Le Cos and the banks of the Salat

A steady climb to the summit of Cos with two beautiful viewpoints, the Salat valley and the Garbet valley and the Vallier massif on the other side, and a return to the banks of the Salat River with its turbulent, turquoise-blue waters.

Details

11698771
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.68 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 516 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 513 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,000 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 516 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the side of the D3 road at the bridge over the Salat.

(S/E) Cross the Salat to reach a crossroads.

(1) Take the small road that follows theGRP® Tour du Val du Garbet trail, marked in red and yellow, until you reach the car park in the hamlet of Esteyches. Take the forest path on the left. Follow it to the Col de l'Oule.

(2) Continue on theGRP®, then turn right onto theGR®10for a few metres. Leave it by taking the path on the right, still climbing. Reach a four-way crossroads after passing through a gate.

(3) Continue along the path opposite, passing a hairpin bend to reach the summit of Cos, with its picnic table and view of Seix. Return slightly backwards to follow the ridge to the orientation table and its view of Mont Valier. Take the path downhill, first through the woods and then through ferns. You will come to another crossroads.

(4) Take the path on the left and you will soon reach another crossroads.

(5) Continue along the path on the right and stay on this path, ignoring any paths branching off to the right or left. At the end of the descent, you will reach the village of Seix. Follow the signs for Seix.

(6) At the square with the children's playground, take the road on the right, then right again at the next intersection. The road then turns into a path along the Salat river (towards Esteyches). Follow this path along the river. You will come to another crossroads.

(7) Take the path on the left towards the Pont du Salat bridge to reach the crossroads you passed earlier.

(1) Cross the Salat on the bridge to the left to return to the D3 car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 527 m - Parking at the side of the D3 road. - Le Salat
  2. 1 : km 0.08 - alt. 533 m - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : km 2.24 - alt. 741 m - Col de l'Oule
  4. 3 : km 3.11 - alt. 869 m - Four-way crossroads
  5. 4 : km 4.74 - alt. 866 m - Crossroads after the orientation table
  6. 5 : km 5.24 - alt. 829 m - T-junction
  7. 6 : km 6.34 - alt. 517 m - Seix
  8. 7 : km 7.8 - alt. 534 m - Crossroads on the banks of the Salat
  9. S/E : km 8.68 - alt. 529 m - Parking at the side of the D3 road.

Notes

GR® and PR® marked trail. Be careful at the intersections of severalPR® trails marked in yellow.
After (4) , the path is very steep and slippery. If you wish to avoid this section, you can return to the village by following thePR® (signposted return to car park) and return to Seix via the Col de la Core road.
Route completed in 3½ hours with a lunch break. Picnic table with a view, but the location is very draughty; the orientation table is generally better sheltered.

Worth a visit

Seix Castle.
Jardin du Curé in Seix.
Pedlars' Museum in Soueix.
Seix and Arpos cheese dairies.
Fishing.
Kayaking.
For the less sensitive to the cold, swimming in the Salat.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
Bouconne VTT
Bouconne VTT
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Excellent. Done during a heatwave.

I didn't start at point 1 but at point 6 (the village of Seix) and did it in reverse, so I had a steep climb from points 6 to 5 in the cool shade of the trees
I couldn't do 4 to 3 because my fellow hiker was already tired. So I went around the south to reach point 3 (be careful not to fall...)
The descent to point 1 is very easy, but very sunny in the upper part and paved in the lower part. The climb in this direction would have been sweaty.
To swim and picnic, avoid the bridge area and head between points 1 and 7, where you'll find some beautiful deserted spots. The water is crystal clear and cool. Avoid swimming near point 6 as it gets very crowded at this time of year.

On your return to Seix, there are some friendly bars ready to serve you a cold beer.

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CH/MY
CH/MY

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello everyone
a very pleasant route, mostly in the shade on well-marked trails with breathtaking views. The return trip along the Salat River was very pleasant, with the sound of the water and a foot bath at the end. Best to do in summer or autumn for the colours.
At point 5, we continued on the interpretive trail, but at the trail car park, the track marked on the map with the return route is private.

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Tinya
Tinya

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with a gentle climb in the cool shade of the woods
Numerous magnificent views of the Ariège mountains
Very pleasant return trip along the banks of the Salat river, where you can cool off if you wish.
Numerous picnic spots with picnic tables.

Small landslide on the banks of the Salat due to bad weather: passable on foot but not on horseback, for example. Just next to a stone barn.

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PATRICE31800
PATRICE31800

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, everyone.
We hiked in threatening weather, and conversely, the climb in this direction is a real "wall": a good warm-up. Then, in the beech forest, the slope is less steep. When we reached the summit of Le Cos, the sun was shining brightly, with beautiful panoramic views of the Pyrenees and the village of Seix. When we reached the edge of the Salat, a sign told us that the path was closed due to a landslide. We went through anyway and reached the critical point, which we managed to get through by being careful.
Otherwise, we would have had to return to Seix via the D3. In summary, it's a beautiful, well-shaded hike.

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jclaude31
jclaude31

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Route completed on Thursday, 28 October 2021.
We did the circular route starting from Seix, which allowed us to visit this small village.
Don't hesitate to make a detour to visit the charming little hamlet of Aunac.
Note: At point (2), there is a sign for the "Sentier du Cos" and a small gate when you leave the GR 10.
We didn't encounter any slippery sections.
Great views from both the picnic table and the orientation table.
The route can be done in reverse for those who have trouble with their knees on the descent.

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l'indienne
l'indienne

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful view from the summit of Cos under
a magnificent sky!

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