The crosses of the Causse de Labruguière

From Caucalières to Caucalières via Payrin, a walk in the fresh air.

Details

2705070
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.61 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 204 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 198 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 318 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 188 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the foot of the Caucalières footbridge.

(S/E) Cross the footbridge and turn left into the historic hamlet via Rue de la Tour.

(1) At the wash house, turn right and take the path furthest to the right to climb up to the wooden cross overlooking Caucalières and Thoré.
Follow the path naturally. Pass in front of a mobile phone relay station. Then, the path branches off to the left and joins a slightly wider track. Continue to follow this track naturally.

(2) 40 m before a fairly well-marked crossroads, look to the right for a path barely hidden in the vegetation that will take you down into a small, denser valley. Follow the path.
400 m further on (ignore the small paths on your right), it branches off to the left and climbs back up with a view of the Montagne Noire. At the top of the steep slope, turn left.

(3) Follow the path on the right and head towards the right of the pine forest that you can see a little higher up.
The path climbs with a sharp left turn. At the top of the path, turn right (sign in poor condition indicating military terrain) to reach the stone cross overlooking Payrin. The fir trees block the view a little, but the Pic de Nore is visible.

Retrace your steps a little, pass the military zone sign on your left, then follow the track that takes you to the crossroads of the tracks you took on the way up.

(4) Follow the track on the right that descends into the Lascouts valley. At the bottom, turn left and take the tarmac road that will take you almost to a car park on your right.

(5) Turn sharply left and cross the Rieu Favé heading towards Caucalières, taking care with the traffic!
Just before the buildings, leave the tarmac road and take a path that climbs to the left (small gate), which will take you to the foot of the cliff with Thoré and Caucalières, as well as the clearly visible footbridge at the start.

From there, simply follow the signs to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 190 m - Parking at the footbridge. Footbridge - Thoré (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.19 - alt. 197 m - Wash house. Common fork in the path (return trip)
  3. 2 : km 2.19 - alt. 287 m - Path on the right before the crossroads
  4. 3 : km 2.98 - alt. 285 m - Path on the right
  5. 4 : km 4.12 - alt. 288 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 7.25 - alt. 195 m - Rieu Favié
  7. S/E : km 8.61 - alt. 189 m - Parking at the footbridge

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.9 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
User 6825086
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant hike with a slight incline at the beginning and end
Here's a short video of our walk to give you an idea of what it's like
Enjoy your hike!

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jp11
jp11

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

The route description is very accurate, but the smartphone track can be useful when in doubt.
The start and the circular are pleasant, with beautiful views of the Montagne Noire and Mazamet, but the return section on tarmac is long and tedious.

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JF31
JF31

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

No signposts, but the description is more than adequate. Several superb viewpoints!

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ID81360
ID81360

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a very pleasant, easy walk. Interesting for lovers of orchids and asphodels, which begin to bloom in mid-March. Discover the Causse, a very wild landscape that is completely different from the usual landscapes of the Tarn

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Nono756
Nono756

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Be sure to follow the path carefully, as there are many trails crossing it

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Collioure81
Collioure81

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk offering beautiful views... one drawback... numerous paths and no signposting.

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montagnejeanmarc
montagnejeanmarc

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

beautiful hike, lovely scenery, very peaceful... perhaps a little too much tarmac... the section between points 2 and 3 is a little tricky as there are many paths to choose from... but the landmark to the right of the pine forest is essential for a Brando without GPS.

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cloclo 81 Castres
cloclo 81 Castres

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice little walk, but quite a long way to go...

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Elga
Elga

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike but impossible without the app, too many trails in all directions. How can you find your way around when there are so many bushes and paths up there? Markings would be welcome...

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maremaria
maremaria

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant short hike if you enjoy open landscapes, but I imagine that's exactly what you're looking for when you choose a walk in the Causses.
Despite being well marked on the map, it's a very difficult walk to follow if you don't activate your GPS, as there are so many cross paths.

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AROC
AROC

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A nice short hike after the possibility of hiking for 3 hours and 20 kilometres from home. We only had the description without a map, and there are many paths and crossroads on the Causse. So we weren't sure we were in the right place. The section between La Borie Basse and La Bernussariè is on tarmac, which is a bit of a shame

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LASGOUTTES
LASGOUTTES

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant circular with beautiful views of the Mazamet plain.

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Champ's
Champ's

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful view of the Black Mountain and the valleys
Very passable after the rains in early October
Detailed description

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Othello18
Othello18

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A pleasant outing on a beautiful autumn morning. However, be careful between points 4 and 5 at Borie Basse, where a dog approached me very aggressively. My dog was on a leash, but the situation was very difficult to handle.

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GOUT Francis
GOUT Francis

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

in part 1, the original route had to be changed because we did not pass by the wooden cross or the telephone relay station.
part 2 lacks precision given the large number of paths leading off in all directions.

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