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Start from the abbey car park.
(S/E) As you look towards the abbey, turn right onto the track that leads up the Combe du Moulin and climbs the mountain. This track is blocked by a metal gate, and the signs prohibit motorised vehicles, which are totally forbidden in this massif with its protected Mediterranean species.
(1) At a crossroads, where you will find a standing stone on your left, take the left-hand track for a round trip to a medieval red sandstone tower overlooking the abbey and its valley. Superb views!
(2) Back at the crossroads at the planted stone, take the track on the left, which continues to climb.
(3) On your right, you will see the superb view of the Feudal castle of Saint-Martin (you cannot visit it as it is inhabited).
(4) Continue to climb along the track, using a pylon perched on the next hillock as a landmark.
(5) At the next crossroads, take the left-hand path that runs under the pylon and follow this DFCI track to a semi-buried reservoir. On your right is the track that runs around the hillock and leads to the pylon.
Continue straight ahead until you come to a three-way junction; the two paths arrive at the same point (the one on the right is a little steeper, while the one on the left goes round the hill).
From here, the track passes through a superb pine forest to reach the ruins of the Bergerie de l'Aragnon.
(6) You can spot it from a distance as it is shaded by tall cedars.
NB: At this point, there is an alternative route to shorten this walk. At the buildings, a DFCI track runs downhill on your left, shortening the route to reach point 8.
After the buildings, follow the same DFCI track straight into the pine forest, bordered by a low drystone wall.
(7) At the next crossroads, take the left-hand track which climbs slightly. After several metres, you will see a metal gate on your right blocking vehicle access. Do not go through the gate but follow the track on the left, which winds up the hillside. The sheepfold you saw earlier will then appear on the other side of the valley on your left.
(8) Reach the point where the shortcut joins your track. Continue along this path, passing a red and white barrier.
(9) Just beyond this, a path leads off to your right to climb the hill. Don't hesitate to leave the track, as the 360° view is magnificent. From up there, you can admire the Aude coastline, Port la Nouvelle, the Pyrenees chain, the Albéres mountains flowing into the sea via the Canigou and beyond to the Corbiéres massif, the Montagne Noire, the Minervois and the Monts du Caroux. In short, an exceptional landscape!
Descend from this point to pick up the track again, heading for Pech Rascas, which you saw from above. Note the old hot-oven opposite the farm.
Continue as far as the Col de Pech Rascas, then turn left and ignore the path on the right that leads to the houses. Descend into the Combe Saint-Jean and pass an old, rusty wind turbine.
Continue along the same track, taking the one on the right as the path rises.
(10) There, at the bend in the road, you will see the Fontfroide Cross towering over the abbey.
Continue along this path around a knoll where the remains of dwellings and fortifications remain at the summit.
(11) When you come to a field of olive trees in a triangle, take the track on the left which will take you to the abbey via the church. Follow the path past the shop, the cellar and the restaurant-bar.
If you're feeling fit, don't hesitate to climb up to the Croix de Fontfroide to enjoy the view over the abbey valley from a different vantage point than the one you can see from the medieval tower (S/E).
Walker
