Along the Rigole de la Plaine, Lake Lenclas, the Cathar fort

Park in the car park near the school in Saint-Paulet.

(S/E) Go up Rue du Château and reach the bend before the castle.

(1) Turn left, then quickly take the farm track on the left and walk alongside the old mill. You will come to a wide dirt track. Take it on the left and follow it for about 800 m until you find a path on the left leading down into a small wood.

(2) Take this path to the left, descend, exit the woods, then pass in front of an old restored trough and arrive at the road.

(3) Turn left and then immediately right to cross La Rigole de la Plaine via the bridge. Turn left straight away to follow the path running alongside La Rigole, which is the GR®653 or Chemin de Compostelle marked in white and red. You will reach the D113.

(4) Cross it carefully, stay on the GR®, then pass the hamlet of La Bomba and reach a small stream located shortly after the hamlet of La Borde Basse.

(5) Continue on and you will soon come to a crossroads with a large oak tree on the right and a sign for Site du Fort - Mémorial Cathare.

(6) Turn right onto the GR® for a stretch of tarmac, then a dirt track, and follow the Rigole to reach the Lac de Lenclas dyke.

(7) Cross the dyke to reach the open-air café (closed in winter) and picnic tables.

(8) Return via the same path along the dyke and dirt track to the junction with the sign for Site du Fort - Mémorial Cathare.

(6) Turn right, leaving the GR® here, follow the signs, then after about a hundred metres turn left onto an uphill farm track lined with trees. You will arrive at the bottom of the memorial.

(9) Continue along this same path to reach a tarmac road leading to Les Cassés. At the next crossroads, turn left, then right to reach the D113.

(10) Turn left onto it (take care, as there are sometimes vehicles). Follow the road for about 1,200 metres until you reach a Y-junction with a calvary in the centre.

(11) Take the small road on the right that runs along the ridge. Pass in front of the imposing façade of the Château de Saint-Paulet (private property), then return to the initial crossroads.

(1) Turn left and retrace your steps to return to the car park near the school in Saint-Paulet (S/E).

Picnics are possible at Lake Lenclas.

Alternative route: between (9) and (10), continue left on the dirt road for 1700 m. At the field of solar panels, turn left. Return via this road uphill towards Saint-Paulet.

Before (1) on the way back: Saint-Paulet Castle. Please note that this castle is private property.
(8) Lake Lenclas and La Rigole.
(9) The Cathar memorial.
Nearby: Canal du Midi.