The industrial Tarn in Saint-Juéry

In Saint-Juéry, leave your vehicle in the car park next to the old railway station on Avenue de la Gare, in front of the Marie Curie nursery school.

No signposts

(S/E) Opposite the school and the murals decorating its wall, turn left. At the intersection, take the street opposite and, at the next crossroads, continue straight on along Allée de la Trancade. Take the first street on the right, Côte Biscons, then turn right onto the street with a hairpin bend. Continue to the roundabout with a fountain in the centre. Follow the street on the right. Ignore a street on the right and, at the fork in the road, keep left (Rue du Puech de la Borie).

Yellow markings (Chemins de Bellevue, signs in the opposite direction)

(1) At the next fork in the road, take the street to the left of the cross (Rue Émile Roux). Note the yellow markings. Further on, as you leave the town, the street becomes Chemin de Savin, a small road. Ignore a path on the left. After the farm buildings, continue on the path that follows the tarmac road. You will come to a road.

(2) Follow it to the left. Turn onto the first path on the right and continue straight ahead until you reach Route des Avalats.

(3) Follow it to the right, crossing a hamlet. At the crossroads with paths (marked with different yellow signs), turn left onto the path passing to the left of a house. Further on, you will come to tarmac, then a crossroads (again, marked with several yellow signs).

(4) Continue straight ahead (do not take the road on the left). At the next crossroads, at a place called La Laudie, turn left. At the fork, follow the road on the left leading to a house, which continues as a path. At the next intersection of paths, note the^GR®®36markings.

Red and white^GR®® markings

(5) Follow the path to the left, join a road, follow it to the right and then turn onto the first road on the left. You will come to an intersection with an iron cross. Follow the path to the left of the cross. You will come to a road and follow it to the right.

(6) Ignore the yellow-marked path that branches off to the left and continue straight ahead on the road. Further on, the tarmac disappears and the descent towards Les Avalats continues along a footpath. When you reach the village, continue to the crossroads.

No markings (a few yellow markings, but discontinuous)

(7) Leave the^GR®® and turn right. Continue straight ahead (a visit to the old village is planned for the return trip), cross the Route de la Vallée and continue opposite Chemin du Port. Ignore Chemin de l'Usine on the left. Facing the Tarn, at Place Jean-Marcel Blanc, turn left. After a left-hand bend, at the T-junction, follow Chemin de l'Usine on the left (if you go straight ahead into the park, you will arrive at the power station that supplied the steelworks in Saint-Juéry).

Return to the intersection you passed on the way there, turn right and cross Route de la Vallée again. At the old chimney, turn left, go under the arch to reach Place du Château, visit the medieval village on the left, leave the village and turn left to return to the crossroads you passed on the way there, at the corner of the cemetery.

Red and white^GR®® markings and yellow markings

(7) Follow the road to the right, then further up, take the first road on the right.

(8) Turn onto the first path on the left (Hazard house on the right). At the intersection, turn right and, at the next crossroads, follow the road straight ahead. When the road bends to the right, follow the path that descends to the left.

(9) At the bottom, carefully cross Route de la Vallée (D172) and take the small road opposite that turns left. When this road joins Route de la Vallée, carefully cross to take the path opposite that branches off to the right.

(10) Go through a tunnel. You will arrive at the working-class neighbourhood of Catussou (information sign). Do not take the road that branches off to the right; stay on the path on the left, then continue straight ahead on the road.

Yellow markings

Shortly afterwards, leave the^GR®® and turn right onto a path marked in yellow (Sentier des Fontaines) in a small park. You will arrive at a roundabout.

(11) Take the second road on the right, towards the Musée du Saut du Tarn. Ignore a street on the left and you will soon arrive at the museum entrance. After a visit (highly recommended), retrace your steps and follow the Impasse des Aciéries on the right. You will arrive at a busy crossroads at the entrance to the Pont d'Arthès.

No signposts

(12) Cross this bridge over the Tarn (be careful, as it is a busy road, but the pavements are wide enough). Pass the information sign and enjoy the superb view. On the other side of the Tarn, turn right towards the bakery, then take the alley on the left. When you reach Avenue du Saut du Sabo, walk a few metres to the right (be careful, the pavement is narrow), then turn right to follow the promenade (information board, viewpoint).

(13) Then retrace your steps and cross the Tarn again.

(12) Follow the road to the right (busy, stay on the pavement, unpleasant section: quicken your pace) which makes a wide left turn. At the roundabout, take the street opposite, which is a no-entry road (Rue de la République). At the T-junction, turn right (Avenue Jean Jaurès) then take the first street on the left, Rue Henri Massol, which leads to the school and the car park of the old railway station (S/E).

It is highly recommended to do this hike in the summer: wildflowers will brighten up the countryside, which, it must be said, is otherwise rather dull, and the Musée du Saut du Tarn is not open all year round. The hamlets you pass through, apart from Les Avalats, are not particularly interesting.

Hike on small roads and paths. Standard hiking equipment.

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here

Photo album here

As indicated on the murals at the school at the start of the hike, despite its many factories, Saint-Juéry has remained a very agricultural village. This is still true today, as you will see on the first part of this hike through the countryside.

A visit to the Saut du Tarn Museum is an ideal complement to this hike. There you can enjoy a terrace in an exceptional setting. Please note that the museum is not open all year round. Follow the link for more information. The Saut du Tarn site is also known as the Saut du Sabo.

Superb view from the Pont d'Arthès bridge and the right bank walkway.

Other hikes along the Tarn here