Tour of the villages of Donezan

A fantastic hike in the Donezan, allowing you to discover all of its villages and rich heritage.
The main difficulty of this route is its length, covering nearly 20 km.
Best enjoyed in autumn, when the flamboyant colours of Donezan offer landscapes of exceptional beauty.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.58 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,356 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,372 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 4,147 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,733 ft

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the foot of the château near the post office (three spaces).

(S/E) From the car park, head south on the D316. Pass the town hall and church and, at the restaurant, turn left, walking alongside it on the left-hand side. At the next intersection, turn left then right until you reach the Route du Stade (D316).

GRP® Tour du Pays du Donezan: red and yellow markings

(1) Take it to the right and leave it at the next intersection. The track turns into a path and climbs gradually. Pass the Col de l'Estagnou and reach an intersection of paths.

(2) Turn left towards Carcanières. Ignore the side roads to reach the village quickly. Pass the entrance road and enter Carcanières.

(3) At the Y-junction, turn left onto the street (D316) for 20 metres, then turn left again onto another street. Walk past the church and, at the crossroads, turn left onto the road. At the next junction, turn right. Continue to the end of the road.

(4) Follow the path on the left that leads to the D25 road and Le Puch.

(5) Continue left and enter the village. At the town hall, take the street on the right. Follow the balcony route with sumptuous views, especially in autumn, of the villages of Pla, Artigues and Mijanès. This pleasant section, winding through the woods, leads after a beautiful descent to the Château d'Usson.

End of the GRP®

(6) Cross the hamlet and descend to the car park.

(7) Follow the D216 to the right for a moment to take the path that climbs opposite just before the other road. This is a botanical trail that allows you to forget the effort of the climb. Cross the road several times and, at the last crossing, take the path that climbs slightly to the right and leads to Rouze.

(8) Continue straight ahead on the main road, ignoring all other side streets, until you reach the intersection with Rue du Claous.

GR®7A: white and red markings

(9) Leave Rouze and follow the road to Mijanès.

(10) Descend to the road and take the road on the left. Cross La Bruyante and take the D25 towards Artigues until you see a signpost.

(11) Leave the road and turn right onto the path that climbs into the forest towards Noubals. At the next intersection, turn right.

End of GR® markings

Take the path on the left, still heading towards Noubals. Cross a road and continue to the Noubals dam.

(12) Follow the road that winds up to the left and walk along the left side of the lake until you reach an intersection.

(13) Ignore the cross on the track opposite and take the track. The route leads to the town hall of Artigues.

PR® markings

(14) Turn right onto Rue du Lavoir. At the wash house, take the small tarmac road on the right. This turns into a footpath.

(15) Further on, cross a stream and join a road.

(16) Follow this road to the right. Pass La Pradeille and continue on the path opposite, to the left of the road.

(17) At the next trail junction, turn left onto a beautiful descent towards Le Pla and end up on the D25.

(18) Cross it and take the path in front of you (despite the lack of markings). Pass the church and turn right to reach a street to follow to the right. At the next intersection, take a street on the right. Pass the town hall, cross the D16 and continue straight ahead. Follow the road, pass a building with an old mill by the river, leave the village and stay on the road until you reach an intersection.

(19) Leave the road and follow the path on the right. A few dozen metres further on, turn right again towards Quérigut. There are some nice climbs on this section. Approach the Quérigut River. Finish with the last climb before returning to the main road.

(20) Follow it to the left until you reach the car park and finish this long and beautiful escapade (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,996 ft - Car park at the foot of the - Château du Donezan (Quérigut)
  2. 1 : mi 0.23 - alt. 3,937 ft - D316 road
  3. 2 : mi 1.2 - alt. 3,980 ft - Trail intersection - Col de l'Estagnou (1217 m)
  4. 3 : mi 1.82 - alt. 3,835 ft - Gaiters
  5. 4 : mi 2.29 - alt. 3,963 ft - End of the road
  6. 5 : mi 2.61 - alt. 3,865 ft - D25 Le Puch - Lavoir du Puch
  7. 6 : mi 4.98 - alt. 2,966 ft - Usson Castle
  8. 7 : mi 5.4 - alt. 2,733 ft - Route D216
  9. 8 : mi 6.23 - alt. 3,255 ft - Rouze
  10. 9 : mi 6.52 - alt. 3,291 ft - Departure from Rouze
  11. 10 : mi 7.07 - alt. 3,658 ft - Mijanès - Bruyante (rivière)
  12. 11 : mi 7.41 - alt. 3,750 ft - Abandon D25
  13. 12 : mi 7.85 - alt. 3,960 ft - Noubals Dam
  14. 13 : mi 8.52 - alt. 4,147 ft - Intersection of trails
  15. 14 : mi 9.2 - alt. 3,816 ft - Artigues
  16. 15 : mi 9.67 - alt. 3,839 ft - Stream
  17. 16 : mi 9.87 - alt. 3,786 ft - La Pradeille road
  18. 17 : mi 10.18 - alt. 3,858 ft - Trail junction
  19. 18 : mi 10.48 - alt. 3,576 ft - D25
  20. 19 : mi 10.99 - alt. 3,448 ft - Fork in the trail - Rivière de Quérigut (Rivière) - Affluent de la Bruyante
  21. 20 : mi 12.4 - alt. 3,888 ft - D316 road - Parking du cimetière de Quérigut
  22. S/E : mi 12.58 - alt. 3,993 ft - Car park at the foot of the - Château du Donezan (Quérigut)

Notes

Worth a visit

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.