Circular Hermaux near the roof of the Aubrac

Starting from the Col de Bonnecombe, the route follows a circular route consisting of a short stretch of road and many paths, passing through the charming village of Les Hermaux.

Details

3393394
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.05 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 345 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 339 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,348 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,015 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the Col de Bonnecombe, where there is no problem finding a space as it is the car park for a Nordic ski resort.

The path is called Lou Saltou and is marked in yellow.

(S/E) Head south-west towards Les Hermaux. At the intersection with the stele, keep left.

(1) At the next intersection, continue straight ahead and pass at the foot of Truc de la Garde. Continue along the edge of the woods and then between the summer pastures. Pass by a large cross and continue slightly downhill to reach a crossroads at the edge of the Puech de la Fagio woods.

(2) Turn left onto the forest path. Walk along the edge of the forest before entering it and coming to a crossroads.

(3) Turn right and cross the forest. Continue along the edge, heading south then south-east.

(4) Leave the edge of the woods and turn right, descending towards Les Hermaux.

(5) Reach the D56 and follow it to the right. Enter the village of Les Hermaux. At the end of a right-hand bend, climb a staircase. At the top, continue along a narrow street. At the end, turn right and head towards the church.

(6) Then turn left and immediately right. At the T-junction, go left. Cross Rue du Bon Secours and reach a crossroads.

(7) Then turn right (west). At the crossroads at Mas Nouvel (cross), turn right. Continue to another intersection (recent cross).

(8) Turn right. At the fork, turn right and climb between the mountain pastures.

(9) At the intersection, turn left towards the forest. You will reach a crossroads at the edge of the forest at the foot of Puech Anis (cross).

(10) Ignore thefirst path on the right, continue for about 20 metres and, at the fork, bear right (north-north-west). Cross the forest heading north and ignore the paths branching off to the sides. At a fork, bear left and you will reach a tarmac road.

(11) Turn right onto it and walk along the forest on your right.

(12) Shortly before a crossroads, take a path on the left. Head north-west through the pastures and then through a forest.

(13) At a crossroads, go straight ahead. Go around the Truc del Biaou on the left and ignore all the paths on the right. Then follow the Ruisseau du Doulou stream on your left and keep heading north.

(14) At the end, turn right onto a wide path and move away from the stream. Stay on the wide path and ignore any paths branching off to the left.

(1) At an intersection you took on the way there, turn left. Continue straight ahead to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,341 m - Col de Bonnecombe
  2. 1 : km 0.5 - alt. 1,339 m - Intersection at the foot of - Truc de la Garde
  3. 2 : km 3.25 - alt. 1,222 m - Forest road
  4. 3 : km 4.11 - alt. 1,202 m - Crossroads
  5. 4 : km 5.36 - alt. 1,121 m - Intersection
  6. 5 : km 6.06 - alt. 1,034 m - Route D56
  7. 6 : km 6.49 - alt. 1,037 m - Église Sainte-Madeleine (Les Hermaux)
  8. 7 : km 6.63 - alt. 1,024 m - Crossroads at the exit of Les Hermaux
  9. 8 : km 7.21 - alt. 1,036 m - Intersection - Recent cross
  10. 9 : km 7.81 - alt. 1,106 m - Intersection
  11. 10 : km 8.13 - alt. 1,129 m - Crossroads at the foot of - Puech Anis
  12. 11 : km 9.28 - alt. 1,127 m - Route du Brouillet
  13. 12 : km 9.82 - alt. 1,181 m - Start of the trail
  14. 13 : km 11.54 - alt. 1,232 m - Crossroads
  15. 14 : km 13.29 - alt. 1,253 m - T-junction
  16. S/E : km 15.05 - alt. 1,341 m - Col de Bonnecombe

Notes

You will need sturdy footwear, as the path is dotted with numerous puddles and pools. Walking sticks are a plus for getting through these minor difficulties without any problems.
Bring warm clothing, as it can be cold on the Aubrac, even in summer.

Worth a visit

The route is marked by large, distinctive wooden crosses.

Between (S/E) and , there is a Resistance memorial in honour of the German Communist resistance fighters of the Maquis de Bonnecombe.

After , a scree slope of volcanic origin.

The village of Les Hermaux is worth a visit, with its church, wash house and street names written in slate.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
FloFon
FloFon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Splendid! We set off for the Highlands and end up in the pine forest. Magnificent views as we start at an altitude of 1,300 metres. No difficulty whatsoever.

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christophe c64
christophe c64

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the sunshine. A pleasant stroll through the woods, ending at the Lou Saltou waterfall via the well-marked snowshoe route. It's a bit longer, but a great walk.

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Nadège12
Nadège12

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, but we couldn't see the scenery because it was 3°C and foggy!
We really enjoyed the forest sections.

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jpboes38
jpboes38

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike through the summer pastures with their cows and the forest, where we were able to enjoy some delicious blackberries.
No problem following the route with the map and the Visorando app on a phone.
Some found the return trip a little difficult, as most of the elevation gain is towards the end.

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Passant7548
Passant7548

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

Circular in the direction of Les Hermaux, Col de Bonnecombe and back via the waterfall
Markings very sporadic on the return leg, and vegetation obscures the paths. Could not find the waterfall; a sign indicates 1.5 km at an unlikely location.
A short, free return trip to the Buron de Lou
Galabert in the heatwave
With the IGN map, we were able to find the path, but there were no more tracks or they were hidden under moss
Met two hikers twice, going in the other direction, same difficulties.

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benkm
benkm

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, easy hike on good paths, lots of forest, very pleasant.
At point 14, we recommend not turning right straight back towards the starting point, but instead following the signs to the left, which take you past the picturesque little waterfall "Lou Saltou".
This makes the route a little longer, but it's worth it, even though there wasn't much water when we went.
Thank you for this route.

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Plum
Plum

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, easy hike. The typical landscapes of Aubrac are very much in evidence, and the small waterfall at the very end of the circular route is well worth the (very) short detour.

No trees blocking the path to report in mid-August 2021, on the contrary, rather beautiful trails that are very easy to walk on.

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joselory
joselory

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful route, but it's a shame that the path between points 10 and 13 is littered with uprooted trees that you have to walk around or climb over. It's a shame that the volcanic origin of the site isn't mentioned, but otherwise I had a pleasant day exploring it with a view to bringing a group here for a day trip.

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viricel jacques
viricel jacques

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Our departure (and arrival) point was at Le Brouillet, so we went from point 11 to point 1, and so on. We took the waterfall detour, which I think is a must. The scenery is magnificent, with varied nature and great tranquillity. It was a wonderful day for our group of seven. Thank you for this suggestion.

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françois legendre
françois legendre

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike, adding to it north of the passage at Lou Saltou waterfall and the granite slab a little further down in the woods, and starting from Les Hermeaux so that we could do the climb in the cool of the morning.In 3, west of Puech de la Fagio, the volcanic scree slopes are a geological curiosity that should also be mentioned in the guidebook.

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