L’Hôpital-Beaulieu and the Ouysse Fossil Valley

The starting point is on the village square in Issendolus, in front of the town hall by the hiking information board. You can park on the square or in the car park signposted 50 metres further down.

(S/E) Walk downhill, keeping the war memorial on your left, and follow the red and white markings of the GR®6 for about 200 m. When you reach the Croix de Trémoulet, leave the^{GR® route}, continue straight on for 130 m and pass the signs marking the village exit.

(1) Take the first street on the right, which climbs slightly towards the Mas d’Atgié farm.

(2) In the hamlet, turn left towards a large farm building; once you reach it, leave the road and follow a grassy track for 500 m, which descends to the left and then climbs back up towards the D840.

(3) Cross the D840 road linking Gramat to Figeac with care. A cattle underpass near the car park allows you to cross more safely. Continue opposite the previous track along the small road leading to the hamlet of Le Breil. Keep turning right to reach the large convent (900 m along the road).

(4) Visit the grand convent, follow its northern and eastern walls, then head south. Walk along the large Hôpital-Beaulieu square and rejoin the D840. You are now on a signposted section of the GR®6, which you should follow. At the bus shelter (elevation 336), walk alongside the D840 for 120 m (watch out for vehicles on this stretch of main road).

(5) Opposite the former Teulières campsite, turn left onto a small, shaded path. Follow the red and white markings and pass through the hamlets of Vernique and Soulestrein. Cross the Morou stream via a small bridge rebuilt in 2024. The road climbs with a hairpin bend at a place called Lestrade.

(6) When you reach the first houses, leave the GR®6 by turning right. The road becomes a track that will take you back to the D840.

(7) Cross the D840, taking care as always, and take the stony track that climbs up to the left for 160 m.

(8) At the junction by the Dolmen de la Pierre Levée (elevation 334), take the track on the right and follow the yellow markings, which will lead you to the bottom of the dry Morou valley. Continue along the lowest part of the valley on a shaded track that will take you up to the Croix du Levat.

(9) At the cross, turn left onto the small road which will take you to Place de Buzat. Leave the road on the right and walk up this grassy square towards a small barn that has been beautifully restored by the local council. Just below the barn, take a narrow street and follow it for 100 metres to the D20, at the junction with the Issendolus stadium and cemetery. Cross the D20 with care and, following a grassy path, head uphill, turning right at the 342-metre mark, until you reach the beautiful Suquet cross, adorned with a large carved heart at the centre of a quatrefoil design.

(10) At the Suquet cross, take the small road on the left and, at the first junction, turn right. After the last houses, the road becomes a track. At the first fork, take the left-hand fork to descend steeply to the bottom of the dry Morou valley.

(11) At the very bottom, head right and stay on the track at the bottom of the large dry valley. Leave the Bargade hollow on your left. At this point, the seasonal stream has exposed the pebbles. Continue to a crossroads where there is a wooden signpost and yellow markings.

(12) Turn right onto the yellow-marked path, which, after 200 metres, will take you to a four-way junction with a small iron cross adorned with a heart on a slope, at elevation 314. Turn right onto the path which, continuing straight on for 700 metres, will lead you uphill to the hamlet of Mondou and the village road.

(13) At the Mondou cross, turn right (viewpoint over the village) and head down the road to the church, then return to your starting point (S/E).

You will find:
- several car parks in the village centre.
- A picnic table and a drinking water tap next to the church.
- A large map of the Causse walking routes, marked in yellow, on the town hall square.
- A drinking fountain, a boules court and a picnic table on the main square in L’Hôpital-Beaulieu.
- A shelter under the canopy of the village barn on Place de Buzat.
- A bench on Place de Buzat.
- A drinking fountain inside and near one of the gates of the Issendolus cemetery.

Along the way, you will see the ruins of the former Hôpital-Beaulieu convent, founded by Gerbert and Aigline de Thémines between 1235 and 1253 on a route used by pilgrims. It was destroyed during the Revolution in February 1793. It is currently being restored.
Large sections of the surrounding wall remain, as do some fine keystones with carved coats of arms in the chapter house, which was listed as a ‘Historic Monument’ in 1920. A large plaque next to the entrance explains its origins.

You can enter the beautiful Church of Saint-Julien, which was restored in 1994 and 2024. Inside the building stands a statue of Sainte-Fleur, who lived at the convent. Inside, two dates appear on either side of the central bay: 1736 and 1741; outside, another is engraved above the side door: MDCCCXIII (1813). To the side of the church, the square tower of the presbytery, with its sundial, is thought to be the remains of a tower from the former castle, which no longer stands. Previously, the village cemetery was situated near the church.

You will pass by the Dolmen de la Pierre Levée. Following the tragedy at Gabaudet, a group of Resistance fighters shot Adjutant Bonaventure and his entire family in a nearby field. He had informed the SS of the Resistance’s presence in Gabaudet.

You will see numerous crosses erected at crossroads. On the one at Suquet, a large heart is carved in relief on its plinth, at the centre of a quatrefoil design. One of the stone slabs paving the ground bears an inscription whose meaning has not yet been discovered.

You will see the chasm of the Creux de la Bargade beneath the trees at the bottom of the valley. During heavy floods, the Morou stream flows back through its dry valley towards Gramat. It bypasses Issendolus and disappears here.