The Chapel of Salars

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The crossing over the river is a little tricky at first because the stones are very far apart. A footbridge would be appreciated.
Otherwise, a lovely walk for the family and a beautiful discovery of the chapel.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An interesting hike with little elevation gain and plenty of variety, but the section on paths and roads between 1 and 4 (not done between 4 and 5) is a bit long and not very shaded in hot weather. The chapel and its beautiful shaded enclosure are well worth the effort!
A few details:
At the start, it's more of a ford than a footbridge. The stones are large and flat but spaced apart, so you have to jump a little! If there's too much water, you can perhaps go back along the Viaur, cross the bridge near the boules court and find the path again (not checked).
In the woods, before point 1, the steep climb is at the level of two small planks that can be easily stepped over. If you miss this passage, as I did because I hesitated, you will quickly end up at an open sheep pen, which you then have to climb up to the top on the left in the woods and then into a meadow to easily find the hiking trail again.
At point 1, after passing under the D911, stay on the path that climbs uphill and do not take the small road (see comment from a previous hiker).
Between points 3 and 4, you will cross the GR. This is an alternative route that avoids staying on the road. The path is quite steep and stony but not particularly difficult. Then descend a little along Avenue de Millau and cross it as soon as you see a small road climbing between houses opposite. The small road ends and turns into a narrow, little-used track, which is overgrown with weeds, nettles and brambles, but it's passable. You arrive directly below the cemetery and then at the chapel.
To return to Pont de Salars, I took the Way of the Cross, a path that descends quickly but is well maintained. NB: I was not following the Visorando trail. You arrive at the bridge over the Viaur.
Alternative: you can cross the bridge, then immediately descend to the right to pass underneath it. A path runs alongside the river to the car park at the start. But be careful of the water level, as the path ended up being covered with water and impassable, and I had to climb back up to the town via some steps.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with a bit of an uphill climb. The large stone footbridge isn’t easy to cross; the stones are quite far apart. We went round it by following the Viaur river after the bridge. This isn’t possible when the water level is higher. A little further on, the “steep climb through the woods” is truly STEEP. The chapel is very beautiful. The path leading back down to the village hadn’t been maintained for a long time; there were lots of brambles.

Machine-translated

Hello,
I will pass on your comment to inform hikers and I will try to return to the site to update the description accordingly.
I’m sorry for the inconvenience. We’re also considering removing this route – what do you think?
Thank you for your feedback. Have a lovely day,
Kind regards,

Machine-translated

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The signposting is very poor indeed. We took two wrong turns before finding the start
and reached the area under the bridge. When you go under the bridge, the map suggests going right, the guidebook advises turning left, but there are three paths. We tried all three. It’s the path straight ahead that’s the right one. On our way back to Pont de Salars, we saw a group of walkers looking for the start of the trail.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

An easy walk. Much of the route follows quiet tarmac roads.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk. There are a few nice sights and some geocaches along the way

Machine-translated