Route des mines et des cabanettes

A very nice hike, and thank you for sharing
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However, for an extra 500 metres, you have to climb up to the village's Virgin Mary statue. It's quite a climb, but it's worth it.❤️*
Magnificent view

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Date of your route : Sep 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, interesting and fairly easy walk. The slopes are reasonable and there are many wooded areas (providing refreshing shade).
Pretty villages with medieval houses, beautiful views, and original discoveries (mines and troglodyte dwellings).
Although the mines cannot be visited as they have been undergoing archaeological excavations for the past three years, you can clearly see a large white vein with a gallery entrance on the left bank of the valley as you leave Le Minier.
Summaries of the archaeological research can be found on the internet.

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Date of your route : Jul 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The start is a little difficult to find, as it is a very narrow passage between two houses, and the path is also narrow. Once you're on your way, it's easy, as it is marked in yellow, so you don't need to take your GPS out of your pocket too often.
Le Minier is a pretty little village and the final return to Le Viala, between gardens and houses, is rather nice. Otherwise, it's an easy hike, with a fairly steep descent at the start, but a more gradual climb back up, with plenty of undergrowth, so there's shade in summer. In short, it's a nice, easy walk.

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Date of your route : Aug 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An unpretentious, pleasant and easy route.

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Date of your route : Apr 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The entrance to the path is a little difficult to find in the village because the streets have no names. You have to go through a tiny gate, which can be easy to miss, to get down to Le Minier. It's actually two very short walks in one because you return to the village halfway through the walk...which can be interesting if you're walking with children.

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Date of your route : Apr 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Enjoy the beautiful descent to Le Minier. After visiting the village, walk up the right bank as close to the river as possible until you reach a cross, then take the path that climbs to the left.
The rest of the hike is straightforward and there is little risk of getting lost.
The viewpoint at La Vierge is well worth the detour.

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Date of your route : Mar 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We really struggled to find the start of the trail in Viala. We don't have GPS,
We took a tour of the mining village and when we retraced our steps to get back on the path, we still had trouble finding it.
We were disappointed not to see the silver mines, or at least the entrance, which, according to a local resident, is on private property.
Otherwise, it's a very beautiful site with magnificent views.
The route isn't very busy, but it is March and the temperature is 6°C with a slight breeze
We'll do it again in April or May to see the vegetation, and now we know the way.
Thank you, because it's still a wonderful discovery.

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As stated in my message, we just used the gpx file.

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Hello.
It is clearly stated that you should make a detour to Le Minier (either way, of course) because the route itself turns left instead of going down into the village.
As for the cabanettes, there is a wooden sign indicating them. As for the climb to the Virgin Mary statue, again, it is up to you whether you go there and back. This is clearly stated in the description.

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Date of your route : Mar 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We followed the GPS track (gpx file). This is a two-circular hike. Note that the cabins are visible on the second circular loop and that the path indicated on the GPS track is not the correct one, but is a few metres further on, indicated by a sign. It is worth continuing on to the statue of the Virgin Mary for the view (also not on the GPS track).
A slight disappointment on the first circular loop: we didn't see any traces of the silver mines or the mill.
It's a shame that the route doesn't include a short tour of Viala and Le Minier.

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