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The start of this hike is at Frontignan station. Parking is available.
Please note that the car park at Frontignan station is small and is also in a blue zone. Park further away in a car park currently being developed outside the blue zone along the railway line.
(S/E) When you leave the station, cross Boulevard de la République and take Rue Sébastien Bourdon directly opposite. Turn right and head towards the town hall square.
(1) Turn right onto Rue de Baumelle, then immediately left onto Rue Saint-Paul. At the end, turn right and walk alongside the church.
(2) Turn left onto Boulevard Gambetta and go around the roundabout on the left. After crossing Avenue du Général de Gaull and Rue Anatole France, turn left onto Avenue des Carrières. Stay on this avenue (keeping north-northwest then north) and head for the Nicola Karabatic Gymnasium.
(3) At the fork, turn right and walk along the gymnasium car park. Continue further along a path. You will come to a barrier marking the entrance to the Gardiole massif.
(4) Follow this path north for 400 m until you reach the marked path of the Pioch Michel circular (be careful not to miss this point, see the practical information section). Leave this marked path on your right and look for a 90° turn to the left.
(5) Turn left onto a small scree slope and immediately take a path that branches off to the right (north). Follow this path until you come to a small road. Turn left and continue to an intersection marked by the Croix de Rabassou.
(6) Turn right and continue north on the path, ignoring the entrance to a property on the right and then a path leading to Tambourinet on the left. The path bends to the left and then to the right, heading north, and reaches a three-way junction (elevation 177).
(7) Keep to the right, continuing north, north-east, and you will come to a forest track.
(8) Turn left, cross another track (elevation 218) and continue westwards. Shortly before Pierre Tintante, look for a junction (elevation 219) with a path on the left, which you will use on the way back.
(9) Continue straight ahead on the wide track, passing a cistern, then turning left and right. Reach a fork and look for a path on the left, which you will use on the way back.
(10) Stay on this panoramic track (north), which further on describes a wide circular loop to the left and gradually descends towards the clearly visible Abbaye Saint-Félix de Montceau.
(12) Take the opportunity to visit this historic site. Return to the car park and cross the road.
(11) Opposite, you will find the start of a path along ruined walls. Follow this wall, following a few yellow markings (see the practical information section). Pass between two low walls and you will find a much clearer path that leads back up to the track you used on the way there.
(10) Follow the same route as on the way up to return to the crossroads near the Pierre Tintante (elevation 219).
(9) Turn right (south-west) and keep going in this direction. Descend to the bottom of a dip and ignore the paths that branch off to the right. Climb back up towards a wide track, using the cistern, visible from a long way off, as your guide.
(13) Leave the track, locate the two paths opposite and take the one furthest to the left, heading due south. Begin the descent to an intersection.
(14) Turn right and you will come to a road (Chemin de Gigean). Continue right until the next junction on the left.
(15) Turn left onto a track hidden by bushes. Continue north-east, ignoring the various junctions, and join a small road called Chemin de la Carierrasse. Turn right and continue to the Nicola Karabatic Gymnasium.
(3) Continue right and follow the same route back to Frontignan station (S/E).
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