The Fajas d'en Baillette

Date of walk : Jul 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A pleasant walk through the woods, with a somewhat long and monotonous climb to Fajas d'en Baillette, the main attraction of this walk. You need to pay attention to avoid getting lost, as the path is littered with leaves and branches.

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Date of walk : Sep 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Since September 2023, the remarkable tree in this magnificent forest has been diseased.
It is now protected from trampling in order to slow down the spread of the fungus that is devouring it.
There are no signs on the site, which is a shame... (we found this information on the internet)

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Date of walk : Nov 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

This morning, the exceptional mildness of a lingering Indian summer prompted me to go and get some fresh air in the forest with my faithful furry companion. I chose a hike between Sournia and Le Vivier (66) through a forest of beech and chestnut trees. The hike starts from the car park of a charming little contemporary church topped by the ruins of a 17th-century castle.
A stony path leads into the forest, which is so dense that it blocks out the light. The ground is covered with an increasingly thick carpet of autumn-coloured leaves that fall continuously like golden rain in the light breeze. The path turns into a trail that disappears under this leafy carpet, which cushions every step and requires constant attention to avoid getting lost in the tangled vegetation. After an hour of gradual and steady climbing, we arrive at a remarkable 500-year-old beech tree, whose highest branches seem to touch the few clouds that can be glimpsed through the thick foliage.
Two hikers we meet at this majestic spot point out an alternative route that leads out of this lush forest to a ridge offering magnificent views of the coast in the distance to the east and King Canigou directly opposite, topped with a few cirrus clouds contrasting with the bright blue sky.
After a tasty break in the sun but with a light breeze, I returned to the ridge where my daydreaming had led me astray, adding more than a kilometre to my route..
The return to the forest was on this golden carpet, on a sometimes steep slope that put a strain on my quadriceps, which were starting to heat up. Then a stony path reappeared, forcing me to pay closer attention to avoid the same mishap as on my previous outing, which still left a few scars on my ribs..
A tarmac road takes over until the car park at the start.
The total length is 13 km with an elevation gain of 600 metres in 3½ hours (including a lunch break), whereas Visorando mentions 11 km (not counting my mistake on the ridge!) in 4½ hours..
In short, a nice hike to do in summer when it's hot, as it's entirely in the shade except for the added section on the ridge. (Minus the autumn colours...)

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Date of walk : Dec 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Beautiful hike

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Date of walk : May 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A lovely walk through a beech forest.

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Thank you for your comment! Have a nice trip and a great week!

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Date of walk : Feb 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Thank you!

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Thank you for your comment!
Have a great week!

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Date of walk : Nov 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very beautiful hike in the beech forest of Le Vivier under bright sunshine. Magnificent undergrowth in this month of November. Moderately difficult hike.

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Thank you for your comment! Have a great weekend

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Date of walk : Oct 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A magnificent hike in the beech forest of Le Vivier. The undergrowth is clear and the paths are pleasant. As mentioned in another review, the start of the GR trail at point 7 is not very visible. At Les Fajas, we took the path on the left to rejoin the GR at elevation 893 and continue the route at point 7. This allowed us to enjoy the sunshine and the view of Canigou.

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Glad you enjoyed the hike!
Best regards

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Date of walk : May 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A beautiful hike through magnificent beech forests, streams and waterfalls, birdsong... Pure bliss! We encountered two fox cubs but no other hikers.
A walk to enjoy in summer in the cool shade of the undergrowth

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Date of walk : Dec 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Departure from Village Vivier with a hiking guide; beautiful autumn colours

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Thank you for your comment.
Kind regards

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