Short circular loop of Roc d'Orque

Parking is available at the car park in the hamlet of Plaisance, near the bridge over the Bouissou, between the D22E14 and the access road to the Town Hall. (See Practical Information).

(S/E) From the car park,head towards the bar and the town hall. Walk past the tennis courts on the left until you reach the bridge over the Ruisseau du Bouissou. Take a path on the left which leads back up to the road. Turn right onto the^D22E14for a few metres and, after the bend, about 200 m further on, you will see a wayside cross on the left. (There is very little traffic on this road, but please proceed with caution).

Yellow and yellow-red markings

(1) Leave the tarmac road and follow the GRP® du Haut Languedoc et Vignobles to the left, which runs parallel to the tarmac road. Cross the village of Saint-Geniès-de-Varensal, passing in front of the church square, and return to the road via a flight of long steps. Cross the road and the bridge over the Bouissou (signposted “Les Combals”) to reach a fork.

(2) Turn left, entering a disused quarry; the marked trail continues immediately to the right, at the entrance to this former quarry. It leads onto a stony track; turn right. The track climbs and reaches a recently built building situated on the former route of the GRP®. Continue climbing the track to rejoin, further up, the path that branches off to the left (signposted). This fairly steep path leads back onto the track once more. Take the signposted path opposite, which continues up a steep incline. A few hundred metres further up, near Baussas, look out for a flat area on the left leading into the woods.

No markings

(3) It is marked by a large cairn, followed by a second cairn a little further on. See Practical Information.
This section leads to a grassy track, which connects to the rest of the route. It leads onto a new, stony track. Descend to the right until the first hairpin bend.

(4) Leave the track and take a path on the right which climbs slightly, then descends gently to cross a small stream via a footbridge. This well-marked path then climbs again to reach the small ruined hamlet of Orquette.

(5) The path continues to the right (cairns) and runs beneath imposing cliffs to reach a beautiful waterfall, whose waters emerge from the foot of the cliff. A few metres before reaching the waterfall, it is worth climbing through the woods and scree to the spring. This allows you to see this geological curiosity.

(6) Turn back to head down the original path. Turn right, cross the waterfall and continue along the path through a pine forest with the ground carpeted in creeping ivy.

(7) Cross another (smaller) stream and continue along the path that winds along the hillside to reach a ruined house. The path continues westwards, passing beneath the Roc d’Orque to arrive above the Moulin d’Orque.

(8) Ignore the path climbing up to the right and head down towards the house, carefully following the path discreetly marked with yellow arrows. It runs along the boundary of a private property (which is very clearly marked by an owner determined to defend it). Cross a pretty stone bridge to reach a concrete track. Head up to the left, go through a metal gate and, at the first bend in the track, continue climbing up a grassy track. This leads to the hamlet of Le Péras, on the D922 (Route de Lacaune).

(9) Take the pavement on the left for about a hundred metres and leave the road to climb left towards “Les Sauzes”. Continue along this tarmac section and, about seven hundred metres further on, turn right onto a stony track. A little further on, ignore the track on the left, continue the climb through a few hairpin bends before descending slightly to a junction of tracks.

(10) Follow the track closely to find the start of the descent on the left (used by mountain bikers who have created a very steep route with jumps). Make your way down in wide hairpin bends to cut across the slope, which can be slippery at times due to the very gravelly surface. The descent ends on a stony track; turn right. Pass close to Bosc Mort (elevation 556) and continue along the track on the left. At the next junction, turn left again and continue for about 250 m until you reach a ruined stone house (Roudema).

(11) Leave the stony track and take a grassy track. Walk alongside a private property (a fenced-off house and garage) and continue downwards to take a path. It was blocked by brambles, which we cleared thoroughly. This avoids walking along the D922 on a bend that can be dangerous. The route then continues along a stony track, leading onto a small tarmac road that enters Plaisance.

(12) Turn left and you’ll reach the D922. Cross the road and head down the embankment opposite the Town Hall, then veer right to return to the car park (S/E).

(S/E) From Béziers, head towards Bédarieux (D 909) then take the D 909A to Hérépian. Continue on the D 13 to reach Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare. Enter the village and take the street on the left, then follow the one-way street on the right towards Saint-Geniès-de-Varensal. At the village exit, continue on the D922, arrive at Andabre and turn right onto the^D22E14to Plaisance (commune of Saint-Geniès-de-Varensal). Park on the right after crossing the bridge over the Bouissou.

After the heavy rains of the previous week, the stream was almost impossible to cross, as the flow of the waterfall had at least tripled in volume compared to previous times we had seen it.

(3) From this point, we searched for and reopened an abandoned trail so that we could complete the circular route that follows. We cleared it and marked it with yellow paint circles on the trees (at eye level) and a few cairns.