Espérausses - Puech Carbonniés circular

Park in the small square by the Espérausses war memorial, which can accommodate three or four vehicles.

Yellow^PR® markings

(S) With your back to the war memorial, head towards the nearby church, walk along its left side and continue straight ahead uphill. At the hairpin bend, turn left, pass in front of the fountain that springs from the embankment, then turn right immediately. The slope becomes gentler and the road gives way to a wide path that alternates between woodland and open areas.

(1) At the crossroads, take the wide path on the right which descends between box trees, holly and various other species to join a small road. Turn left and then almost immediately right at the crossroads where you will see a pretty wrought iron cross. Once you reach the houses of Besselbes, make a zigzag right-left, leave a path uphill on the left and descend into the small valley where the Berlou flows.

(2) Cross the stream in a very pretty rural setting and continue along the path, which bends 90° to the right, then straightens out and flattens to run along the left side of the hill.

(3) After crossing a coniferous forest, leave the^PR® which goes uphill to the right and continue straight ahead. At the junction with a wide, stabilised path, turn right for a few metres then turn left. Cross the D55, which has little traffic, and take the wide track opposite, which climbs so steeply that you are forced to slow down.

(4) At the crossroads with two telecommunications pylons opposite, leave this wide track and take a path on the right which, although congested at first, opens up and runs alongside a magnificent holly hedge. At the fork that follows, marked by a solitary spruce tree, take the left branch and descend to the D54.

(5) Carefully cross this busy road, head left and continue to the crossroads about a hundred metres further on. Turn right onto the D55 (road sign for Lacaune). The^PR® signpost indicates a left turn. Do not follow it, but continue straight ahead on the road.

No markings for approximately 300 metres

Yellow^PR® signs

150 metres after the last house, you will reach the point where the^PR® crosses the road. Turn right (small sign for La Teillère). After about 100 metres, leave the road and turn left onto a path that quickly leads to the D55, at a deforested area.

(6) Turn right, follow the road for about 30 metres and then turn right again. The wide path descends into the undergrowth and the piles of logs on the left and right attest to the vitality of forestry in the region. Leave the path leading to the farm on your left and continue straight on to the next intersection.

(7) Note the pretty cross decorated with intertwined ivy and continue straight ahead downhill. The path becomes partially paved and winds around a few bends before joining a small road. At the intersection, turn left, head towards the few buildings of La Béguinié and turn right. Cross the Berlou and continue to the hamlet of Berlats.

(8) Take a sharp left turn at a restored house with blue shutters. A few metres further on, turn right onto a wide, steeply ascending path. This path offers no respite for several hundred metres and puts your legs to the test. At the fork (elevation 728), the slope finally becomes more reasonable. Leave the path that branches off to the right and continue straight ahead until you reach the junction with a wide track.

(9) Turn left onto this track. Opposite is a beautiful meadow with the magnificent coniferous forest of Puech Carbonniés in the background. At the fork at the edge of the forest, take the right-hand branch. The wide path goes around the "Puech" on almost flat ground, a welcome respite after the previous steep climb.

(10) Stop at the ONF information panel, which recounts the history of the "Jasses de Puech Carbonniés", and visit the one located a few metres away, which is easy to miss as its roof is covered with vegetation. Continue your hike, noting a second "jasse" on the embankment on the left, and continue to a fork where you should turn right downhill.

(11) At the intersection shortly afterwards, turn right again, then left at the next junction and finally right to reach a flat area and a four-way crossroads. Turn right and descend to another crossroads where you need to make a zigzag left-right turn to reach the hamlet of Julié and a small tarmac road, which you take to the right.

(12) At the crossroads with the road leading to Calmels (containers opposite), turn left and, at the start of the right-hand bend, leave the road and take a wide path on the left. This path enters a forest where conifers and deciduous trees share the space, crosses a small stream at a ford and passes by a captured spring. Continue straight ahead until you reach a three-way junction.

(13) Ignore the road that continues straight ahead and the one that branches off to the right, and instead take a sharp right onto a small path that starts between the box trees and joins a wider track. Turn right, cross a stream (muddy a few metres before), continue to the next intersection where you turn left and climb slightly to the D54.

(14) Cross very carefully because of the nearby bend that obscures visibility and take the path almost opposite that passes above two houses. This leads to a wider track, access to which is blocked by a wire fence that is easy to cross. Continue straight ahead after going through a gate, taking care to close it behind you. The track is less clear, but follow the electric fence on your right.

At the end of a small meadow, turn left (markings are not very clear) and finally join a road, which you take to the right. Descend to the church and the war memorial square, which is the starting point.

There is a water source at the start opposite the war memorial on the other side of the road. There are also many streams along the route, but it is not advisable to drink this water. Please plan accordingly.

Most of the paths are excellent and this hike can be done in simple trainers. Walking poles will be very useful on the two sections where the climb is steep: between (3) and (4) and then between (8) and (9).

This hike is magnificent in spring, when flowers carpet the meadows. But it is also very enjoyable in summer, as most of the route is through woodland, providing protection from the heat.

The^PR® markings are excellent all along the route.

The "Jasses" of Puech Carbonniés.

These dry stone constructions are similar to the "drystone shelters" of Provence or the "Orris" of Ariège. The term "Jasse" corresponds to the Brassac region. They were used as shelters for shepherds or small flocks of sheep. They were abandoned at the end of the 19th century.

Not far away is the small town of Brassac, the starting point for many hikes.

The Sidobre and its famous "rocks".