Circuit des Deux Puechs

A lovely loop that will take you through unspoilt nature, between valleys and hills.
Woods and open landscapes punctuate the route until you return to a superb viewpoint over the remarkable isthmus of Ambialet, a splendid peninsula classified as a protected site since 1948.
The priory dominates the bend in the Tarn and is the end point of the beautiful Way of the Cross that begins around the Saint-Gilles Chapel, nestled in the rock.

Details

384126
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.39 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 459 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 455 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 459 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 200 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park on the edge of the D172, located almost opposite the Vallée restaurant.
This circuit is partly marked in yellow and partly marked in red and white bythe GR®36.

GR®36red andwhite markings and yellow markings

(S/E) From the car park, head left towards the tunnel. Pass through the tunnel very carefully. Do the same along the narrow pavement. At the fork, go down the left-hand street to follow the Tarn, keeping it above you. The gravel path ends on the Route de Trébas, D77.
At the departmental road, take the hairpin bend to the right. Turn left at the first road, Route du Blasou. Ignore a service road going up to the right. Route du Blasou crosses a bridge and climbs up to a house.

(1) In front of the house, turn right onto the narrow path. The path climbs for about 800 m. At the crossroads, it descends back to the road, close to Vinçou on the right. At the road, move slightly to the left to continue on the road almost opposite. Walk alongside an abandoned vineyard.

(2) Turn onto the path that climbs to the left. This is the second climb to reach Puech Cabot, the first of the two puechs. The slope levels out as you approach the farm of the same name. There is a view of the valleys on either side of the grassy path. The priory of Ambialet and the relay pylon can be seen on the horizon. Reach the T-junction.

Yellow signpost

(3) Leave theGR®36, turning right, and follow the yellow markings. Ignore a path that branches off to the right. The road gives way to a wide dirt track. Pass between the small building and the entrance to the Borie Grande property. At a nearby fork (not shown on IGN maps), descend to the right onto the grassy path. Further on, the grass gives way to earth and stones. The path descends, makes a hairpin bend to the right and ends on the Alban road, D94.

(4) Cross the road. Head into the woods opposite. The wide dirt track winds and undulates until it reaches La Resse. There are signs indicating the direction to follow.

(5) Continue, leaving the Resse on your left. Very quickly, the path veers slightly to the left, facing a meadow. Follow the path along the wooded hedge. The path widens further on and crosses the woods before ending at the Route de Vinçou.
At the road, turn left and cross the bridge over the Ruisseau de Blasou. After the bridge, continue to the right. Continue along the slightly sloping road until you reach the farm track for Le Plô (letterbox at the side of the road).

(6) Take the path leading to the farm. After 100 metres, turn left onto the Impasse du Plô. The wide track winds gently uphill between chestnut trees, running parallel to the Route de Vinçou above. It ends at this road.
Cross it. Climb up the small path opposite to find the Route de Villefranche, D74. Cross it to rejoin theGR®36.

GR®36red andwhite markings and yellow markings

(7) Pass the calvary. Continue forward and turn right onto the dirt and gravel track. Climb gradually up to the relay pylon. This is the second puech on the circuit.

(8) In front of the entrance to the pylon, take the narrow, grassy path on the left. Covered with grass, it quickly becomes stony. This is a very steep and technical descent.
Halfway down, it is composed of stones and schist rocks.
A large rock provides a place to rest and enjoy the magnificent view of the Ambialet isthmus.
Further down, in front of the ruins of Château Saint-Raphaël, turn left.
At the end of the descent, a few steps lead to the D172. Cross the road with great caution.
Turn right to return to the car park (A/D).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 203 m - Parking is available along the D172 - Tarn (rivère)
  2. 1 : km 1.15 - alt. 202 m - House at the foot of the GR36
  3. 2 : km 2.2 - alt. 297 m - After Vinçou
  4. 3 : km 3.38 - alt. 456 m - Puech Cabot
  5. 4 : km 4.03 - alt. 402 m - D94
  6. 5 : km 5.54 - alt. 251 m - La Resse
  7. 6 : km 6.63 - alt. 260 m - Le Plô
  8. 7 : km 7.69 - alt. 356 m - Calvaire and GR found
  9. 8 : km 8.4 - alt. 414 m - Relay tower
  10. S/E : km 9.39 - alt. 205 m - Parking is available along the D172

Notes

Starting point variant here

No water source.
Picnic tables in the village.
A café-bar in the centre of the village is open almost all year round and serves meals and snacks.

Avoid this route after long periods of rain or during winter.
The wet schist rocks are slippery and dangerous.

This route has been completed many times by the author, most recently on 29 September 2018.
At that time and until 2019, some sections were not signposted.
Since 2020, the route has been modified and is now official with yellow markings and country signs.

This new route was recognised by the author on 11 September 2020.

Worth a visit

Exceptional panorama of the Tarn valley.
View of the Priory,15th century.
Ambialet Priory and its Way of the Cross.
Saint-Michel Church in Ambialet.
Canoeing, kayaking and camping.

A variety of exhibitions, only in summer, in the Saint-Gilles Chapel.

Every last weekend in June, the "Presqu'île Blues Festival" takes place.
This is a lively jazz festival that is very popular in the region.

A stone's throw away, to the west:
Albi la Rouge, an episcopal city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2010, offers a wide range of attractions.
In particular:
The Toulouse Lautrec Museum
The brick cathedral and its rood screen, both unique in the world.

 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

4.8 / 5
Based on 31 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
d81
d81
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, especially at the end with the view of the village.
Just be careful at the end after point 8, as the slope is a bit slippery when wet. It's still passable if you take it slowly, but I wouldn't recommend doing what I did.

The route is fairly well marked, but keep a map or hiking app with you as some of the markers are a bit hidden by vegetation.

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Fa54
Fa54

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very good (landscapes...) in the second half

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madydou
madydou ★

I tested it for you on Sunday, 8 July 2024, after a day of rain.
If you are unsure about the wetness of the rocks, it is advisable to do the circuit in the opposite direction.
The climb is certainly tough, but very pleasant and less dangerous than the descent at the end of the route.

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rv320
rv320

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike, a bit challenging on the climbs. But it's doable...

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Jean-Luc Walker
Jean-Luc Walker

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A rather interesting and challenging hike with some elevation changes. I met some highly motivated trail runners who were training on this circuit. A very natural hike with beautiful scenery.

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LUDY31
LUDY31

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is as described, with beautiful scenery, but the elevation changes do not correspond at all to those indicated on Visorando, and the estimated time is also incorrect.

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patrickdml
patrickdml

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely site, sometimes enchanting.

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LoloFred
LoloFred

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike. The final descent is indeed technical, but you can replace it with the alternative route via the huts.

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michelpoulhalec
michelpoulhalec

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Steep climbs, dizzying descents, magnificent views in general and particularly on the way back, overlooking Ambialet and the Tarn... superb!

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madydou
madydou ★

I'm delighted that you enjoyed the tour

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Benben_31
Benben_31

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very well-marked, easy hike offering beautiful views of the Tarn countryside and the meandering Tarn River at Ambialet.
Mostly in the forest, magnificent with the autumn colours.

PLEASE NOTE: the final descent can be dangerous in wet weather. Walking sticks are recommended.

Thanks to the author for this route.

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Ladybug
Ladybug

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike consisting mainly of wooded paths and offering some very pretty views.
You do need to be careful on the final descent, which can be very slippery, but it's well worth taking precautions!

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surpilix
surpilix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, mostly shaded. Full sun from point 7 to point 8. Picnic table before point five, in the shade and near the stream. The place is charming, and the entire circuit is pleasant. We did it in the right direction...but be careful at the end, which is tricky, steep and slippery. Avoid in wet weather or you may slip. I recommend this 3.5-hour circular walk

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FrEdo60
FrEdo60

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Off-season and during the week: we had the trail almost to ourselves. The little valley with its stream is charming, and we only encountered a viper! In dry weather, the final descent is not particularly technical, contrary to the description. The village of Ambialet would be more charming if the horrible plaster on the facades were removed, but perhaps this is intentional on the part of the residents to avoid an influx of tourists!

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madydou
madydou ★

Thanks for the feedback.
It's a very popular route, and for good reason.
I'll try it the other way round one day to enjoy the scenery from a different perspective

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