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Drive to Colombières sur Orb, climb to the upper part of the village as soon as possible following "Colombières le haut" and park in the car park below the church (S). ::%
(S) Take the road that climbs to the left of the church and about fifty metres at the crossroads.
(1) Take the first track on your right, just above the church. Continue straight ahead towards the Colombières gorges.
There are no difficulties; the track turns into a path, which is relatively well maintained and stony in places. The signposting is regular and consists of yellow lines (PR®). The path climbs steadily with a few more uneven sections, all in a wood of holm oaks. Opposite, you can see the steep rocks plunging into the gorges.
(2) Halfway along, you pass just below some old cave dwellings, but the path becomes a little less uneven and you soon reach the La Fage refuge.
(3) Follow theGR®7south-west. You leave the undergrowth of the gorges and find yourself in moorland surrounded by broom. There are about 300m left to climb on this bare slope, and finally you reach the Caroux plateau.
(4) The terrain has levelled out to become almost flat, allowing you to cross a rare peat bog.
(5) Continue along the path to the Font Salesse refuge. To reach it, either continue straight ahead through the pine undergrowth or turn left at the intersection of the tracks. This takes you past an orientation table overlooking the Orb valley.
(6) Head north towards Le Douch. The path descends towards the village and has been rebuilt in places. It takes less than an hour to reach the village from the refuge. The paths intersect a little way above the village.
(7) Follow theGR®7to the Col de l'Airole, then follow the path (marked in yellow) towards the Col du Salis. You will leave the main paths behind and at times feel very isolated, as the path tends to disappear into the broom. The descent over the rocks, 200 metres below, requires your full attention. You will enter the Mouflon reserve, which is like a zoo without fences, where you may encounter wild boar, roe deer and mouflons. It is recommended that you stay on the authorised path (marked with a green mouflon head). The prohibited areas are marked in red. You will reach the Col du Salis.
(8), turn right (north-east) towards the Vialais bridge. The further you go, the deeper you get into forests of tall trees. The Vialais is a real haven of greenery and freshness.
Climb 200 metres to reach the plateau formed by the Espinouse massif and the road (the Rd180).
(9) At Pas de la Lauze, turn left. It's time to find a place to camp (E). There are many grassy, flat spots on both sides of the road.
one of the most beautiful loops in the mountains!
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