Thuir d'Evol circular via La Mouline and Llobadibes

From Perpignan, take the RN116 (dual carriageway) towards Andorra until you reach Olette. Drive through the village and, before the exit, turn right onto the D4 towards Évol (be careful not to miss this junction). At the first bend in the road, continue on the D4a, which takes you through Évol to the hamlet of Thuir d'Évol. There are a few parking spaces at the entrance to the hamlet.

White and yellow markings

(S/E) With your back to the car park, climb the road that crosses the hamlet, following the Ribera d'Évol (which you will follow to the Refuge de la Mouline). Pass a wash house to reach an intersection of a path and a track. The good quality path to follow is permanently marked in white/yellow.

(1) Ignore the wooden bridge over the stream: sign indicating the Refuge de la Mouline via the Camì Ramader. Continue along the left bank of the stream. The climb is fairly steady and runs above the stream, sometimes overlooking it by several metres. Arrive at Pont de la Llosa (altitude 951).

(2) Cross and continue along the right bank to Pont de Font Llebeja.

(3) Cross back over to the left bank. The path crosses old slate quarries where the slates still visible on some of the ruins encountered during the hike were extracted. Continue to Pont de les Agulles (elevation 1194).

(4) Cross the bridge and continue along the right bank of the Ribera d'Évol, which you have been following since the start. Pass through the ruins of Cortal d'en Broc (sheepfold), then cross the clearing to climb into the forest due north. As you climb, the landscape changes with the altitude. You will arrive at a flatter grassy area.

(5) Cross the stream for the last time on a beautiful wooden footbridge. The trail approaches an overhanging track, but it is not necessary to climb up to it. The trail leads to a refuge in poor condition, the Refuge de la Mouline. It is a nice place to have a snack, as the rest of the route is more arid.

No markings

(6) Continue a little beyond the refuge and descend towards the stream, crossing it to take a path that starts on the other side. The steady climb takes place in the undergrowth.

(7) At the intersection of paths, continue straight ahead. The route, like a balcony, crosses a pine forest, whose often dry trees seem to be suffering from the recurring drought of recent years. The rest of the route, at the edge of the forest, is in an arid area dotted with low broom. Follow the GPS track carefully.

(8) Cross a stream (Comall del Peiró - elevation 1684) and turn sharply left towards the south-south-east, returning to a pine forest and then an arid, open area. Numerous animal tracks make it difficult to follow the path, so it is best to follow the GPS track as closely as possible, heading roughly south. Pass by large ruined sheepfolds, which can serve as landmarks, as the view is very clear. As the area is not very busy, we were lucky enough to spot two izards shortly before Pla Diagre. Reach the Bergerie de Llobadibes, which is in ruins, but you can admire the ingenuity of our ancestors who knew how to use nature by taking advantage of the existing rocks to build this type of building.

(9) From here, the path is marked at intervals with cairns, which makes the descent easier. Always follow the GPS track carefully to find the path, which zigzags a little in areas where several paths can cause confusion. Do not descend the uphill track visible below the path, but continue to the end of this path to reach a stony track that descends.

(10) Turn left onto this gravel track and, after a right-hand bend, take the marked trail that follows on the left.

White and yellow markings

(11) Go through a metal gate and, immediately afterwards, continue along a marked path that descends steeply to the hamlet of Pla de Thuir. Cross the hamlet and continue north-east on a track that leads to a wooden footbridge over the Evol stream. Cross the bridge to return to the intersection you passed on the way out.

(1) Turn right to descend into the hamlet of Thuir d'Evol, where you will find the car park (S/E).

There is a water source at the wash house at the start of the route, but it is marked as not drinkable.