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In Saint-Pierre-des-Champs, coming from Lagrasse, cross the bridge and you will immediately come out onto the small square where the war memorial and the village’s charming church are located. At the corner of the church, turn right down a narrow, sloping lane, following the signs for PTT – Town Hall – Library, to reach the banks of the stream (the Quai). Park under the plane trees (four to five spaces available).
No signposting
(S/E) Head towards the bridge and follow the small street to the right, which rejoins the main road (Avenue du Cers). Cross the road and take Rue du Roc opposite (no entry sign). Follow this steeply ascending street, pass a second no entry sign, then turn left as the street bends to come out onto a small square. Continue straight ahead.
GR®® white and red signposting
(1) At the junction (rubbish bins on the left), turn left onto the small tarmac road, which soon begins to climb, winding through a series of bends.
Markings:GR®® white and red +PR®® yellow
(2) Pass the turn-off to the hamlet of Les Joffres on your right (this will be your return route) and continue left along the tarmac road.
(3) At the multi-way junction, veer right, following the signposting. The view then opens up onto the village, with the Montagne d’Alaric and its mast in the background.
(4) Ignore the turn-off to the left and carry on straight ahead along the road, which gradually loses its tarmac surface. Keep heading south along the main track until you reach a Fork in the road marked by a kilometre marker – rather out of place here – indicating La Soulane is 0.4 km away.
(5) Follow the left-hand branch and you’ll soon reach another junction which isn’t shown on the IGN map.
(6) Turn right, passing a small wooden post bearing dual signposting, and continue for about 250 metres (theGR®® route shown on the IGN map is incorrect here). At a wide bend at the top of a short steep slope, the very poorly positioned signposting can be misleading as it appears to suggest continuing to the right. Instead, turn left onto the dirt track and carry on until you reach a fork in the road (marked by a dead tree), which is situated just past a hunting blind.
(7) Turn right uphill.
(8) Leave the wide track and take a narrower path on the left which climbs through boxwood undergrowth. You need to be careful here as the junction is not obvious. You will soon rejoin the track you left earlier; turn left to reach a large, open crossroads offering a beautiful view to the north.
(9) Ignore the two tracks branching off to the right and left and take the steep, fairly challenging climb straight ahead leading to Mont Major.
(10) From the summit, take in the sweeping panorama. To the north, the Lézignan plain, the Montagne d’Alaric and the Montagne Noire. To the south, the tangled hills of the Corbières, Mont Tauch – recognisable by its tabular shape – and, on a clear day, the high peaks of the Ariège Pyrenees and the Canigou. Enough to make you forget the effort of the final climb.
Head back to the previous junction.
No signposting
(9) Take the first track on the left, which follows the contour lines almost exactly until the next junction in an open area.
(11) Turn right onto the track, which alternates between short climbs and gentle descents. After two consecutive tight bends, let a path on the left pass you by; it seems to disappear quickly into the vegetation before immediately opening out onto a Fork in the road where you can take either the left or right branch, both leading to the Pas de l’Ânesse.
(12) Turn left. Just before the track veers sharply to the right (north), ignore a path on the left leading to an isolated field and continue straight on.
(13) Directly opposite a DFCI water tank situated higher up on the right (yellow water intake), turn right uphill. The wide path soon levels out and winds its way through the heath and kermes oak trees until it reaches the bottom of a small valley and a crossroads next to the ruins of an old sheepfold overgrown with vegetation.
Yellow markings
(14) Ignore the path on the left and continue to the right. Cross a small bridge and you’ll soon rejoin the tarmac road. Pass the first houses, leave the Chemin de la Devèse on your left and continue to the right to pass through the hamlet of Les Joffres.
Markings:GR®® white and red +PR®® yellow
(2) Turn left downhill and retrace your steps to return to Saint-Pierre-des-Champs and the starting point (S/E).
, you can't get lost if you have the description with you!
Association / Club / Walk leader
Easy 
Visorando Member
