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.

Technical sheet

n°232422
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.85 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 334 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 327 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 964 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 786 m
Downloads
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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

Practical information

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

In the nearby area

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

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during 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 42 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
eric ramos
eric ramos

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Oct 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

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

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APOSTROPHES
APOSTROPHES

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

All clear. Follow the yellow markings. Thank you

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Danydeguit
Danydeguit

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Feb 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Dec 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Jul 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Jul 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Excellent course

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francis Mourvilles
francis Mourvilles

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : 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 walk : Jul 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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 walk : Sep 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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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81randosergio
81randosergio

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : N/A
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

It is always with great pleasure that I walk this beautiful, shaded route, which follows lovely sunken paths lined mainly with beech trees. It offers some beautiful views, provided you stray a little from the route to satisfy your curiosity. I would even recommend it to less experienced walkers as it is not difficult, apart from one slightly steep climb which, once you've made it to the top, rewards you with a beautiful view. Although I used a hiking GPS, I found the signposting easy to follow and particularly well maintained, as were the paths. A superb grass snake and a pretty hare made this hike even more enjoyable.
I highly recommend it

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Zaza de Brousses
Zaza de Brousses

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Short, easy hike with magnificent views!

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The GPS track and description are the property of the author. Do not copy them without permission.