Climb up the slopes of the Tabe massif from Les Cabannes

Start from Les Cabannes railway station.

(S/E) Set off with your back to the station and turn left onto the main road (D522A). Very soon, turn left again onto the Route de Verdun (D120). Cross the level crossing, then take the bridge over the Ariège and the RN20.

(1) At the end of the bridge, head straight up into the village of Verdun, taking the small street on the right which leads to a wash house. Continue straight on along the Chemin de Peyret, which bends to the left. Just after this bend, take a track on the right which climbs due east into the mountains, running alongside a farm. Continue to the four-way crossroads.

(2) Ignore the track you come across and carry on straight ahead along the path (marked^PR®), which gradually gains altitude through the forest. Continue climbing along this hillside path, which eventually heads due north towards the Pas de Toulzan.

(3) From the Pas de Toulzan, carry on in the same direction, following the signs for Verdun. The path winds downhill through the trees in a small, damp valley before emerging onto a track with information boards and a dam.

(4) Head up this track to the right, then very soon you’ll come across a small path on the right through the forest. This path climbs alongside a stream until it joins a tarmac road (D20) near a bridge over the Ruisseau des Moulines.

(5) Cross the road to take another path opposite, continuing in the same direction. Cross a small bridge; the path continues to climb and crosses another bridge. The hairpin bends become increasingly tight and steep beneath the fir trees, before opening out onto the clearing at the Cabane des Gardes.

You can stop the climb here and consider turning back. See practical information.

(6) Continue the climb by following the hairpin bends heading due north behind the hut on the left. Ignore a path branching off to the right and carry on along the hairpin bends until they end. Do not head down to the valley floor on the right, but turn left to leave the forest and come out onto a wide, open track. A beautiful panorama of the valley and the surrounding mountains then opens up.

(7) From there, head back down the same path in the opposite direction to the way you came, until you reach the junction with the track near the dam.

(4) Leave the path you took on the way up and turn right onto the downhill track, which joins a tarmac road at a hairpin bend on the D120. Continue downhill along the road towards the village of Verdun. A small path on the left allows you to cut across the hairpin bends. Enter Verdun via the Route des Côtes, which leads to a junction with several streets at a place called Barry-d’en-haut.

(8) Take a short detour to the right along Rue du Rempart to visit the magnificent Romanesque church of Saint-Blaise. Take the first street on the left to return to the Route des Côtes, which passes in front of the town hall before turning left, then right, to return to the bridge over the Ariège that you crossed on the way out.

(1) Follow the outward route in the opposite direction to return to the station (S/E).

Alternatives at (6).
- If you do not climb up to point (7), this reduces the elevation gain of the walk by around 250 m by descending directly to point (5) on the D20 via the same route as on the way up,
- Or, better still, continue along the nature trail which runs horizontally to the right of the hut (IGN route) and descends via a circular route.

Duration: between 4 and 7 hours depending on your fitness level and the breaks you take.
A good level of fitness is required: there are no particular difficulties, but the elevation gain is significant and the switchbacks between points (5) and (7) are quite steep.