Country:
District:
The start is in the car park of the village of Fontjoncouse coming from Portel (D323).
(S/E) Enter the village on foot via Avenue Saint-Victor and pass the town hall (on your left) and a famous restaurant (on your right). Continue along the main street until you reach Grand'place, which is a crossroads in the village.
(1) Turn right onto Grand Rue. Continue along Chemin de la Planelle for 50 metres and turn left onto a path that crosses a meadow at a small grey cement house (on your left). This path climbs up to the plateau overlooking the village and leads to a track suitable for vehicles, offering beautiful views of the village and the castle church.
(2) Turn right and follow this track eastwards for 330 metres. When you reach a crossroads of carriageways, leave the roads and continue on the track north-eastwards, then due north after
1 km. Walk to the end of the track for about 2 km, where you will find a crossroads and a vineyard on your right.
(3) Turn right, north-east, onto the old Gallo-Roman road from Donos to Fontjoncouse. Walk 1 km, mainly north. The path makes a hairpin bend and descends in wide loops towards Combe Paradis and the Donos stream.
(4) The path leads to a wide track which you follow for about 50 metres northwards, then turn left onto a carriage track which you follow for about 300 metres.
(5) You will arrive at a dirt esplanade, where several paths meet. Take the path (an old track overgrown with vegetation) on the left heading south for about 850 metres. This path, which overlooks the stream valley, climbs steeply before descending towards the stream to cross it.
(6) Cross the ford easily (be careful, as the water level varies). Continue along the path on the other bank for about 50 metres. You will come to a steep firebreak. From here, the area has been disrupted by the creation of firebreaks since 2018. Follow the firebreak on the right for about 50 m: on your left, you will find a path starting in the vegetation. Follow it for 40 m until you reach a new firebreak, which you cross to continue along the path for 250 m. You should arrive near a vineyard, on a good track suitable for vehicles (access track to the Cabane du Berger farm) (Pouzoles).
(7) Turn left onto this track and follow it for about 460 metres. At an intersection, turn right.
(8) Pass the entrance to the Cabane du Berger farm (marked Pouzoles on the IGN map). Continue along the track, which climbs steeply towards the large plateau to the west.
(9) Reach the Blaquière plateau at an altitude of 341 metres. Superb 360° view. Continue along this track, which is initially flat and then descends gently to a crossroads.
(10) Take the path on the left and follow it for 550 m through the pine forest to another crossroads (signposted "Fontjoncouse"). Then take the path on the left and continue for about 1 km to the Col de Poursan.
(11) Continue downhill on the track (ignore the paths that join it).
(12) At the crossroads at IGN elevation 298, continue straight ahead on the old path from Fontjoncouse to Caraguilhes for about 500 m. You will reach a track near a fenced vineyard on your right. Walk along this vineyard (outside the fence) on your right for 70 m. Find a path that is the old road from Fontjoncouse to Caraguilhes and follow it for about 300 m. You will come out near another vineyard (on your right) and a track suitable for vehicles. Follow this track for about 300 m until you reach the fork you passed on the way there.
(2) Continue straight ahead along the path that takes you back to the village via Chemin de la Planelle and Grand Rue.
(1) At the Grand'place, continue straight ahead along Rue de la Source.
(13) Visit the Fontjoncouse spring and its wash house. Then follow Chemin du Lavoir to reach Avenue de Saint-Victor and the car park where you started (S/E).
Visorando member
Association / Club / Walk leader
Easy 
