Circular route along the right bank of the Cledou above Graissessac

Car park at the Graissessac Mining Museum.

(S/E) Leave the car park, walk past the museum, cross the bridge over the Clédou and look out for the Blue-signposted route opposite, which climbs between the houses of the old Castan district. Follow the Blue arrow under a porch and then up some steps leading to the restored old bread oven.

(1) Continue climbing up the street above the oven, which becomes a paved slanting street after the last houses. It leads to a small wooden gate marking the path, then to a Fork in the road a few hundred metres further on.

(2) Take the path climbing to the right, then, a few hundred metres further on, turn right again. The path emerges from the undergrowth between the fences of the first properties in Le Buis. Continue to the track suitable for vehicles.

(3) Turn right onto it, cross the hamlet and reach a three-way junction. Turn right at the HCBM sign (coalfield estate, restricted access). Follow this track until the first sharp bend to the right.

(4) Leave the track and continue along the path opposite, which runs alongside the spoil heaps before crossing a track; follow this straight on until the bend. Opposite, a cleared area allows you to step forward and admire the magnificent panorama across the entire left bank of the valley. Then return to the descending track.

(5) Cross it and take the path opposite. This leads to the edge of a small, elongated pond between the spoil heaps and runs along its very edge before climbing back up. Take the path on the right twice in succession, and you will soon reach the restored Saint-Laurent Chapel on the right. Continue for another 500 m along this track, which climbs before reaching a plateau.

(6) Look out for a more or less visible grassy path that branches off to the left in front of a broken wooden sign. Follow this path, which overlooks the spoil heaps and eventually leads to a new signpost marked ‘Chapelle’. Head down the path to the left of the sign, cross a scree slope made of mine spoil and arrive at a series of log steps which lead onto a well-marked path with a view over the valley. Pass in front of the “Sécadou”, a mazet restored in 2014, and arrive at the entrance to the village of Les Nières.

(7) At the entrance, a small track branches off to the right; this will be our starting point after exploring the village. Head straight down past the church, turn left between the houses to reach the lower street and follow it to the right. Continue to the second junction, take a sharp right-hand bend to climb the upper street, which runs parallel to the lower street, and return to the village entrance.

(7) Take the track on the left, keep right at the three-way junction and continue to a major junction: a curious decorated sign.

(8) Turn right towards an open area. Pass a picnic table and continue straight on.

(9) At the next bend, leave the track and take a faint path on the left, which you follow north-eastwards, trying to stay at the bottom of the valley between the scree of the spoil heaps from the old Pradinas mine. The path becomes a track and leads onto a proper, motorable track at the corner of a large rock.

(10) Take in the view and follow the track down to the left, which joins a road that you follow to the right for almost 1 km.

(11) At the start of a sharp left-hand bend, take the track branching off to the right and continue for a few dozen metres. Turn left onto a shaded path that descends to the path running perpendicular to the Crébassa bridge. Head right to see the orientation table.

(12) Retrace your steps and continue to the road. Head up the road to the left as far as the Pommier mine (signpost).

(13) Head down to the right, crossing the arboretum to the bottom, then take the path on the left leading to the Simon Mine. Visit it by heading straight ahead and exit on the other side to rejoin the road. Follow the road down to the right for a few hundred metres and join the Blue Trail.

(14) Head down to the left of the road to the Ruisseau du Clédou at the bottom of the valley. Turn right onto Chemin du Papin, pass the school, then cross the Clédou. Go through the small tunnel under Avenue Jean Jaurès and return to the Mining Museum car park (S/E).

This path is not signposted, apart from a few handwritten directional signs. A GPS will be very useful for following the numerous changes in direction.
The route presents no technical difficulties: crossing the slag heap halfway up the slope between (5) and (6) may be a problem if you suffer from vertigo.

Les Nières: after the hairpin bend on the Montée de la Lampisterie, a narrow path on the left leads to the track marked at (7) at the entrance to the village. However, this shortcut runs alongside a house with a vicious dog that shakes the flimsy fence with its blows, so we advise avoiding this route and following the main path until the occupants have built a more solid barrier.

(1) Bread oven and old quarter of Castan.

Between (3) and (5): plenty of opportunities to find beautiful pieces of shiny coal amidst the waste rock along the lake.

Between (4) and (5): superb views over Graissessac, the left bank and the outcrop with its exposed coal seams.

(10) More views of the valley.

(13) The Arboretum and, above all, the buildings of the Simon mine are well worth a leisurely visit whilst reading the numerous, very comprehensive information panels.

At the end of the route, along the Chemin de Papin, you can take a few detours to the left to see the school and the Town Hall, which date from the town’s heyday.

(S/E) The Mining Museum is only open in summer and may be open on request, but there is no telephone number displayed. The association’s website allows you to download the Blue and Red trails that inspired us. Thanks also to the hiker noelrando for his “Les Boucles d’Estrechoux” walk.