From Saint-Alban to the Ranc des Biols, a walk on the Gras de Bourbouillet

The starting car park is a large open space opposite the cemetery at Saint-Alban sous Sampzon (in the commune of Saint-Alban Auriolles).

(S/E) Leaving the car park, turn right onto Rue Marius Perbost, then right onto Rue des Ayres. Continue straight on to the church, walk past it on the left, then turn right into Rue René Cassin. Turn left into Rue du Grand Champ, then right into Rue du Château. At the hiking signpost: Le Château, turn left, walk around the castle and take the path that climbs up the hill to the right.

(1) At the next junction (Combe du Merle), take the path on the right. Continue following the white and yellow markings until you reach a wider path at the signpost: Les Issarts.

(2) Continue straight on along the fence. At the next junction, turn left until you reach the signpost: Bourbouillet.

(3) Continue straight on. At the bottom of the descent, turn sharply right onto a wide track in the meadow. Walk up the valley to the Bourbouillet resurgence (waterfall and cave).

(4) Retrace your steps to the Bourbouillet crossroads.

(3) Turn left. A few dozen metres further on, leave the marked path and take a less visible path on the right which continues to climb. Ignore the small paths to the left and right and continue across the plateau. After a short descent, you will reach the bottom of a sinkhole.

(5) Turn left onto a path that disappears into the vegetation and then winds its way between moss-covered tree trunks. You’ll reach a cross-path, which you take to the left.

(6) Look out for a rock right in the middle of the path. At the foot of this rock, you’ll join the white and yellow-marked route, which you should follow all the way to the right. Caution: at the start, the rocky section doesn’t look like a path; don’t let yourself be led straight on in the wrong direction, which would take you back to the Bourbouillet crossroads.
After a few open stretches and a short steep climb, the path ascends between two rows of rocks. Just before this, on the right, a fork leads you to the edge of the Aven du Reméjadou. Caution: the hole is very deep and the rocks at the edge can be slippery. A fatal accident occurred here recently.
After rejoining the path, you’ll reach the hiking sign: Le Reméjadou.

(7) Turn right and continue along the signposted route. Just under a kilometre further on, turn left twice in quick succession, then leave the path coming from La Grange aux Pères on your left. After a steep descent, you’ll reach a flat, wide sinkhole basin.

(8) After a left-right zigzag, leave the markings again to take a good path on the right. Pass to the right of a ruin and a small pond, then leave a path on your right. Look out for a large, well-maintained meadow on the left, then another pond on the right.

(9) Turn right at the crossroads, then left at the next crossroads. Pass two paths on the right and continue to a dirt track overlooking the Beaume valley.

(10) Take this track on the right. Despite the signposting, do not take the first path on the right; continue along the track which climbs into the woods. Look out for a second path branching off completely to the right.

(11) Take this path. At the three-way junction just after, turn right, then right again at the next junction. Continue southwards to reach a busier path.

(12) Turn left. Here, follow the white and yellow markings to the village.

(13) At the first junction, turn right and at the next junction, take the path on the left.

(14) At the hiking signpost: Le Dolmen, turn left and walk for about 250 m. Take a short detour to the right to see the dolmen, then continue along the route.

(15) At the Calvaire junction, turn right to pass by the chapel. Turn right again down a steep slope and join Rue de la Barnerie. Head down to the right until you reach the junction, then turn left onto Rue Marius Perbost until you reach the car park at Saint-Alban cemetery (S/E).

15-01-2024 After another visit today, no more issues with barbed wire across the path

Apart from the section from the start to point (3) and the return from point (12), most of the paths are not signposted.
As mentioned in the introduction, the IGN map is far from up to date throughout the wooded area. Many paths are missing and those that are shown are not always accurate. The OpenStreetMap hiking base map is more comprehensive.

The passage through a gorge amidst moss-covered tree trunks after point (5), which is quite a change of scenery, is another indication that water is everywhere in this whole area.
The underground river that can be glimpsed at the bottom of the Aven du Reméjadou is the one that emerges at the Bourbouillet resurgence. There is almost always water there, even in summer.
The ruin, the two pools and the large, well-maintained meadow before the viewpoint (9) give an idea of what the whole neighbourhood might have looked like in the past. After this viewpoint, just past another ruin on the left, you can also see a vaulted cistern on the right-hand side of the path.
Before the descent to the waypoint (11), don’t miss another viewpoint over the Beaume Valley from a rock on the left of the path. For a clearer view, you can also take a 200-metre detour along the road beyond this point.
Between points (14) and (15), don’t forget the short round trip to the well-preserved dolmen. The access path on the right is clearly signposted.