The upper Amous valley

The first part of this hike takes you to the site of the old Carnoulès mines. The route then takes you up the slopes of the Amous valley and back along the river. The Amous, from its source to La Fabrègue, is superb: its crystal-clear waters wind through a wild valley, then its bed makes its way through more fertile land.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.65 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 272 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 271 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 444 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 194 m

Description of the walk

When coming to Saint-Sébastien-d'Aigrefeuille via the D217 from Anduze, park in the hamlet of La Fabrègue in a small car park on the right-hand side of the road, just after crossing the bridge over the Amous. Information board on local walks and arsenic pollution.

This route is entirely marked in yellow

(S/E). The "La Fabrègue" sign is located in the car park. Follow the road for a few metres towards "La Carrière" and take a path on the left. You will arrive at a road at the "La Carrière" sign.

(1) Do not take the road, but instead take a wide path towards "Carnoulès". The path crosses the old silver mines. The landscape is quite desert-like, with a few test plots for a plant-based decontamination project. Further on, follow the small road on the left that climbs towards the hamlet of Carnoulès.

(2) Follow the yellow signs to cross the hamlet, first taking Rue des Voûtes. Then pass an old well before arriving at the "les Carnoulès" signpost. Follow the direction of "l'Escoudas" on the left.

(3) Leave the street at a bend and continue straight ahead on the path. Further on, ignore the path on the left and continue on the wide track that veers to the right until you reach the first signpost, "Brugaunède".

(4) Continue straight ahead towards "l'Escoudas" for a few metres until you reach the second signpost, "Brugaunède". Follow the stony path on the left that descends towards "Camplone". Ignore the more or less distinct paths on either side and keep following the yellow markings.

(5) Further on, the path makes a sharp left turn to cross to the other side of the valley. About 1 km further on, ignore the path on the right that climbs towards Boisset and, 200 m further on, you will arrive at the edge of the Camplone stream. Shortly afterwards, take the bridge over the stream to find the "Camplone" signpost. About 150 metres downstream from the bridge, after the confluence with another stream, the Camplone stream becomes the Amous.

(6) Follow the signs for "la Carrière" on the right bank of the Amous.

(7) Cross the river via a bridge and continue along the left bank, following a path that becomes cemented from the old mill onwards, then along a small road that may be flooded in heavy rain. You will arrive at the signpost marked "la Carrière".

(1) Take the same route as on the way there, heading towards "la Fabrègue", to return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 194 m - La Fabrègue, car park on the edge of the D217
  2. 1 : km 0.33 - alt. 238 m - La Carrière, follow Carnoulès
  3. 2 : km 1.67 - alt. 341 m - Yellow markings in Carnoulès
  4. 3 : km 2 - alt. 352 m - Path straight ahead in the bend
  5. 4 : km 5.09 - alt. 443 m - Brugaunède, straight ahead then left
  6. 5 : km 6.6 - alt. 367 m - Change of slope
  7. 6 : km 8.67 - alt. 291 m - Camplone, follow the Carrière
  8. 7 : km 9.37 - alt. 262 m - Bridge
  9. S/E : km 11.65 - alt. 194 m - La Fabrègue, car park on the edge of the D217

Notes

Medium difficulty, fairly easy.

Some may find the long sections on tracks and roads monotonous.

Worth a visit

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here

Some photos here

The superb Amous valley upstream from La Fabrègue. It is shocking to know that downstream from the village, these beautiful waters become deadly, polluted by arsenic from the old Carnoulès mines. This pollution, which has long been ignored, is now under surveillance.

In (S/E), go to the bridge over the Amous. A few metres downstream, at the town hall on the left bank, the Ruisseau de Reigous brings its red, polluted waters to the beautiful river.

The Carnoulès mines in a few dates:

14th century: Artisanal silver mining,
1833: creation of the concession, underground extraction of lead and silver,
1951: open-cast mining by the Pennaroya company,
1961: After heavy rains, the tailings (waste rich in sulphide, arsenic and metals) stored in the Reigous valley, a tributary of the Amous, spread throughout the valley, killing fish over dozens of kilometres,
1963: closure of the mine; 1.2 million tonnes of waste rich in sulphide, arsenic and metals (tailings) are stored in the Reigous valley, a tributary of the Amous.
1970: Pollution of the Reigous and Amous rivers is revealed.
1976: further pollution in the valley following heavy rainfall.
1982: tailings stored behind a concrete dam.
1986: the site is sold to the local authority.
1992: the site is transferred to the municipality.
2002: Dispersal of waste rock deposits following flooding of the Reigous river.
2004: repair of the water collection channel,
2010: creation of a monitoring committee,
2014: plans for additional works and a phytoremediation initiative.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
3.9 / 5
chistole
chistole

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant, easy hike with no major difficulties, passing through the beautiful hamlet of Carnoulès. I would describe it as easy.

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katsou30
katsou30

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

Very monotonous circuit, lots of DFCI trails winding through oak trees. And the Ammous was completely dry on the way back in early September.

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Flo30900
Flo30900

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It was a great hike. The GPS route and navigation details were spot on. It was really enjoyable. I did it in 2 hours and 40 minutes, even taking the time to admire the scenery and take a few photos.

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NAELLE30
NAELLE30

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

A lovely little Sunday walk.
two villages to visit.
Not too difficult.

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ethee
ethee

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on Sunday, 16 February, under beautiful sunshine.
No particular difficulties, very pleasant along the river
Almost entirely on the DFCI, with beautiful views in places

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Boulet
Boulet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We went hiking on Sunday, 3 December
The trail started to get tedious, so we took a path to catch up with the trail on the other side
Otherwise, beautiful scenery with chestnut trees
Along the Almous, it was very pleasant with lots of water

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nock
nock

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a lovely little walk with no difficulties.

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pseu
pseu

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk, no problems

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Vincent Du Sud
Vincent Du Sud

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

As stated in the description: "may be perceived as a bit monotonous"! That's the least we can say!
Until the descent along the stream, you walk along DFCI paths (stony paths designed to allow fire engines to access forest areas) with very little shade, so, as they say here, "in the blazing sun".
As a result, 1/5 of the hike was enjoyable, but the rest, or rather the previous 4/5, were not particularly interesting apart from the physical exercise.

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mlkwsk
mlkwsk
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This hike is pleasant, offering beautiful views and the chance to discover Carnoules and the Amous Valley.
I rounded it off with a visit to the village and the discovery route no. 1 suggested by St Sébastien Town Hall (see the town hall website for more details). This route is very well designed and signposted, and extremely interesting.
The hike ended up being 14 km long, with a total elevation gain of 380 m.

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pantonelli
pantonelli

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb downhill hike, somewhat technical, narrow and stony path

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bernbla
bernbla

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Please note: at the start of the hike, the trees have been cut down by foresters, so the markings have disappeared (reported on Suricate). The hike is pleasant and not particularly difficult. Please note that at the last tarmac gate just before the finish, the farm dogs are a little aggressive.

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Mhutter
Mhutter

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful parish-specific to Brittany hike, without much difficulty. At point 5, it's worth taking the small path (very bucolic and not long) that climbs up to the hamlet of Boisset, where there is a beautiful building with a magnificent sundial and
a superb view. Simply take the track to the right of the building to rejoin the circular. This adds 1.5 km to the walk.

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monteze
monteze

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very well marked and explained route
Beautiful views of the Cévennes
Easy after the first slightly steeper climb

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PETITRANDONNEUR
PETITRANDONNEUR

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A route in mining country, where there are still a few remnants and a lot of pollution. Apart from that, the route is pleasant, and we passed through picturesque isolated hamlets. Passable paths, moderate elevation gain.
At the end of the circular, we reached "la cantine" and followed the direction of "La Vigne" to return to the starting point, covering a total distance of 16.5 km (on this section, it is possible to make a return trip to Castellas for a view).
This route is not very popular at this time of year.

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