The Cirque d'Anglade and the Saubé Hut

From Seix, take the road to Couflens, then continue to Salau. At the edge of the village, leave your car in a small car park near the bins and information boards, along the River Salat.

(S/E) Continue along the road on foot for a few metres, then, on the left, at the entrance to a narrow street, signs indicate the start of the trails. Head towards Cirque d'Anglade. The trail is marked in yellow along the entire route and is fairly easy to follow. Walk along the river, then climb up through the undergrowth. Turn onto a path coming from the right and, after a slightly steeper climb, you will reach a road.

(1) Follow this road to the left until you reach some old mines.

(2) Just before the building, leave the road and turn right towards Cirque d'Anglade (signposted, yellow markings). Heading south, the trail climbs through the forest and then arrives at a mountain pasture area.

(3) Continue in the same direction until you reach the Cirque d'Anglade, an ideal spot for a break, and the Anglade waterfall.

(4) Then descend via the same route in the opposite direction to the old mines.

(2) Take the path on the right. It quickly gives way to a trail that climbs through the beech forest. Ignore a trail on the left before coming out onto a mountain pasture.

(5) Continue straight ahead (steep climb), then turn left, downhill, until you reach the Cabane de Saubé.

(6) Turn left just below the hut. The path then descends into a ravine (the path is discreet, so the app's GPS guidance is useful). Continue downhill, turning left (north-west) to quickly reach the undergrowth. Continue downhill, carefully following the signs for the Sentier de Découverte des Cougnets. Some sections are very steep. Further on, join a path coming from the left.

(7) Continue downhill to the right, following the markings to reach a beautiful stream, the Ruisseau des Cougnets.

(8) Walk along the right bank of this stream until you reach a small road.

(9) Continue along this road to the village of Salau. At the crossroads, turn left to cross the stream and you will soon reach the car park. (S/E)

Hike classified as difficult: significant elevation gain for a short hike, with very steep ascents and descents. Standard hiking equipment required, plus walking poles for experienced hikers.

From the hut, the trail follows a discovery trail: keep an eye out for the signposts numbered 6 to 13 (unfortunately, we didn't have the description sheets).

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

Magnificent Cirque d'Anglade

On the edge of the cirque, a large tungsten deposit was discovered in 1959. It stretches for nearly 500 metres between 1,300 and 1,600 metres above sea level. The vein was mined from April 1971 until 1986. The tungsten from the Anglade site was, at the time, the largest deposit of its kind mined in France.

Mining has had a certain impact on the landscape and biotope. Adjacent to the cirque, there is an area of spoil, consisting of granite from the excavation of the mining galleries.
Further downstream, a spoil tip contains thousands of tonnes of polluting red waste rock from the processing of the ore. The karstic hydrological system means that the watercourse passes under the spoil tip. Despite rehabilitation work, seepage has been observed, particularly during heavy rainfall. At the edge of the slag heap, unvegetated wetlands cause a collapse in the form of a ravine, and the runoff of residues to the Cougnets. Despite this, measurements taken on the stream have never revealed any abnormalities in water quality.