The Cirque de Navacelles from the Causse de Blandas

Red and white markings

(S) At Montdardier (GR® 7 signpost “Blandas 9.8 km”), leave the village via the track opposite the church (heading west). At the fork, leave the track and take a wide path to the right. Head west, pass under two high-voltage power lines and reach a crossroads.

(1) Head uphill opposite, following the stone walls. You will reach an old quarry (GR® 7 signpost “Blandas 8 km”).

(2) Continue north-west. Pass an active quarry on your left and come out onto the D113a (Route de Navas). Follow it to the left for 100 m.

(3) Turn left onto the Chemin des Morts (GR® 7 signpost “Blandas 6.8 km”). You will come out onto the D513; turn left onto it and reach a junction with the D113 at the Dolmen du Planas (signpost for the GR® 7 “Blandas 5.1 km”).

(4) Turn right onto the road towards Le Landre. Pass a tennis court on your right and head uphill towards Le Landre. On the descent, reach a T-junction before a right-hand bend (GR® 7 signpost “Blandas 3 km”).

(5) Turn left onto the path lined with hedges. Head southwards downhill and emerge onto a track (elevation 652).

(6) Take the track opposite. At a crossroads, turn right onto a path. After a gate and a right-hand bend, head down to the Lavagne farm.

(7) Take the road on the left and walk alongside a pond. At a cross, you’ll come out onto the D113 at Blandas. Take it straight ahead, pass the town hall (GR® 7 signpost “Maison du Grand Site 1.5 km”), then at the T-junction by the Auberge du Causse, turn left onto the D158. Reach the Croix Antoine Fabre (GR® 7 signpost “Maison du Grand Site 1 km”).

(8) Head up to the right via the old drovers' road. At the D713, turn right onto a path that runs alongside the road. Reach the entrance to the Belvédères de Blandas car park (GR® 7 signpost “Navacelles 3.1 km”). Head down the path opposite leading to the Maison du Grand Site des Belvédères de Blandas (signpost for the GR® 7 "Navacelles 3 km").

(9) Continue straight ahead for 200 m. At the fork in the woods, head up to the right towards the Travers de Navacelles. Reach a plateau in the moorland. Head north, then west. At a crossroads, take the path on the left heading due south. Reach the rocks of the Travers de Navacelles, which mark the edge of the Causse de Blandas.

(10) Descend into the Cirque de Navacelles via a path through the scree. Reach the D713.

(11) Follow it to the left for 50 m. Continue the descent to the right, first along a path through scree for a few dozen metres, then along a wider, winding track.

(12) At the Mas de Guillou fork, continue the descent to the left. After two hairpin bends, you will reach some houses. Turn right, cross an old stone bridge over the Vis and reach Navacelles (E).

Hike completed by the author on 28/08/2020.

This route follows the GR® 7. It is described in the TopoGuides published by the French Hiking Federation:
- ‘Crossing the Massif Central through the Parks: from La Bastide-Puylaurent to Castelnaudary’, reference 7002,
- “The Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert Trail”, reference 4834,
- “Crossing the Haut-Languedoc”, reference 716.

At the fork in the woods shortly afterwards (9), a sign warns: “Dangerous descent over scree. Risk of falls. Hikers, take the road.” Indeed, caution and two walking poles are essential to safely navigate the scree slopes of the descent from Travers de Navacelles (10) to (11).

Montdardier (S): water, guest rooms, stopover lodge, restaurant, grocery shop.

La Lavagne (7): a sign asks walkers not to picnic in the farmyard and indicates that a picnic area is available in the village, 500 m further on.

Blandas: water, picnic area, toilets, shelter, café, restaurant between (7) and (8).

Les Belvédères de Blandas (9): Maison du Grand Site Cirque de Navacelles, water, toilets, café, restaurant.

Navacelles (E): picnic area, toilets, stopover lodge, hotel, cafés, restaurants, guesthouses.

The Causses and the Cévennes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Causse de Blandas from (S) to (7): take the time to immerse yourself in the world of the Causse. The vegetation, consisting of pines, boxwood and meadows, conceals prehistoric remains, such as the Dolmen du Planas at (4).

From (9) to (E): panoramic views of the Gorges de la Vis and the Cirque de Navacelles.