Mialet (Audibert) - Alès

The trail starts at Audibert in Les Aigladines in the commune of Mialet.

(S) You're on the D160, which you take in the direction of the Col d'Uglas (i.e. the opposite direction to the Gardon de Mialet valley). After 300m, turn right onto the small road leading up to La Fage above Audibert. You leave the first path to your left, but immediately afterwards (you've walked 300m on this little road), you take the second path to your left. This is the start of a beautiful ascent in a north-easterly direction. After a double bend (right/left), you take the main path, always heading in a north-easterly direction. After 900m of ascent, you come to a transversal track

(1) Turn right onto this. It follows the mountainside, gradually gaining altitude. After just over 1.8km, you come to a crossroads between your track and other paths.

(2) You've joined the GR^®44D. Turn onto a path rather at right angle to the track you came in on. This path which follows the ridge towards a pylon which you pass. Most of the rest of your route will be on the ridge, with magnificent views on both sides of this part of the Cévennes. On your left, you overlook the entire Galeizon valley and Saint-Paul-la-Coste. Continue along the ridge path, leaving several downhill paths on your right.

(3) Keep straight on until you come to a track which joins your path on the right.

(4) You continue along this track in the same direction, but 200m farther on, you pick up the path again to your left and you soon come to a place called L'Escoudas (pass).

(5) Here you cross a track. You've already done 1.8km on the GR^®44D. Continue on the small ridge path that winds through thickets and rocks. You descend and ascend variably between 650 and 500m of altitude before descending more sharply on a stony path to a trail junction.

(6) You've reached the Col de Mayelle (469m). You've come about 3.6km from l'Escoudas. Two tracks come from your left; another one goes off to the right and a fourth rises slightly almost opposite you. Take this direction. 200m farther up, at a Y-intersection, you take the right-hand branch and after 300m, you come to a place called la Cabane.

(7) You skirt an isolated property before turning left at a right angle. Continue along this path under the trees. 300m farther on, the track descends again, and a path starts up on your left. Take this one and come to the Moncalm orientation table (563 m).

(8) Here you'll enjoy an almost 360° panoramic view. Continue along the trail, staying on the ridge and ignoring the path that descends a little farther to your left. After descending and ascending, slowly losing altitude, the path descends more sharply to reach a track which you take to the left.

(9) After 200m, a path joins the track on the right. This path comes from the ruins of Château de Sauvage, some 100m away. Continue on your track. Ignore the one on your left 100m farther on and you come to a crossroads. The main track continues to your left; a path turns right, but at the foot of the cross, another path also turns right. This is the path you choose and follow. You're still on the GR^®44D. The path winds under the trees for just over 1km.

(10) When it meets another path, it bends sharply to the left. It continues to wind for another 700m, gradually becoming an increasingly open path. The vegetation clears and you come to an open area where the earth is more reddish and paths lead off.

(11) You turns right and, before descending, you take the path that weaves its way between low walls. You can see the town of Alès below. You can see that the path must turn into a small stream in wet weather. You descend between the private properties you pass. You'll soon reach the first houses in Alès on the Chemin de la Cité Sainte-Marie.

(12) You turn right downhill, then right again towards the site of a model mine that recreates the region's coal-mining past. Carry on to meet the Chemin de la Cité Sainte-Marie again near a large building. Continue down this small road. One bend farther down, you come to the junction with the Chemin de Saint-Raby.

(13) Turn left (signposted "Notre-Dame" and "Alès-Musée"). You'll pass the Centre de Pomologie on your right and continue downhill until you reach the D916 (Montée des Lauriers on your left and Rue Faubourg de Rochebelle on your right). This is the last part of the route, taking you across Alès to the station. To do this, turn right (towards "Centre ville"). Follow Rue Faubourg de Rochebelle to no. 81. Turn left (opposite no. 81) onto the road leading to a roundabout and the Pont de Resca over the Gardon d'Alès.

(14) Cross the Gardon d'Alès on the bridge, then turn right around the roundabout onto Grand'rue Jean Moulin. You're in front of a green space between two buildings, with the walls of the old château looming behind. Take the path through the green space. You get to Rue de la Roque, and opposite you, to the left, a flight of stairs leads to a path that skirts around the castle walls to the left. Follow this path, staying above the Rue de la Roque, and come down again at the end of the path via large stairs. The Mutuelle d'Alès is on your right.

Continue along Rue de la Roque until you reach an esplanade, Place des Martyrs de la Résistance. Keep to the right and walk along the stairs to reach the small street (near the restaurant "Le Rossini") which leads to Rue Albert 1er.

(15) Take this street to the left (large screened building on your left). Continue straight ahead for 450m, passing two roundabouts. You are now on Avenue Général de Gaulle. As this one bends to the right, continue straight ahead onto Place Pierre Semard, where you'll find the SNCF train station, the finishing point of this route (E).

Shops and accommodation can only be found at the end of the route in (E) Alès. The arrival point at the SNCF train station gives you the option of joining the starting point of the Stevenson Trail at Le-Puy-en-Velay station. But this will take some time (around 6 hours with train changes).

The main interest of this route lies in its views over the mountains of the south-eastern Cévennes.