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On the D112, park near a small tree, GR® sign.
(S/E) Take theGR® southwards, through the fields. You will come to another shaded car park.
(1) Follow theGR® trail heading east, along the fields, then into the heath, heading south. You will reach a fork in the trail.
(2) Leave theGR® and take the hunters' track on the right, which heads towards the Gardon.
(3) At the hunters' car park, follow a small path down to a clear terrace. The view over the Gardon Gorges is exceptional. An exposed path follows the edge of the cliff on the right, leading to a large, shallow cave near a large, clearly visible rock formation. This cave is marked on the map but is of little interest. Take the right path on the left, which leads down into a forest of huge pine trees. These are probably Corsican Laricio pines.
(4) Please note that in the event of flooding of the Gardon, this section is impassable. You will then need to go back up to the fork where you left theGR® and continue on this path to descend to La Baume. In the pine forest, do not go straight down, but follow a clear path on the left heading north-east. The vegetation becomes denser and the recently cleared ground is sometimes cluttered with plants and tree trunks.
(5) You will come to the start of a path on the right, which you should not take.
(6) You will approach the cliff where another hunters' trail climbs up a small valley on the left; do not take it, but continue to the right.
(7) The cliff is close by, as is the Gardon river. A small spring flows below. Then the vegetation disappears and you can see your way between the cliff and the Gardon. It is impossible to go wrong as you are walking between the cliff and the Gardon. To find the resurgences, listen carefully for the sound of water bubbling out of the cracks in the rock.
After travelling underground for more than 20 km, it reappears, the water is cool and clear, and you can easily see many good-sized fish. In summer, the contrast is striking with the riverbed practically dry since Russan.
(8) "The Moulin de la Barque Renversée is regularly flooded but withstands all floods, even the most violent ones, such as the one that destroyed the dam that fed the mills on both banks.
Inside, part of the mechanism remains. On the other bank of the Gardon, another mill defies the river with its imposing prow."
(9) Go back and take the stairs up to the Chapel and Hermitage of Saint-Vérédème.
Half of the dam was washed away by the last flood, but the other half is still visible. The cave that follows is closed from 15 November to 15 March so as not to disturb the hibernating bats, and from 1 May to 15 August, as this is the breeding season (one baby per year!).
The cave exit leads to thePR® marked trail that climbs back up to the plateau. A few iron bars planted in the rock secure the climb, which is very steep.
If the cave is closed, you will need to go back down to Moulin de la Barque and follow the yellow markings to find the sign indicating the climb up to the plateau, which is marked in yellow.
(10) Once on the plateau, find theGR® 6
Follow it to the left and return to the fork you passed on the way up.
(2) Continue to the right, still on theGR®6, until you reach the car park (S/E).
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