km. So I decided to create my own by combining sections of other hikes and extending them with the help of IGN maps. When I find them interesting, I share them here. If they can help or interest other people, so much the better.

Apart from the tricky section (6) after crossing Les Concluses on the way up, this hike is not difficult, except for its length.

But make sure you take water with you, as there is none along the route.

And avoid doing it in very hot weather, as there is little shade and there may not be any water in the Concluses or the numerous streams along the route.

(S/E) The village of Lussan

(4) Les Concluses