The Three Bishops Fountain

de fr

Circuit around the Sales Plateau, on the border of the Aude, Tarn and Hérault departments. With its varied landscapes, it will appeal to lovers of wild places with its many Occitan crosses and superb panoramic views of the Montagne Noire and the Minervois. View of the Pyrenees in good weather.

Details

n°232422
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.85 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 334 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 327 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 964 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 786 m
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Photos

Bell tower of the church in Sales
Hamlet of Sales
Southern landscape
A cairn

Description of the walk

Departure from the village of Sales, at the foot of the iron cross.

(S/E) Head south on the gently sloping path. After about 100 metres, turn right. Immediately after (cross), ignore a path on the right and continue straight ahead (south-southwest) on a grassy path.

(1) When you reach the D920, cross it, continue straight ahead and cross a stream. At the next crossroads, continue on the second path on the right.

(2) At the crossroads, follow the D182 straight ahead for a few dozen metres. Then turn right onto the road climbing towards Saladou.

(3) At the T-junction, turn right. Climb up in a wide arc from right to left to reach the Saladou viewpoint.

(4) Follow a stony path on the right (west-southwest) and climb a steep slope. At a T-junction, follow the path on the right for a few dozen metres until you reach another junction. You are now on the highest point of the circuit.

(5) From this point, you can see three cairns to the south (which I consider to be sentinels of peace): take the grassy path climbing in this direction.

(6) The first large cairn offers a 360° view of the Pyrenees and the Montagne Noire. Continue climbing until the end of the path (another viewpoint and the highest point on the plateau).

(7) Turn back to the crossroads.

(5) Turn left onto the yellow-marked trail that enters the woods and descends to the Col de Salettes.

(8) At the Col de Salettes, cross the D620 and, after 50m of track, turn onto the path on the right which joins theGR®7. Then go left (west) to the Fontaine des 3 Évêques.

(9) From the fountain, retrace your steps, then turn left (north) and continue on theGR®, a wide gravel path marked in red and white

(10) Leave theGR® by turning sharp right onto the path leading to the Baylé farm. At the first crossroads, continue straight ahead.

(11) At Le Baylé, the path ends at the road. Take the road to the left towards Lebrat (you will see a wayside cross a few metres ahead on the right). After 80 metres, the road becomes a path again.

(12) Cross the hamlet of Lebrat and head left (northeast) towards Farail.

(13) Go around the Farail farm on the road and continue to the starting point in Sales (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 837 m - Small square at the entrance to the village
  2. 1 : km 0.49 - alt. 791 m - Crossroads with the D920
  3. 2 : km 1.22 - alt. 824 m - Road D182
  4. 3 : km 2.2 - alt. 894 m - T-junction at elevation 8944
  5. 4 : km 3.58 - alt. 873 m - Viewpoint at Saladou
  6. 5 : km 4.34 - alt. 935 m - Crossroads
  7. 6 : km 4.6 - alt. 947 m - Cairn, 360° view
  8. 7 : km 5 - alt. 948 m - Another viewpoint, picnic possible
  9. 8 : km 8.04 - alt. 884 m - Col de Salettes (882m)
  10. 9 : km 8.71 - alt. 919 m - Fountain of the Three Bishops
  11. 10 : km 9.9 - alt. 948 m - Leave the GR by taking a sharp right turn
  12. 11 : km 10.82 - alt. 864 m - Le Bayié
  13. 12 : km 11.81 - alt. 850 m - Lebrat
  14. 13 : km 13.22 - alt. 849 m - Farail
  15. S/E : km 13.85 - alt. 837 m - Small square at the entrance to the village

Notes

Hiking equipment.
Walking sticks may be useful for climbing some steep slopes.
Picnic area around the cairns.

Worth a visit

Viewpoints of the Montagne Noire and the Pyrenees.
Fountain of the Three Bishops.
Various crosses.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Downloads
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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 44 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Lewouf
Lewouf

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very enjoyable hike, but be mindful of the weather. It may be sunny in Albine, but you could end up hiking entirely in the clouds, as I did. Normally, you will have two guides named Crème and Grenouille, two adorable little dogs who will lead the way throughout the hike.

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User 21635854

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route mapped out by Visiorando is accurate and more reliable than the usual signposting.
I did this hike in February in foggy conditions...which was a shame because it's a very beautiful route. So, it's important to take the weather into account in this area because it can be very different from the nearby plains.

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eric ramos
eric ramos

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike at the meeting point of three departments, with royal forest paths and their flamboyant carpets of autumn colours. The time indicated is accurate, the signage is perfect, and the ridge landscapes (the white stones, the highest point of the hike) are breathtaking.
Two brief moments of doubt were quickly resolved with the help of geolocation.

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raymond. G
raymond. G

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk with beautiful panoramic views, enjoyed in glorious sunshine.

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APOSTROPHES
APOSTROPHES

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

All clear. Follow the yellow markings. Thank you

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Danydeguit
Danydeguit

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route starting from SALES, which you can find by turning right off the road to Caunes. You can leave your car in the village. There are several starting points from SALES, and the app helped us figure out which direction to go. Most of the route is shaded. Magnificent 360° view at point 7. At point 9, we turned back to climb the path that starts at the green gate on the right, which we had passed while following the route on the app. Temperature 35°C.
Definitely worth doing.

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bergpaden
bergpaden

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

With the beautiful weather, we had a wonderful view of the Montagne Noire and the Minervois. The paths and trails were pleasant and beautiful.
I recommend this hike, which is not difficult at all.
Bea

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D@g
D@g

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike. The only downside was the morning fog, which obscured the view. We should have done it in reverse, as the sky was clear in the afternoon.

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Maxime34350
Maxime34350

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The definite advantage of this hike is that 80% of it is in the shade, even in very hot weather.

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HerveE
HerveE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This route, mostly shaded and at medium altitude, makes for a lovely walk despite the summer heat.
Magnificent views of fields of pink heather in bloom.

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francis Mourvilles
francis Mourvilles

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Excellent course

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francis Mourvilles
francis Mourvilles

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Good route with little traffic

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madydou
madydou ★

Hello,
Thank you for your feedback.
I'm glad you enjoyed the tour.

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chantalzen
chantalzen

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, very shaded walk, so very pleasant when it's very hot. We missed the 360° viewpoint on the way there, so we turned back 1 km further on to enjoy it, and we did the whole route in 4 hours with a lunch break, without rushing. The signposting is perfect and the route is easy, with only a short steep section of about 100 metres requiring a little effort, but nothing insurmountable.

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kinou1273visorando
kinou1273visorando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route with superb panoramic views on the south side.
Much of the route is in the woods, so there is plenty of shade, ideal for a summer hike.
The walking time was slightly overestimated; we completed it without rushing in 4 hours and opted to walk in the opposite direction to the description, which minimised the difficulty.

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