Mont Barral

Patous or not Patous, sheep or not sheep, flocks or not flocks, walkers or not walkers?
These are interesting questions, and everyone has their own answer.
As for the Patous – normally, and I do mean normally – there’s often a green sign at the start of many walks warning of the presence of these large dogs. Hikers are then warned, and it’s up to them to decide whether or not to set off on these routes.
Next, what should you do in your situation? Why not contact the police? The mayor is also an option, as are no doubt other public bodies.
As for the dog’s unpredictable behaviour, you must also bear in mind that it is simply doing its job as a guard dog and cannot tell whether a hiker is a friend or a foe.
But I fully sympathise with the stress you must have felt in this situation.
All the best, and enjoy your future hikes.

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Date of your route : Jul 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The only problem – and it was a big one – was the Patous! I found myself surrounded by 10 Patous guarding sheep on the slopes of Mount Barral! They were all very agitated and menacing! They were coming at me from all sides, barking! One of them got right behind me! I’d placed my walking stick just behind me to protect myself, and he even bit it! I tried to calm the dogs down with words, whistles, then with firmer commands like: ‘Down!’ and finally I managed to get past! But no shepherds??? Where were they? I came across several other people who’d had the same problem, but with just four dogs – so imagine what it was like for me with ten! What should you do? Call the police? Where, and in which municipality? Anyway, be very careful – these dogs can be unpredictable at times!

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Date of your route : Sep 03, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We carried on as far as Le Jocou: allow about 6 hours for the round trip from the start of the walk – it’s a very, very steep climb (and consequently a very steep descent) – but it’s definitely worth it if you’ve got time to spare!

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Date of your route : Oct 05, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk.
We opted for a circular route, passing through the meadow, climbing up to the ridge, admiring the rather superb scenery and ‘climbing’ to the summit, then heading back down the path and through the forest
The “climb” is quite steep but well worth the effort.
The vultures kept us company throughout the walk.
The descent is quite slippery… it’s best to do this walk in dry weather.

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