From Le Sot to Cavaliés

A family walk that offers the pleasure of strolling through a ruiniform landscape of dolomites. The slight elevation gain and the steady gradient make this an ideal route for older people and young children.

Details

1788007
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.47 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 100 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 100 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 807 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 707 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Head to the village of Pierrefiche-du-Larzac, walk past the cemetery and head towards the Causse farms (Les Mares, La Resse). Park in the makeshift car park where you will find three recycling bins.

(S/E) Start the walk by heading towards Le Sot (signposted). About 50 metres from the car park, leave the path momentarily and enter the field on the left to admire the dolmen hidden by box trees.

(1) Retrace your steps and return to the path you left, heading south. Ignore a turn-off on the right and continue to the Sot farm.

(2) Continue straight ahead, still heading south, on a path marked in red and white (GR® 71D). At the first fork, keep left (south). The path winds its way between the pine trees. On the right, the rocky outcrops of Les Sourzials and Les Anouts gradually come into view.

(3) Pass a sheepfold on your right and continue along the path. A sheep pen will block your way: be sure to close the gate carefully after passing through. The path turns east; at an intersection (elevation 776), continue straight ahead.

(4) About 400 metres after the intersection, leave the path and head left towards the Rocs du Bartas (majestic rocks). Retrace your steps.

(4) Continue east on the main path.

(5) At the next crossroads, turn left and follow the stony path (north-west then north).

(6) At the edge of the path, note the imposing metal gate that blocks access to the Aven de l'Habit. An explanatory sign gives the reasons for this (organic protection zone, drinking water catchment area serving Millau). Continue north on the path.

(7) At the Cavaliés farm, continue straight ahead on the tarmac road (still heading north).

(8) At the intersection of the roads, turn left. At the next intersection, continue straight ahead and you will reach the car park, which is visible from this point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 707 m - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.19 - alt. 710 m - Dolmen
  3. 2 : km 0.66 - alt. 717 m - Straight ahead, due south.
  4. 3 : km 2.44 - alt. 755 m - Sheepfold
  5. 4 : km 3.5 - alt. 791 m - Rocs de Bartas - Access
  6. 5 : km 4.03 - alt. 805 m - Crossroads
  7. 6 : km 5.02 - alt. 784 m - Karstic cave of the Habit
  8. 7 : km 5.7 - alt. 753 m - Cavaliés Farm
  9. 8 : km 6.69 - alt. 722 m - T-junction
  10. S/E : km 7.47 - alt. 707 m - Car park

Notes

There are no drinking water points on this route.

Please note that part of the route runs through pine woods, providing shelter from the hot summer sun.

The slope rises continuously from the start to (5) and then decreases steadily until the finish.

Worth a visit

- Dolmen
- Ruiniformes (dolomitic rocks jagged by erosion) of the Sourzials, Anouts and Rancanèdes.
- Entrance to the Aven de l'Habit (on the left side of the path).
- The Cavaliés farm, a key location during the military occupation of the Causse following the project to extend the Cavalerie military camp. Note the coats of arms of the various regiments that guarded the farm, painted on the façade. President François Mitterrand, upon his election in 1981, ruled in favour of the farmers.
- Lavogne: an artificial watering hole where sheep come to drink.

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

4.2 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
3.9 / 5
amho
amho

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

I should have read the comments before going on the hike. I parked in the village and after a few hundred metres I realised that the starting point was a few kilometres away from the village. Otherwise, it was a nice hike.

Machine-translated

larzac
larzac

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb immersion in the riches of the Larzac Plateau, shade, diversity of landscapes.
The dolmen is now accessible without a fence.
For Patous, an explanatory panel suggests behaviours to avoid conflicts.

Machine-translated

robinelea
robinelea

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Completed in 1 hour 40 minutes with a break. A pleasant hike on very passable paths that wind through pastures. However, the end is uninteresting, with nearly a quarter of the route taking place on a tarmac road in full sun.
To get to the starting point, take the small road from La Roque Sainte Marguerite to Pierrefiche du Larzac, which offers magnificent views!

Machine-translated

bernardgemenos
bernardgemenos

Everything was going well: the start of the hike is very pleasant in the woods. After two fence barriers about halfway through the route, we encountered a flock of sheep guarded by two sheepdogs with whom any discussion was impossible. So we turned back.
halfway point, we encountered a flock of sheep guarded by two Patou dogs, with whom any discussion was impossible. So we turned back.

Machine-translated

Ha aH
Ha aH

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

If hikers could re-evaluate the walking time, that would be great, because I have serious doubts...

In my opinion, you should allow three hours rather than two and a half... including breaks...

You should not go to the Cavaliés farm (so for number 7, it might be a good idea to change "At the Cavaliés farm, continue straight ahead on the tarmac road (still heading north)" to "At the Cavaliés farm sign, continue straight ahead north on the tarmac road you are already walking on".

Otherwise, it's an interesting walk. Varied landscapes...

Machine-translated

m12rando
m12rando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy and enjoyable hike that allows you to discover one of the lesser-known facets of Larzac: its lush vegetation (Aven de l'Habit) and paths through the forest.
During the hike, you will also encounter the arid areas of Larzac, with the Roc du Bartas, a lavogne (a type of rock formation), a dolmen (not accessible as it is in a fenced field), and more.
Please note: the hike does not start at the cemetery; you must continue along the road for about 1 km....

Thank you for sharing this hike on Visorando.

Machine-translated

henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

Thank you for your feedback.

We have poor network coverage in this part of Larzac, so there is no GPS signal.

In that case, I recommend that you "Make a map background available offline"

https://www.visorando.com/article-rendre-...

See you soon.

Machine-translated

Yzus
Yzus

Hello
We understood that we had to park in Pierrefiche along the cemetery. Hence the bug. After that, yes, the walk was nice, except for the first part, which we did by mistake. Poor network coverage for us in that corner of Larzac, so no GPS point.
There you go
Thanks for the walk ideas
Have a good day

Machine-translated

henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

Poorly signposted, we couldn't find the starting point

The GPS coordinates of the starting point are indicated in the description:

Starting point: N 44°5'17.8 / E 3°13'28.8

In addition, the starting point is literally indicated in the description.

Go to the village of Pierrefiche-du-Larzac, walk past the cemetery and head towards the Causse farms (Les Mares, La Resse). Park in the makeshift car park where there are three recycling bins.

Finally, this information is clearly shown on the route map in .pdf format provided by Visorando.

Was it the fact that you couldn't find the starting point of the hike that prompted you to rate the description and route as "Average"?

See you soon!

Machine-translated

Yzus
Yzus

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Poorly signposted, we couldn't find the start point.

Machine-translated

ritondeux
ritondeux

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A short, easy hike that reveals that Larzac is not just rocks in an arid landscape, but a place of farming and cultivation surrounded by forest.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.