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Start: Domaine de la Mouline car park, at the start of Rue Édouard Branly (Street).
(S/E) Go up Rue Édouard Branly (street) and follow it to the left. At the end of the street, go right down towards the restaurant. The tarmac disappears at the restaurant and a small car park. Note the Échappée Verte signpost on the left, marking the start of a path (the return path). Continue straight ahead on a footpath and cross a bridge, then take stairs up to the left without walking under the bridge (Pont Neuf).
(1) At the top of the stairs, cross the road (Lices Georges Pompidou) and turn right to cross the bridge (Pont Neuf) over the Tarn River. On the other side, take the first street on the left (Rue de la Visitation).
At the T-junction, turn left into the street (Rue Porta), then immediately left under an arch. Pass a large door on the right, then, in Hotel Mercure courtyard, turn right to reach Musée Lapérouse courtyard (viewpoint), then pass the museum entrance to emerge into Rue Porta street again.
(2) Turn left, "take advantage of the view from another esplanade on the left side of the street (Belvédère du Pont View)", then, at the junction, turn left to cross the Tarn river again over the Pont Vieux bridge.
(3) On the other side, turn left, then right into Rue Athon (street) and take the stairs on the right (Rue de l'Échelle) which joins Rue Émile Grand (street) further up. Follow it to the right, and immediately take the stairs down to the right. When you reach Rue de la Grand Côte (street), turn left, walking under an arch. At the T-junction, turn right into Rue Saint-Étienne (street), and you'll end up opposite the market hall.
(4) Keep right and climb the stairs on your right. Join an alley alongside the Hôtel de Gorce (private hotel), turn left at the junction and end up in a square with the market hall on your left. Walk straight ahead for a few paces, then turn right into the street. You'll reach a square behind the Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile (UNESCO Monument).
(5) Go left, and turn left again into Rue Mariès (street) for a short detour: walk a few metres, then climb the stairs on the right to enter the Église Saint-Salvy (church) (Ecce Homo sculpture). Then, return to the forecourt at the rear of Église Sainte-Cécile (church).
(5) Turn left and follow the street to the left of a beautifully sculpted white fountain. Shortly after, notice the stairs leading up to the Cloître Saint-Salvy on the left. At the top of the stairs, in the cloister, turn right under the arcades, then back down a stairs that leads to a street.
(6) Turn right for a few metres, then right into Rue de l'Oulmet (street). At the intersection, turn sharp left, then take the second street on the right, Rue Henri de Toulouse Lautrec. The painter's birthplace is just around the bend on the right, adjoining the Maison de Lapérouse.
(7) At the end of the street, turn left into Rue Puech Bérenguier (street), then right into Rue des Prêtres (street). At the end of the street, pass under the arcade and you'll find yourself at the foot of the Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile. Turn left to find the cathedral entrance.
(8) Here take a look inside. After visiting, turn right out of the building, then right again to go around the cathedral as closely as possible, leaving a pretty square with arcades on the left (the route suggests this short round trip).
(9) Coming back up against the back of the cathedral, turn left onto Rue de la Temporalité, which quickly veers to the left and right, to arrive at the Musée Toulouse Lautrec or Palais de la Berbie entry.
(10) Enter and turn left to follow the 'Sentier de Garde' around the Jardin de la Berbie (listed as a Jardin Remarquable), offering superb views of the Tarn river. At the end of the path, reach Place de l'Archevêché (street), turn left into Rue d'Engueysse. At the end of this street, turn left, then left again onto Quai Choiseul. Shortly afterwards, turn right down the stairs to the Tarn riverside.
(11) Turn left onto the promenade, part of the Échappée Verte. After 440m, take the first access on the left, shortly after passing under the railway bridge. Walk under the arches of the Pont de la République, come to a car park and immediately turn left to climb up a pretty alleyway (beautiful palm tree) left.
At the top (#ALBI sign), turn right into Rue du Castelviel (street). After 100m along the street, make a short detour right to discover a pretty little square. When you are done, turn right again into Rue de Casteviel to reach the back of the Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile again.
(12) Turn right onto Boulevard Général Sibille. Turn left along the esplanade/car park (beautiful houses on the left, hospital on the right), note the large war memorial in the middle of the esplanade, at a hospital entrance. Then, reach Place Lapérouse and turn right to join Avenue du Général de Gaulle.
(13) Follow it to the right, passing the Grand Théâtre des Cordeliers on the left. Turn left behind this beautiful modern building, then right to head towards the park, going past a tiny orchard on the right. When you reach Boulevard Carnot. Cross the road and turn left to find the entrance to Parc Rochegude (park).
(14) To visit the park, the route takes you around it clockwise, passing by the Jardin des Ombres, then the pond, then between the house and Rochegude bust, then through the labyrinth before exiting the park and returning to Boulevard Carnot.
(14) Cross the street and go straight ahead on Avenue du Parc (street), handrail the theater on your left, then arrive on Avenue du Général de Gaulle at Place Lapérouse.
(13) Turn right, handrailing Place Lapérouse on your left, pass Lapérouse statue on your right, and continue straight on Rue du Sel (street), with the Palais de Justice on your left. At the crossroads, carry on in the same bearing, turning slightly left into Rue du Palais (street).
At the 4-way road junction, at the corner with the town hall, turn left into Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville (street). At the end of the street, turn right, then immediately right into Rue Peyrolière.
Leave the cul-de-sac on your right, then turn right into Rue du Puits de la Grâce. At the square, turn left into Rue des Pénitents. Follow it to the left and you'll come to Rue Mariès, at the corner of the beautiful Maison Enjalabert (house).
(15) Follow Rue Mariès (street) to the left, then turn right into Rue Sainte-Claire and left into Rue des Catherinettes. Opposite the market hall, turn right.
(4) Turn right into Rue Saint-Étienne (street) and, at the end of the street, turn left (Rue Saint-Atric). Follow Rue Émile Grand (street) to the right. Arrive at Lices Georges Pompidou, at the start of Pont Neuf (bridge). Cross over the pedestrian crossing to find the alley leading down to the Tarn riverside.
(1) Go back down the stairs. At the bottom, make a short detour to pass under the bridge and enjoy a fine view of the river and the town on the other side. Retrace your steps and take the opposite route to the small car park opposite the restaurant.
Follow the Échappée Verte trail, waymarked GR® Red and White. Take note of the warnings on this "wild trail" (see § Practical info). Follow the path along the Ruisseau de Caussels (stream), over a footbridge, through a bamboo grove, then fording the stream twice on large stones.
Continue without further difficulty until you reach a road. Turn left to cross the bridge, then immediately left on Rue Édouard Branly (street) to quickly find the car park.(S/E)
