The Étang du Serre d’Aubrias from the Col de Péras

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

A short section that was a bit tricky, but otherwise the views were stunning and the pond had been built there. I’m not judging the person who organised this hike, but for me two things matter: I wouldn’t do it again, and I wouldn’t recommend it.

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Date of your route : Jul 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I followed this route from point 4 to the Col de Péras whilst doing a circular route between Bordezac and Aujac.
Like everyone else, I was taken aback by the section at La Loubière.
A bit tricky, but doable if you take your time and use your hands.
A lovely route, quite shaded, and the GRP is very well signposted (a pleasant surprise!!)

Do you know if it’s possible to head down from point 1 towards Aujac via the Château du Cheylard?
There’s a trail marked on the old IGN maps, but not on the new ones.

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Date of your route : Nov 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The suggested round-trip route is superb! But, just so you know, it’s not an open ridge walk. You’re mostly in the woods, though with magnificent views of the Cévennes. On the other hand, the route is more physically demanding than I thought: the section at the summit of La Loubière (2 km from the start) requires a bit of scrambling (using your hands to climb the rocks) for about twenty minutes. But it’s doable!
We turned this out-and-back walk into a circular one by returning, after reaching the pond (a superb spot), via the DFCI which skirts the massif to the south (it’s shown on the Visorando PDF map) and is easy to follow. This DFCI starts on the D51 (at an altitude of around 497 metres); a ‘private road’ sign marks its start, but it is indeed the DFCI that climbs straight up to the Col de Peras. Although the views of the southern Cévennes are beautiful along this track, the constant climb up to the pass is a bit tedious.
I think the best option would be to start as close as possible to the Aubrias pond: the hamlet of Bédousse or Aubrias (D51), or possibly Malbosc. You then follow the route along the ridges corresponding to the return leg of the itinerary described here, and at the Col de Peras you head back via the DFCI on a steady descent. Furthermore, this route—running east-west on the outward leg and west-east on the return—means that if you do the outward leg in the morning and the return in the afternoon, you won’t have the sun in your face the whole time (it’s a small detail, but one that’s very welcome when the sun is low, particularly in autumn).
This is just a suggestion, but I would like to extend my warmest thanks to the author of this wonderful walk.

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Date of your route : Oct 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The Serre d’Aubrias Lake as seen from the Col de Peras. A ridge walk, relatively easy except – and this is important for me – for one ‘tricky’ spot (at an altitude of 881 metres, below the mast): a drop of three or four metres that I find vertiginous, given that I’m very prone to vertigo. I managed to get round the obstacle by climbing up the rocks 2 metres to the right of the path, but still, it was difficult for me. Couldn’t a benefactor have a support rope (or a cord) installed there, anchored to the rock, so as not to discourage certain people???
Additional note: this route absolutely requires sturdy footwear, should be tackled in dry weather, and is perfect in summer as it’s mostly under the canopy. Magnificent views… through the gaps in the foliage.

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