Rocher d'Abraham

Before starting my hike, I met someone from the association "Les Amis de Mayres", who gave me a brochure on hikes from the village and advised me to do a long loop.
The ascent to the Col d'Abraham (1312m) was fairly steep and, as the path was covered in fallen leaves, the yellow and pink signs made it easy to stay on the itinerary.
The climb up to the statue from the Chemin des Gardes proved to be a little slippery and you need to look out for the signs (3 yellow dots). It took me 2 hours 45 minutes from the village, with a 20-minute break.
Magnificent views for miles around. I was tempted to climb to the top of the Rocher, but that's for another time. A number of comments on the subject dissuaded me from trying to get there with shoes whose soles were well rinsed. So I went back down to the Chemin des Gardes, and rounded the Rocher d'Abraham to reach the Col de Mendras to walk along the Crêtes to reach the Tour des Poignets and the Rocher des Taillades. A long descent from the Col des Pergeyres. The path was covered in fallen leaves, but the yellow lines of paint kept me on the right track. Arriving at the track, I encountered the only problem of the day. Apart from a small wooden sign reading "Pergeyres" indicating to turn left, there was no mention of "Cautet" or "Mayres". When I saw two yellow crosses, I turned right on the uphill part of the path, but as I didn't see any yellow marks, I turned back and came to the DFCI track sign indicating Cautet and Mayres. I then took the yellow-marked path back to Cautet and then Mayres.
I crossed the Pont de la Vierge to get back to my vehicle, which I left in front of the church.
In total, almost 20 km and 1200 metres of ascent. 7.40 am with a good hour's break.
A very fine walk that will keep me coming back to Mayres for more in this region.

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A very fine walk in dry weather. The distance is closer to 17 km. The climb is steep at times but not difficult. Most of the route is in woodland, but the pink dots on the trees and stones make it easier to follow. The climb up to the statue was sometimes done with the help of your hands, but the 360° view is well worth the effort. The descent is gentle for most of the way, first over grassy ground and then through undergrowth, which is pleasant in the heat. The last part is more tricky, rather steep and covered with a thick layer of leaves. After rejoining the track, we descended along the path indicated on Visorando, which deviates slightly from the app's route.

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A superb hike that we did in the opposite direction to the one described. This made for a gentler climb.
Superb scenery and magnificent panoramas.
The climb to the top of the rock requires you to be sure of your footing and not be afraid of heights.
On the other hand, the descent is steep and gives your thighs a good workout.
Please note that the GPX track is not accurate.
My GPS gives around 16 km and 1100 D+.
Thank you for this hike
Kevengwen

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a lovely walk among the flowering broom.

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I did this walk on 1 February 2024. It was quite a long climb, with lots of tricky, aerial sections. I did it in 6 hours.
On the other hand, the distance is, I think, greatly underestimated, if you count everything and do everything, my pedometer indicated 21 km.
I wouldn't recommend it if the weather is too wet or foggy, and beware at this time of year of the leaves littering the ground on the descent over the last few kilometres in the forest, where your attention wanders and you're guaranteed to slip.

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6-hour walk, walking normally, with lunch break (15 minutes), photo opportunity (10 minutes), ascent to the rock (and not to the statue), so achievable in 5.5 hours...
A very pleasant walk...and a superb view!
♾️ 😉

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The third attempt was the right one, the fog and a fear of heights having stopped us the first two times.
However, the passage over the rock is very impressive and we won't be doing it again! Although the ground was dry and there was no wind, we decided it wasn't worth the effort, especially as the view from the statue is just as beautiful.
A very nice hike nonetheless, and at least we'll be able to say we did it!

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Very nice walk, in superb weather. The route is varied, with the ascent through the forest, in the shade and very beautiful, the rock and its statue and beautiful views when you're on the ridges! The descent is also very nice, although a little slippery...
It's true that the description is rather brief, but the paths are very well signposted; that's enough to do the walk without asking any questions.
Like other hikers, we went up to the status and chose the option of going back down to avoid the rocky overhead passage. The Tour des Poignets path allows you to find your way back to the ridges. It's very beautiful too!
The climb is a bit tough but we all found it a superb hike!

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A very nice walk, quite difficult on the way up but very shady. However, on the way back there were a lot of clouds of midges, which was very unpleasant.

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Longer walk than indicated. Passages through woodland with lots of fallen leaves made the ascent and descent quite slippery. We got as far as the statue and almost to the summit, but decided to turn back because we weren't sure how difficult the "passage indicated as aerial" would be. So we took the magnificent path below. We then climbed back up to the Tour des poignets. The views are breathtaking. The route is very well marked out on the ground and on the visorando gpx map, so there's no shortage of explanations.

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We did this route yesterday, in bad weather, with the leaves on the ground, and several falls, fortunately there were pink markings.
The route was difficult and so was the descent.
The climb is endless ....
When we got to the top it was all mist, so we couldn't see a thing!

The route is very well signposted

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The description of the climb is a little brief, but the terrain is well indicated. The finished footbridge is superb. To avoid the tricky ridge crossing, it is possible after visiting the statue (the summit is not within everyone's reach) to retrace your steps and take the Tour des Poignets path, which joins the ridge after this crossing. This adds another 80m and less than a kilometre. Be sure to do it in the direction indicated.

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A beautiful autumn hike. Thanks to the author for this route!
I hiked in the direction indicated.
The climb seems long in the forest and is sometimes quite steep but once you reach the pass the route is no longer difficult.
No problems to report with the trail, which is reliable.
Photos of the hike https://www.instagram.com/p/CLjuqlHg0-q/

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very nice climb but not for everyone (vertiginous in places)

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We were looking for a challenging walk and we got what we paid for! A beautiful climb with a superb view at the summit and a long, technical descent.
thank you for your signposting

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