The Pic de la Coquillade from Cabrerolles

A magnificent hike starting from Cabrerolles, a beautiful little village with its 10th-century fortified castle. Inside the castle, you will see the magnificent Notre-Dame de la Roque Chapel.
At the start of the route, you will find a botanical trail featuring different plant species and other plants, which is great fun for children. Finally, at the top of Pic de la Coquillade, you will have a splendid 360° view of Caroux, the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees.

Details

398900
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.63 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 498 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 498 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 702 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 305 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Car park near the cemetery and town hall.

(S/E) Leave to the right of the cemetery, continue straight ahead, passing two streets on your left, and take the third left. Follow the blue markings to a small square and continue straight ahead on the wide path to reach the Notre-Dame de la Roque Chapel.

(1) Take the Blue marked trail again to reach a crossroads of several tracks.

(2) Continue on the second large track on the left (road) marked with green signs until you reach the hamlet of La Borie Nouvelle. Just before the end of the road, turn left to pass between the houses.

(3) At the small square in the hamlet, turn left and continue straight ahead to join the forest track leading to the summit. Follow this track to the right and shortly afterwards you will reach a crossroads with a path.

(4) Take this path on the right (not shown on the IGN map), which cuts through the woods and avoids the bend in the track. Join the track and stay on it until you reach the foot of the summit.

(5) Initially, leave the blue-marked trail on your left to climb to the summit of Pic de la Coquillade, as the view from there is magnificent. Then take the small path behind the antenna on the left and join the blue-marked trail. Follow this trail west-southwest to reach Col de la Balque.

(6) Be careful here, as the markings are not very visible. When you come out of the woods, continue straight ahead, ignoring the paths on the right and left where there are faint blue crosses. Further on, you will find a cairn and the blue markings, but these are very faint. Continue southwards to reach a new path.

(7) Take it on the left to reach the cemetery and the Cabrerolles car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 305 m - Cabrerolles car park
  2. 1 : km 0.42 - alt. 362 m - Notre-Dame de la Roque
  3. 2 : km 1.12 - alt. 453 m - Green Network crossroads
  4. 3 : km 1.69 - alt. 485 m - La Borie Nouvelle
  5. 4 : km 2.21 - alt. 542 m - Forest track
  6. 5 : km 3.29 - alt. 675 m - Pic de la Coquillade (696 m)
  7. 6 : km 4.38 - alt. 619 m - Col de la Balque (623 m)
  8. 7 : km 5.31 - alt. 675 m - At the crossroads, continue to the left.
  9. S/E : km 7.63 - alt. 306 m - Cabrerolles car park

Notes

Sentier Pays Bleu signposting.

Worth a visit

(1) Take the time to visit the fortified castle and the Notre-Dame de la Roque Chapel.
(3) Take note of the oven in the village of La Borie Nouvelle.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 29 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Marc Maniere
Marc Maniere

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At the start, it climbs steadily for 4 km. Very little flat ground. Then another 4 km descent with loose stones and some very steep sections. My knees remember it well. Follow the blue markings, although sometimes they disappear and are replaced by yellow ones. At one point, when crossing a large track, you have to follow a small path through the woods marked with a blue cross. Fortunately, I had activated the route to take this path. There is tourist interest here with a charming village and history to explore. Once you reach the summit, the view is magnificent, even when it's a little overcast.

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VicOu
VicOu
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant hike with beautiful views

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Petite luciole
Petite luciole

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pretty hike
Not always easy to follow as the markings are quite faint in places.
In addition, we calculated a longer distance of around 9 km
The descent is very long.

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Fernandez Benjamin
Fernandez Benjamin

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Much of the route is undergoing water supply works. As a result, it is closed and access is prohibited.
Blue markers are easy to follow.

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lucCh
lucCh
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Two-thirds of the route is shaded, one-third is sunny. On a beautiful summer day, the sunny uphill sections are quite tough. But hey, it doesn't last too long. The lookout tower was unoccupied, which is surprising given the season. There is a 360° view of the Mediterranean to the south (Agde, Sète, etc.) despite the heat haze.
On the way back, there are a few sections that must be slippery in wet weather.
We followed the blue markings the whole time, which are generally correct (they must have been redone since the previous comments...). The Visorando route is surprising at point 7, where we were at least 50 m away, but it's no big deal, there must have been a GPS failure at that point...
So, an easy hike but be careful, given the sunny sections, probably not suitable for children in summer (unless the weather is overcast)

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Droogy
Droogy

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route. I was looking for a shaded route on this summer day with a forecast of 34°C, and this was just what I needed. It's still hot, so it's best to set off early, but you can do it in the middle of summer. Some parts of the original route are no longer possible, but you won't get lost as the path is clear. I recommend it.

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Véro NOUXET
Véro NOUXET

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike at 4:30 p.m., so there was no one else around for two hours and five minutes, but the descent was a nice little run to end the day. I recommend it and will do it again. Very well marked.

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Vetretmar
Vetretmar

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The blue signposts are reliable and clearly visible, but downloading the route is always a bonus.
Pleasant route, mostly shaded.
Medium difficulty +.

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papyrandonneur
papyrandonneur

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, but with some very difficult sections and poorly visible markings in places.
interesting passages through the woods and superb views at the top of the circuit.
i would rate this hike as MEDIUM difficulty, but I would say DIFFICULT but enjoyable.
best done in dry weather as it is very slippery on the rocks (I fell five times and ended up with a sore backside:)
best regards

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holliwood
holliwood

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An interesting route, except for the return leg, which is a very long descent in the second half with no visibility of the landscape.
Be warned, the climb at the start is long and steady.
however, the view from the top is well worth the effort.
Best regards

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Servianés
Servianés
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route with the chapel of Nòstra Dòna de la Ròca.
Be careful of strong winds in certain areas if you are not very steady on your feet.

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Mountadous
Mountadous

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a beautiful route on a sunny day, with magnificent views

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Legrandas
Legrandas

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike, difficult in places but magnificent view from the top of the Pic de la Coquillade.

The blue markings should be redone on some trees when taking the path downhill after the Pic de la Coquillade.

Worth doing again

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Muriel_1202
Muriel_1202

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk with lovely views and the scent of thyme everywhere!

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FVennat
FVennat

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk, alternating between woodland and open countryside. Magnificent views. Markings sometimes difficult to see. After the Col de la Barque, we couldn't see the path to take on the right. Our path took us off the marked route and directly to the village of Cabrerolles. It's advisable to take a map with you.

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