Cabrières Castle and Pic de Vissou

During this hike in the heart of a listed site, rich in natural, geological and scenic discoveries, you can explore the ruins of the old village of Cabrières at the foot of the château, then climb the ridges of Vissou before ascending the peak and discovering a breathtaking view.
This hike follows twoPR® trails, "Drovers' Roads of Crozes" and "Pic de Vissou". It is not difficult but is still a little physically demanding.

Details

68147579
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.77 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 701 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 694 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 477 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 114 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park north of Cabrières on the edge of the D15.

(S/E) Head south on thePR® des Drailles des Crozes, marked in yellow. Pass between the vineyards and join a road. Follow it to the left until the next junction.

(1) Turn right onto Avenue de l'Estabel, then at the end of the road, turn left onto Rue de la Liberté.

(2) At the corner of Place de la Liberté, turn right (Rue de l'Égalité), then continue along Route des Crozes after the cemetery and take thefirst road on the left, Chemin du Château, at a three-way junction.

(3) Turn left onto this road, cross the Ruisseau des Caviès stream and climb above the vineyard at the edge of the woods. Continue uphill to reach the castle platform, an old village and ruins.

(4) Make a circular walk around this site and then continue downhill into the woods. Climb very slightly to reach a fork at a small pass.

(5) Take the path on the left before the track, then join it a little further on. Continue straight ahead until you reach a crossroads. Turn left and head for the Mas Rouch crossroads.

(6) Leave the road and turn right to climb up an old drovers' road. Reach a vineyard, walk along it on your right and, at its northern end, you will find a crossroads with a wider path.

(7) Leave thePR® opposite and turn right towards Vissou. Atthe first crossroads, turn right and then keep left at the next one. When you reach a wider path, turn right and follow it to the crossroads with a small path (a place called Les Cayraignasses).

(8) Take this slightly steep downhill path on the left and you will reach the Ruisseau de Valussière. Follow its right bank until you reach a road.

(9) Turn right, cross the bridge and, a few metres further on, descend the hairpin bend on the left. Reach the Rivière de la Boyrie, ford it, find thePR® du Vissou and take it on the left. Start a new climb and arrive near a reservoir.

(10) Continue uphill to the right and you will reach the Pic de Vissounel and its ridges.

(11) Keep climbing to complete the ascent to Pic de Vissou.

(12) Continue along the track and begin the descent. Just after thesecond hairpin bend, take the small path on the right and follow the top of the shoulder to a flat area at Bois Mégé.

(13) Turn almost 180° to the right and descend through the undergrowth. Walk alongside a vineyard on your right and you will soon cometo aPR® crossroads.

(14) Keep left downhill and continue straight ahead between vineyards and woods until you reach the car park above Cabrières (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 116 m
  2. 1 : km 0.5 - alt. 122 m - Avenue de l'Estabel
  3. 2 : km 0.86 - alt. 121 m - Corner of Place de la Liberté
  4. 3 : km 1.2 - alt. 123 m - Three-way junction, Chemin du Château
  5. 4 : km 2.54 - alt. 262 m - Site of the old castle and village
  6. 5 : km 3.55 - alt. 226 m - Fork
  7. 6 : km 4.85 - alt. 244 m - Mas Rouch
  8. 7 : km 6.01 - alt. 356 m - Crossroads hairpin bend
  9. 8 : km 7.37 - alt. 364 m - T-junction
  10. 9 : km 8.6 - alt. 164 m - Bridge over the - Boyne (rivière) - Affluent de l'Hérault
  11. 10 : km 9.56 - alt. 215 m - Reservoir
  12. 11 : km 10.1 - alt. 380 m - Pic de Vissounel (388m)
  13. 12 : km 11.36 - alt. 477 m - Pic de Vissou (480m)
  14. 13 : km 12.28 - alt. 301 m - Bois Mégé
  15. 14 : km 13.47 - alt. 173 m - PR crossroads
  16. S/E : km 14.77 - alt. 116 m

Notes

Without difficulty, we completed it at a rather slow pace, allowing for 5 hours of walking. Quite rocky, so be sure to wear good hiking boots.

Worth a visit

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

4.7 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 19963884

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Excellent hike, beautiful distance and beautiful ascents and descents, ending with a very beautiful climb to Vissiou. Perfect GPS, one difficult point between 7 and 8, a gate to open and close and a passage between boundary posts.
Beautiful views.

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User 17891590
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a beautiful hike with stunning views!
Be careful at point seven, where you arrive at the vineyards with an unlocked gate, but then you have to cross perpendicularly through the vineyards and climb over the fence surrounding them to reach the path, which is not easy to see. We lost time at this point!

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Olimath
Olimath

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 25/05/25 in good weather with slightly overcast skies. No particular difficulties on this route, which offers beautiful 360° views. Nothing remains of the castle except for three small sections of wall, but the view is nice. Just before point 6 at Mas Rouch, I turned right at a hairpin bend onto a wide uphill path that joins the route at point 8. It may be a little longer, but it's not difficult at all. Just follow the path, without being distracted by the paths that branch off to the right, until you reach point 8. In total, 16.6 km, 758D+ and 4 hours 10 minutes, including stops. I met about ten people at the top of Vissou, but no one else during the rest of the hike.

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AGNES MR
AGNES MR

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A wonderful discovery in this corner of the Hérault. The level is quite difficult (length + climb to the peak), but it's really worth it. Apart from on the Pic de Vissou, I met very few people and it was very pleasant. At this time of year, there were flowers everywhere. The GPS route is very well designed and easy to follow.
Just a quick note for our beginner hiker friends: on narrow paths, please give way to those going uphill to avoid cutting them off, especially when the climb is steep.

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CCh08410.
CCh08410.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike with magnificent views throughout. The winegrowers have fenced off their vineyards (probably to protect them from game), so between points 7 and 8 it is no longer really possible to walk through. But there's always a solution, with just 1 km extra: at point 7, continue straight ahead on a wide path (instead of turning right at the crossroads), which climbs a little at the beginning, then curves to the right and joins the famous "slightly" steep path. In reality, it's steep, not just a little 😊. Otherwise, the signposting is excellent, and the vegetation is abundant and colourful (white, young, green...), at least at this time of year. There are descents (including one mentioned above) and there are also some nice climbs, but they are easy to manage (old castle, Pic de Vissounel then Pic de Vissou). I recommend this route with a picnic for a break wherever you want (or almost), because you will be faced with a VERY BEAUTIFUL VIEW.

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athmos.oner
athmos.oner
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Here is a very pleasant alternative that allows you to see many nice spots and viewpoints without having to travel too far or use the DFCI.
I had already walked almost all the trails in the area, but this variation offers some little-seen passages, far from the crowds, even though, apart from a few places, the hike is peaceful and you won't meet anyone.
You do need good walking shoes and, despite a little rain the day before, the rock was very slippery!

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GMGALD
GMGALD

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The hike is superb. There are already reliable yellow markings, but I always have the route with me on the Visorando app.
It rained heavily in the area, and I had to take off my shoes to cross a ford, but it wasn't dangerous.
On the way up, the climb is gradual until you reach the paragliding platform, then steeper for the final ascent to Pic de Vissou.
On the way back, the descent is fast but not dangerous.
I didn't see many people, except from the paragliding platform.
I'm a senior citizen and it took me 6 hours and 45 minutes to complete the circular route.

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