The Caroux Plateau via the Saut de l'Âne and the Roc de Boutou

From Saint-Chinian, take the D 20E1, then the D20 towards Cessenon-sur-Orb. At the roundabout before this village, turn left towards Roquebrun and Vieussan. Beyond this, after crossing a beautiful suspension bridge, you will arrive at the intersection with the D 908. Turn right and a few hundred metres further on, follow the signs for Saint-Martin-de-l'Arçon (village centre). The dead-end road climbs up to the village, passing in front of the church and the cemetery. Continue for a few metres and park on the esplanade on the left-hand side of the road.

Yellow markings

(S/E) From the parking spot, head up the road towards the village to Mas le Plus Haut, following the yellow PR® markings that wind through pretty little streets lined with magnificent stone houses, noting a few pretty arches along the way.

No official markings

(1) At the village exit, leave the PR® marked trail and take a well-marked trail on the right (yellow cross). From this point, follow the yellow circles and cairns, as the trail becomes less and less obvious. If you do get lost, return to the last yellow marker and look for the path, which you will inevitably find thanks to the cairns and yellow markers that are present all along the increasingly steep climb. The route through chestnut and holm oak trees is somewhat chaotic, more or less following the dry bed of the Saint Martin stream.

Yellow/red markings

(2) Arrive at the GRP® Haut Languedoc and Vignobles trail at Saut de l'Âne. Now follow it horizontally to the right. The markings are not always easy to see, but blue paint dots and cairns complement the official markings. Some rocky sections require you to use your hands, and in the most technical areas, metal bars are conveniently placed to help you progress. On this GRP®, the views are extraordinary, on the one hand over the massif itself with the very vertiginous southern face of the Caroux, and on the other hand the bird's eye view of the wooded hills and the sea in the distance.

(3) Portail des Cades (altitude 830 m) is a kind of small natural tunnel with a ceiling formed by an enormous rock block. Just after this, the trail heads north along a rock face. The path is a little exposed, but not difficult. Continue to follow the GRP® markings to Roc du Boutou. A larger cairn next to a yellow/red marker indicates the intersection of an ascending path on the left. Please note: this is not very easy to see. Leave the GRP®.

No markings

(4) Turn left (yellow/red cross). From this point, the climb is steady through the holm oaks. Follow the cairns and a few rare yellow markers, which are not very visible. At an altitude of 620 metres, a long horizontal traverse leads to the foot of a cliff, at the base of which the climb resumes, finally levelling out at a beech forest where you will find a well-marked, more horizontal path to Roc de Boutou.

(5) At a huge pyramid-shaped cairn at the edge of the ravine, turn left at a 90° angle to follow a path that climbs slightly through a pine forest. T-junction with the GR® 7 marked in white/red.

(6) Turn right and follow the GR® for 200 metres.

(7) At the intersection of paths and the next track, turn left onto a wide dirt track and follow it to the Font Salesse Refuge (altitude 1055), which is in fair condition but sometimes used for overnight stays.

(8) Follow the wide path on the left through tall pine trees heading south, at the end of which you will discover an extraordinary view to the south, the wooded hills, the vineyards of Saint-Chinianais and the sea in the distance. The panorama is breathtaking. The path descends through boulders and approaches the Rocher de Lucet, a pretty granite outcrop, which you go around on the left. You are now on the Sentier des Gardes, which joins the Gorges d'Héric at their end point. The long winding descent continues to Croix Saint-Martin, where you rejoin the GRP® trail that you followed earlier at Saut de l'Âne, further east. From the Font Salesse refuge, the trail is fairly well marked but not signposted, with cairns and a few faint red dots marking the way at intervals.

Yellow markings

(9) The sign at the intersection indicates Saint-Martin-de-l'Arçon: 1 hour. Leave the GRP® and descend straight down this well-marked PR® through holm oaks and chestnut trees to the point (1) where you will find the village streets you walked through at the start of the hike.

(1) Continue straight ahead in the opposite direction to the outward journey to return to the car park (S/E).

There is a drinking fountain on the left-hand side of the road as you climb up into the village.