Mont Tauch Circular Route

From Narbonne, take the D 6113 to Montredon-des-Corbières. At the roundabout, take the D613 to the left, towards Bizanet, Fontfroide Abbey and Saint-André-de-Roquelongue. Continue along this departmental road, passing Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse and continuing left as you leave the village, still on the D 613. Pass through the village of Talairan to reach Félines-Termenès. On leaving the village, turn left onto the D139 to Davejean, where you should take the D 410 on the left, which leads to Maisons. Drive through the village towards the east and park in a small car park at the junction with the D123 towards Padern. The walk starts a little further down on the left, towards “le lac” (GR® 36-GR® 36A link).

(S/E) From the car park, walk down the D123 for a few metres and take the track that descends to the left towards the heath and the lake. Ignore the track that climbs to the left (GR®), which you will take for the return journey. Continue along this stony track almost to the lake. Cross the lake’s spillway.

(1) Before reaching the lake, turn onto the track on the right which climbs quite steeply and continue along this main track, ignoring all the side tracks it leads to.

(2) At the 358m mark, continue straight ahead, ignoring the two tracks on the right, then the path on the right and then the one on the left.

(3) At the bend in the track, on the left, take the path opposite (cairn) which leads to the junction with the GR®36A (elevation 604).

White-red markings

(4) At the junction, continue straight on following the GR® which leads up to the plateau. The climb is fairly steady, although the occasional short steep section breaks up the monotony. You begin to enjoy beautiful views of the Pyrenees (heavily snow-covered this year) and the Corbières hills stretching out below. The village of Maisons can sometimes be glimpsed through gaps in the woods, in the distance. You arrive on the plateau, which is half stony, half grassy at this time of year. It is carpeted with yellow flowers and a few orchids. We continue on our way to the track, following the cairns and the GR® markings. There are many wind turbines strategically placed to catch the wind, which must blow very often in this spot (though not today).

(5) Turn right and continue along the track heading south to a tower covered in antennas to take in the view, from the sea to the Pyrenees.

(6) Turn around and head back to the point (5).

No signposting

(5) From there, turn right at a 90° angle to join a parallel stony track, turn left for a few metres and then turn right across the stony ground to join another track. Cross this track and continue along a faint path where you may find some blue or red paint markings (sometimes barely visible). Follow the Visorando GPX track closely. From this point onwards, the going is not easy and the terrain changes completely compared to the path taken to reach the plateau. The descent on this slope is quite rugged and features tricky sections through scree where slips follow skids! Markings with blue paint circles here and there initially let you know you’re on the right path. After the change of slope, the blue markings become much more frequent. A fine adventure nonetheless.

(7) Upon reaching a wide stony track, turn right to visit a building lost in the middle of nowhere: the partly roofless Notre-Dame de Faste church. After this rather difficult descent, a picnic table and benches in very good condition are available and welcome for a bite to eat. Then, head back a few metres to rejoin the track and turn right. The track leads to the hamlet of Chauvette, heading north-north-west, where you are greeted by a pack of dogs (fortunately kept behind a fence).

(8) At the house, at the end of the track, continue along the correct path which branches off to the left and climbs gradually through the undergrowth.

(9) Cross the Col de la Garde.

White-red markings

(10) Intersection with the GR® 36A (elevation 528m), which you left behind during the earlier climb to the Mont Tauch plateau. From this point, the path becomes a track and then a stony path, descending to the tarmac D39 road at the Col de Ferréol (elevation 432m). Turn left onto the road for a few metres and then turn right onto a path that descends in the opposite direction. It runs parallel to the road and further on joins the D123, which you have just left. Take a left-right turn as you cross the bridge over the Ruisseau de Gournet. The grassy track passes in front of a pretty little stone house.

(11) Just after the house, cross the bridge over the Ruisseau de Gournet and continue along the track, which climbs gently and leads back to the starting point, at the junction with the track taken at the start of the walk, near the heath. End of the circular route; head right, following the route in the opposite direction to the outward journey, until you reach (S/E).

This hike takes place in one of the Corbières massifs, offering beautiful views of the surrounding area. Whilst the first section (the ascent to the Mont Tauch plateau) poses no problems, the descent on the opposite slope presents some difficulties, both in terms of following the path (which is often poorly marked) and navigating terrain where sure-footedness is essential for the descent, which is often tricky. Do not underestimate these sections and, if you encounter difficulties, do not hesitate to turn back. However, this offers a wonderful adventure to discover this area, which is rarely visited by hikers who tend to follow the GR® instead. Enjoy your exploration!