Circular between Claret and Corconne via the Taillade ridges

This hike takes you from Claret to Corconne via the plain, then back along the ridges with beautiful views of the surrounding area. From the Notre-Dame du Château chapel, there is a beautiful view of the Corconne vineyards and, on a clear day, the ponds and, further away, the sea.

Details

n°89075925
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.32 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,499 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,493 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,371 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 469 ft

Description of the walk

Park in the cemetery car park.

(S/E) Opposite the car park, turn right and join Avenue de Montpellier.

(1) Turn left towards the village centre, pass Place de l'Hermet, where the town hall and post office are located, and continue alongAvenue des Embruscalles.

(2) At the park, turn right onto Rue de l'Aire, pass the church on your right, then turn right onto Rue du Cagarel.

(3) Leave Chemin des Capellières on your left and continue straight ahead on Rue des Airs. At the end of the street, continue along a path, cross the Ruisseau de la Pignade stream and join a wide track.

(4) Continue on the right.

(5) Turn left at the three-way junction and continue for about 200 metres. Then turn right onto a path.

(6) Further on, go through a gate, cross the track and continue straight ahead. Go through another gate and arrive in Corconne at Place du Rousquilllou.

(7) Take Rue de l'Église on the left, pass the church on your left and cross the small square. Continue to a three-way junction.

(8) Take the street on the left, which leads to Rue Fabre, and follow it to the left, passing the car parks and children's playground.

(9) At the end of the street, take Chemin de Barbe d'Or on the left, turn right onto Chemin des Charbonniers and continue straight ahead to Pont du Hasard. Cross the bridge: although the area has been equipped, the crossing is tricky in wet weather and caution is advised. You will arrive at a large cairn.

(10) Take the path on the left towards the Notre-Dame du Château chapel.

(11) Continue straight ahead to reach the building: beautiful view of the village of Corconne.

(12) Return to the fork.

(11) Turn left, rejoin the path you left after the Pont du Hasard bridge and continue to the left. When you reach a crossroads, turn left to arrive at the Col des Trois Chênes pass.

(13) Continue straight ahead (west) following the yellow PR® markings. Continue climbing, pass a vineyard and walk along the balcony path. At the Caladas fork, descend to the left for about 80 metres.

(14) Climb to the right, climbing two hills on the Crête de Tout Auras ridge: view to the right over Montagne Saint-Jean and the Aigoual massif, to the left over Claret and Pic Saint-Loup. Continue along the Taillade ridge (on the right, a drystone shelter and shepherd's tower), among holm oaks and white oaks, to reach the crossroads with a wide track.

(15) Continue straight ahead along the ridge. Walk for about 350 m, then take a path on the left. Note an underground cistern before reaching a fork in the path.

(16) Turn left, leaving the yellow markings behind. You will reach another intersection.

(17) Head left onto a narrow path that descends steeply into a chimney after about 100 metres. After descending this chimney, take a path on the right and follow a wall that shelters a climbing site.

(18) Turn left onto a path that descends and continues along the hillside.

(19) Cut across a path and continue straight ahead until you reach a very wide track.

(20) Follow this track, turning right, and continue straight ahead until you reach a barrier, which you should cross.

(21) Keep right at the three-way junction, make a sharp right turn and leave the entrance to Château de Ranq on your right.

(22) At the corner of a vineyard, turn left onto Chemin des Capellières, rejoin the tarmac road and arrive at the crossroads you passed on the way there.

(3) Take the street on the right and retrace your steps in the opposite direction to return to the cemetery car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 492 ft
  2. 1 : mi 0.13 - alt. 499 ft - Avenue de Montpellier
  3. 2 : mi 0.37 - alt. 528 ft - Rue de l’Aire
  4. 3 : mi 0.49 - alt. 548 ft - Junction of the circular loop
  5. 4 : mi 0.92 - alt. 656 ft - Junction with the track, on the left
  6. 5 : mi 1.2 - alt. 676 ft - Three-way junction
  7. 6 : mi 1.58 - alt. 719 ft - Trail junction
  8. 7 : mi 2.54 - alt. 472 ft - Corconne, Rue de l’Église
  9. 8 : mi 2.72 - alt. 482 ft - Three-way junction
  10. 9 : mi 2.82 - alt. 499 ft - Barbe d’Or Trail
  11. 10 : mi 3.4 - alt. 869 ft - Junction
  12. 11 : mi 3.64 - alt. 912 ft - Chapel junction
  13. 12 : mi 3.78 - alt. 912 ft - Notre-Dame du Château Chapel
  14. 13 : mi 4.96 - alt. 1,152 ft - Col des Trois Chênes
  15. 14 : mi 5.48 - alt. 1,217 ft - Junction, turn right
  16. 15 : mi 6.81 - alt. 1,243 ft - Citerne
  17. 16 : mi 7.5 - alt. 1,152 ft - Junction
  18. 17 : mi 7.71 - alt. 1,129 ft - Junction, turn left
  19. 18 : mi 7.96 - alt. 984 ft - Hairpin bend to the left
  20. 19 : mi 8.8 - alt. 856 ft - Crossroads
  21. 20 : mi 9.47 - alt. 1,033 ft - Junction with the track
  22. 21 : mi 9.84 - alt. 876 ft - Three-way junction
  23. 22 : mi 10.23 - alt. 692 ft - Chemin des Capellières
  24. S/E : mi 11.32 - alt. 492 ft - Cemetery car park

Notes

Be careful at two tricky sections:

  • Between (9) and (10), the Pont du Hasard crossing. The crossing has been equipped with steps, handholds and handrails. Avoid in wet weather.
  • Between (17) and (18), there is a tricky descent down a chimney where you will need to use your hands.

As a general rule, it is best to avoid hiking in wet weather because of the slippery rocks.

Worth a visit

(12) From the Notre-Dame du Château chapel, there is a beautiful view of the Corconne plain and, in the distance, the sea.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.6 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Serge Cayrac
Serge Cayrac

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A truly beautiful walk. The scenery is varied and stunning all along the route. Please note: at the bottom of the chimney, do not follow the GPS track but head for the path at the foot of the cliff. The (relatively) modest effort required is more than rewarded by the appeal of this route.

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User 30829697

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

However, we completed the route using a Garmin GPS and a Garmin watch, and both devices recorded a distance of between 20.6 and 21 km with an elevation gain of 575 m, to within 2 m of each other.

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jvjv
jvjv
• Edited:

Hello
The track is from the GPS, unedited
It was stated that the descent was tricky
Kind regards

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Denis26
Denis26 ★

Thank you for your comments; I’ve just redrawn the diagram.

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clairecarrara34
clairecarrara34

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A fairly challenging route in places. Lots of loose stones, plenty of shaded paths and lovely views of the peaks.
Take care on the climb up to the Pont du Hasard, but it is well secured with metal bars and handholds for hands and feet.
The descent down the famous chimney leading to the climbing site is trickier. (You mustn’t be afraid of heights or have bad knees!) Make sure you spot the descent from the track on the left and ignore the path marked by large cairns a little further up – they lead to a viewpoint!
As already mentioned, once you reach the bottom of this chimney section, be careful not to follow the wrong route: you must follow the information in the guidebook, not the route shown on the map. Turn right beneath the cliff to rejoin the path that leads back down, which is used by rock climbers.

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Christelle34
Christelle34

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Done on a Sunday morning after a week of heavy rain. Some of the paths had been badly eroded by the storms and, in the lower section near Lac de la Jasse, the path was often in the stream.
There were plenty of trail runners, even in places where it seemed downright reckless to run.
So the short climb at the start is relatively easy, but there isn’t much signposting. There are green markings, presumably made with spray paint, but I don’t know who took the initiative to put them there. Between points 1 and 4, the red route on the map doesn’t always match the terrain, so stick to the GPX tracks. A small pair of secateurs might also come in handy in some places, as the vegetation is sometimes quite dense.
Then comes the surprise of reaching the other side of the peak with a view of Lake Jasse. Be careful on the descent here; the stones are often slippery. After the descent, you follow the streams, and I found this part a bit of a long haul. Along the way, there are sheep grazing. At this very spot, be careful – there were lots of those blood-sucking flies with big legs, and we unwittingly brought some home with us!! Yuck!

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Christelle34
Christelle34
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely walk! Some absolutely stunning views; I didn’t find it particularly difficult. The two villages of Claret and Corconne are lovely places to explore. There’s a great variety of landscapes and trails. It’s classified as ‘difficult’ because of the section under the Pont du Hasard bridge above Corconne and the descent down the ‘cheminée’ above Les Embruscades. As long as you’re careful, there’s no danger of falling, even in the ‘cheminée’.
So, on the red route shown on the map, point 17 is marked too early to take the famous ‘cheminée’. You need to carry on for about twenty metres further, and the passage is on the left; there’s a small green mark on a rock to help you spot it. You can see the famous access point on the map, marked by grey dotted lines. It’s a shame to miss it, as it takes you past the steep cliffs and climbing walls, which are impressive. After following the base of the climbing walls, it becomes tricky again to work out the route to take; it’s true that there are sometimes multiple paths, and this final stretch back towards Claret is a bit of a long haul. At the end, what a surprise to come across the “Château” del Ranq!! It’s actually a large farmhouse with two charming little turrets on either side, topped with very cute green ceramic tiles.
It was a Tuesday in late September and I only came across one young couple of walkers along the 18 km.

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Pupy
Pupy

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk just 30 minutes from Montpellier. Nothing to add to the other reviews. Except that at the bottom of the chimney at point 17, we couldn’t find the path. You come to a scree slope with no markings at all. We gave up after searching for 20 minutes and eventually headed back up towards point 16. We then took the Travers de Passarilla path, which takes you safely back to the starting point. A well-shaded walk with lovely views. No major difficulties or hazards regarding the facilities above Corconne.

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User 8571610

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

no signposts in the second half
as all the paths are signposted, it is easy to get lost
sometimes, the markings are very sporadic
disappointing
nice views at times

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boubbou.com
boubbou.com

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent circular route starting from Claret; the section crossing the Pont du Hasard is exceptional and very well equipped and secure; a stunning view of the village of Corconne from point 12; and a herd of goats!!
We couldn’t find the path at point 17, perhaps due to a poor GPS signal that misled us; our actual route was much closer to point 18. Follow the climbing site on your right and you’ll find the access path. Be careful at point 19 – don’t descend too quickly like we did, or you’ll end up at Les Embruscalles and have to turn back
Apart from that, a very beautiful hike

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk. Superb trails with some fun, well-equipped sections that present little or no difficulty, even the descent down the ‘chimney’. Slightly strenuous for us older folk (aged 79 and 78). We completed it at our own pace in 7 hours. The cliffs are impressive. One of the most beautiful walks we’ve done so far this year.
Don’t hesitate to give it a go.
PP and MM

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alain.grasselli
alain.grasselli

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a shame there's no voice guidance
Good app

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Xouxounet
Xouxounet

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, completed on 21 March 2026. A wide variety of landscapes, and the route is particularly stunning from the start to point 14, passing the Pont du Hasard bridge and the Notre-Dame du Château chapel. Superb views of the region, from the Cévennes to the sea, at Tout Auras, just past point 14. The rest of the route is a little less interesting but still lovely. 18 kilometres in total – a good workout!

Just 30 minutes from Montpellier, very easy to get to – definitely worth a visit!

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