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Park in the square in front of the town hall in Espanès.
User note: parking is prohibited in front of and behind the town hall square; use the tennis court car park, continuing a little further along Rue du Soulailla.
(S/E) Leaving the town hall square where Saint-Martin Church is located, walk along the cemetery wall, then take the path lined with a hedge on the left. After a few hundred metres, turn right in front of the large oak tree. Follow the edge of the woods (view of the rear of Espanès Castle) and enter them to continue along the path that descends to the bottom of the valley. At the edge of the woods, turn left and follow the path, then climb up to the right between two fields towards the house.
(1) At the tarmac road, turn right (view of the Urtaut dairy farm in the valley opposite). At the dangerous crossroads with poor visibility, continue straight ahead along Chemin de Montan (view on the left of the village of Montbrun-Lauragais: church and mill, panoramic view on the right of the Pyrenees in good weather). Then begin a descent and continue along a grassy path. Follow it to the intersection.
(2) Turn right and follow the stream. Cross it, then turn right onto a shaded path halfway up the embankment. Climb it to reach a tarmac road. Follow it to the road. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. Walk past the Barèges dovecote and its barn (panoramic view of the Pyrenees on the left).
(3) At the crossroads, turn left towards Venerque on the D 74 road. Just after the hill, turn right onto the dirt track. At the entrance to the barn, immediately turn right onto the grassy path that runs alongside the field to the woods (view of the village of Espanès).
(4) Enter the woods and continue to the stream, which you must cross. The path climbs and leads to a field. Go around it on the right, following the edge of the woods, then quickly enter the hedge to follow a path through the undergrowth. After 250 m, climb up to the right along the grassy path. Pass the farm and continue straight on towards Espanès.
At the road, turn right to reach the car park at Espanès Town Hall (S/E).
A very pleasant hike, with beautiful autumn colours and good weather, but unfortunately the Pyrenees were very hazy.
Visorando member
Easy 
