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In Fraissé-des-Corbières, park next to the cemetery in a designated area with picnic tables, an information board and a signpost.
YellowPR® markings
(S/E) Head towards the cemetery, walk alongside it and then continue along a wide grassy path parallel to the D205. Join the road and follow it uphill to the left, making the best use of the narrow hard shoulder.
No markings
Leave the yellow markings that go to the right and continue along the road to the Col de Pereille. Leave the tarmac and turn left onto a stony path that passes close to a house. Shortly afterwards, keep to the right to enter a small valley planted with vines, then turn right again to return to the road you left earlier.
Cross carefully, walk about 15 metres to the right, then take a wide grassy track on the left at the edge of the vineyard to go around it.
(1) Tricky junction: at the north-east corner of the vineyard, take a very discreet path opposite, which initially runs through dense vegetation and then into a more open area. After a fairly steep climb, the slope levels out before the path comes to a cross-country track. Turn left, ignore a path on the right a little further on (elevation 267) and then another on the left, and continue through a small valley, keeping eastward. Come out onto a small clearing and continue straight ahead, ignoring the path coming from the left.
(2) When you reach a fork, continue right on the same track, which begins a gradual but fairly steep climb offering a beautiful view to the northeast over the ponds and Montagne de la Clape.
(3) Leave the track on the right and continue on the left. Further on, you will come to a blue marker coming from the right, indicated by two marks on the ground.
Blue markings on the ground, very dense
Continue in the same direction (south-east), ignoring several paths on the right marked with P3, P4 and P5 painted in blue on the rock. The route then continues over scree and sharp limestone pavement and requires caution. Continue to the ridge, which is not very marked.
Cairns of varying density
Leave the blue markings, which lead to the right, and veer left, following a very faint trail on the ground. You will come to a small rocky platform offering a magnificent view.
(4) Turn back a few metres and take a very discreet path on the right (I have placed a cairn there). Be careful not to miss this turn-off. The route through the dense vegetation is quite difficult and requires a lot of attention to stay on track.
At a cairn in the middle of the path, which is impossible to miss, veer slightly to the left. Then follow the various irregularly sized cairns to reach the summit, marked by a concrete post and a low stone wall that serves as protection against the tramontane wind.
(5) Pic du Pied du Poul: extraordinary 360° panorama. Starting from the north-east and going clockwise: the Montagne de la Clape, the Étangs de Bages, de la Palme and de Leucate; the Albères and the Côte Vermeille, the Canigou, the peaks of the Ariège Pyrenees; the Corbières, the Aude plain and the Montagne Noire.
Leave the summit heading north-east and you will soon reach a very tricky fork in the path, difficult to spot on the stony ground, where I have placed another cairn. If you come to a flat area with two cairns in line with each other, turn back.
(6) Turn right and be sure to follow the cairns, which are sometimes difficult to see on the very stony ground. Always locate the next cairn before setting off. Further on, you will come to a scree slope.
(7) In the middle of the scree, don't miss the cairn on the right, which indicates a change of direction without continuing down to the bottom of the scree. You will soon come to a faint crossroads. Resist the temptation to go to the right, as the stony area seems to invite you to do, but continue straight ahead to see the next cairn in the vegetation, which indicates the direction to follow.
Then continue downhill (south-east), making sure to keep a constant distance from the rocky outcrops on your right. As you do so, veer further down to the right to head due south and eventually join a clearer trail.
(8) Turn right onto the path that runs parallel to the bottom of a small west-facing valley and follows a series of small climbs and flat sections. A few well-placed cairns help you find your way. After a fairly difficult descent on stony ground, you will reach a double track path near a turning area. Continue to the right and you will come to a crossroads where there is a wooden signpost.
YellowPR® markings
(9) Turn right. Pass another signpost and continue in the same direction. You will reach the bottom of a valley planted with vines, where you will come across a track coming from the left.
(10) Turn right, quickly rejoin the tarmac road and climb up the valley.
(11) At the top of a hill, at the "Caneris" signpost, ignore a track on the right blocked by a chain and continue along the small road which leads to the D50 further on.
(12) Cross the road carefully diagonally to the right, then take the path on the left at the signpost. At the junction with a tarmac road, turn left to reach the Sainte-Colombe Chapel.
(13) Retrace your steps for about a hundred metres, then take a sharp left onto a path that joins a wider track further on, near an antenna. Turn right to return to the D50 and follow the road to the left.
(14) Cross the D205 with caution and take the lane opposite. Continue straight ahead, turn right into Grand Rue and, at the end, turn left and then right to continue along Rue du Terrain de Sport. At the crossroads, turn right to reach the cemetery and the starting point (S/E).
Visorando member
Easy 
Moderate 
