Col de Fangas Haut and the boundary markers

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The walk begins with dense vegetation making the path difficult to follow, though the rest is generally well-cleared. There are several changes of direction, so a good GPS is essential, as there are few signposts on the ground. An off-road walk with lovely sections through the forest, surrounded by nature. At the end of the walk, there’s a beautiful view of the Galaube Dam and a final climb along a charming, picturesque little footpath.

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Date of your route : May 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route starting at point 1 is overgrown and impassable, so we followed the road and started at point 2. Apart from that, the rest of the route is very pleasant and easy. The final section of the route, on the climb up from the lake, is a bit overgrown but perfectly passable. A very lovely route through the woods and along the lake.

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Several years may pass between the time a route is created and the time you follow it. Vegetation sometimes takes over. Especially as we were unable to go walking for two years. But if you download the track, you simply need to follow it; the description isn’t very useful. Check out the reviews from hikers in 2018! I have about a hundred walks within a 30 km radius of Villardonnel and I can’t check them all every year. That’s why there’s a route map on the website.
Have a good day.

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Date of your route : May 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello everyone! What a shame that this walk, which could be absolutely stunning, is ruined by a lack of clear directions! If you’re used to following signposts, steer clear of this hike!!! Right from the start, even just trying to find the Col de Fangas......there’s no information about the location... without a GPS to the rescue! Don’t bother taking route 1 as the path is overgrown! In my opinion, set off on route 2 via the road....You’ll save time and avoid swearing! Watch out at the Fressegues stream: head left and follow the left bank... After about 1 km, there’s a crossroads; turn right at the junction and cross the stream at number 4 (concrete sill). I like windmills, but the five wind turbines on the right along the route......are impressive and, above all, noisy! It’s lovely at the lake because there’s no one there! Leave La Galaube at number 6 (ouch!!!)... the path isn’t very visible on the left before the tiny Pental stream – well, it’s more of a ‘Kho Lanta’-style passage... it’s uphill if you’re carrying a machete...you pass a dilapidated hunter’s hut... at 7, turn left onto the track... 50m further on, turn right! Phew! You’ll be crossing a very pretty forest for at least 20 minutes... turn left and you’ll arrive at the Col de Fangas Haut!!! You’re saved!!! No need for a helicopter ride! Good luck!
PS: Not recommended for beginner hikers! A tip: download the route

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Hello,
I did this hike by combining the three routes starting from Col de Fangas, making for a 12-kilometre walk that was very pleasant and not difficult.
There are a few spots where you need to keep an eye out for the path, but overall it’s fine.

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Date of your route : Jul 30, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk with plenty of shaded sections... You do need to pay attention at the junctions on trails 1 and 7, as they’re a bit overgrown... Magnificent views of the lake... Thank you

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Date of your route : Sep 11, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello.
I did this walk again on Friday after recording it in the spring. Be careful at the start, as the path to take has become quite overgrown with grass for a few dozen metres. You need to walk as far as the dead tree and carry on. Between the start and point 4, the path is a bit more overgrown than in the spring but remains very passable. As the forest was logged this summer (2016), the foresters left branches on the path at point 2 just to get down to the road, but you can get past there without any trouble too. By winter, everything should have settled back into place.
Enjoy your walk

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Hello Cindaie.
I’m sorry that this hike caused you so much trouble. These days, trail markings are unreliable for several reasons. Firstly, the markings may have been painted several years ago and have since been obscured by overgrown vegetation. But the most common reason is that all the local clubs organise events involving a hike and mark the route in all sorts of colours so as not to lose track of the participants. I know from experience that the markings are often misleading. Only those checked by the FFR on the major routes are still reliable. And often these major routes are crossed by confusing trails.
I’ve just checked it and can’t find anything to change in the description. If I’ve understood correctly, you’ve downloaded VisoRando for this walk without having an IGN subscription (€20 a year...). With this software, you can view a route at home at your leisure and cache the corresponding map. This means that if you lose your internet connection during the hike, the map will still be displayed. The map is stored on your device, not online. Then, in the settings, go to ‘Colours and thicknesses’. Set the Track to red and 2mm, and the Hike to blue and 3mm.
At the start of your hike, you’ll see the route in blue, and as soon as you set off, a flashing dot will follow your movements in red. If you stray from the route, you’ll see this after 15 or 20 metres and can correct your path. That’s why I never use the road book once I’m out and about.
I hope you’ll have a better experience with this software.

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Date of your route : Jun 05, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

Hello, today my partner, our little boy and I decided to go for a nice walk, which is why we chose this route. You should know that there are no signposts, so I’d downloaded your app – without it, we’d still be trying to find the start. To top it all off, once we were well into the walk, well... no GPS signal, so we were lost in the middle of nowhere. We walked and walked, and luckily we came across a hiker who told us we were heading in the wrong direction. So we had to turn back with the little one on my back because he couldn’t go on any further, and we were stressed because we were afraid we wouldn’t find our way back – a real nightmare. Yet we’re used to going on hikes, even the little one, but this was the first and last time...... no signposts, no trail...

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Date of your route : Mar 26, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb hike – but be careful at the start: don’t head up the track, but take the path on the left straight away; it’s tricky to spot as a large branch hides the path, as does a thick carpet of dry leaves. At point no. 6, the path you need to take on the left looks more like a minefield; don’t hesitate to head down it and ignore the barrier of branches a little further on.

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