Sémalens walks

This is a pleasant walk in all seasons, with pretty panoramic views and fairly good signposting. First follow the signs for "Petite boucle" (small circular) then "Plôts des Drulhes". Some parts of the route cross private property, so please respect it.

Starting from the village centre, this beautiful loop takes you north of the village through a varied landscape of hills to the hamlet of Ardialle and through Saint-Jean before climbing back up to Puylaurens. Can be done on foot or by mountain bike. Yellow markings.

This hike has a few hills and is pleasant in all seasons, but should be avoided after heavy rain as the paths may be muddy. You will discover the charming hills surrounding the hamlet of Appelle, overlooked by Puylaurens. Several sections are on roads, but these are very small roads with very little traffic and beautiful views.

A beautiful, undulating route that passes through four places dedicated to the four saints of Dourgne: Saint-Macaire and his healing spring, Saint-Stapin the giant, Saint-Chipoli or Saint-Hippolyte, Saint-Ferréol and his Capelette.

A lovely climb up a steep gorge leads to the dry grasslands of the Désert de Saint-Ferréol, where La Capelette stands proudly overlooking a vast landscape.

A beautiful, easy walk between the plains and the mountains, in the bocage at the foot of the Montagne Noire, with superb views of the plains. See practical information.

Route through the Montagne Noire, with superb panoramic views of the Lauragais, the village of Dourgne and Sainte-Scholastique, places of worship (Quatre Saints) and magnificent pine forests.

Breathtaking panoramic views steeped in history and legend. 02/08/2023 Message from the moderator: Change to the route at point 11 to continue on thePR® and avoid En Crouzilles, which is private property.

This is a modest route to whet your appetite. Do it one morning for a breath of fresh air in the Lautrec countryside. Lautrec is the capital of pink garlic, which is mainly found in the south-west.You can plan this walk for a Friday morning before heading to the "canteen" at the Café Plum.

Between Lavaur and Puylaurens, this circular route allows you to discover part of the Roman road, the hills of the "Pays de Cocagne" (Land of Plenty), the land of pastel, and the Château de Magrin.

On the western edge of the Montagne Noire, this hike harmoniously combines historical remains and beautiful views. The Oppidum de Berniquaut, the excavations of medieval dwellings on the same site, a large standing stone with cup marks and the ruins of the Chapelle Saint-Jammes de Besauceles will delight history enthusiasts. Lovers of beautiful landscapes will also find something to satisfy them on this route, which overlooks the Sorèze plain from a height of over 300 metres.

Circuit to Gallic ruins offering a 360° view of the Sorèze plain.

Semi-shaded route in the Montagne Noire, with beautiful views of the Revel and Puylaurens valley and the Pyrenees. Forest of fir, pine and beech trees, moors of ferns and ash trees. Little elevation gain. Most of this hike follows unmarked paths, even if you come across some markings. Only take these into account when they are mentioned in the description.

This walk, which is flat and easy, takes you around the bastide town of Revéloise and allows you to discover some historical sites. The starting point is right next to the municipal swimming pool.

From Caucalières to Caucalières via Payrin, a walk in the fresh air.

This beautiful circular loop will allow you to discover the different rolling countryside landscapes around the Domaine d'en Naudet. It is very pleasant, and you may even be lucky enough to spot a deer.

The Chemin des Amoureux (Lovers' Path) takes you up the Laudot valley toward Cammazes. You return on the GR7.

A circular route on the plateau above Arfons via the Croix des Fangasses, the Croix de Montalric and the Montalric orientation table. Magnificent view over the entire Revelois and Puylaurentais plains as well as the Pyrenees. GPS essential for this hike.

Section of the "sentier des sommets" trail, cut off from the link with Revel, reducing the total distance to 14 km. No technical difficulties, with beautiful views of the Lauragais. The route ends with a shaded walk around the lake, where you can swim in season.

There are no signs indicating this remnant of a powerful Cathar fortress where three hundred Cathar perfects took refuge in 1209. All that remains is a tower and an intact Romanesque gate marking the entrance to the castrum. This walk along the Rigole de la Montagne and Sor rivers will reveal the entrance to the hidden path.

This hike is very easy to follow, but bring sunscreen and water if you're doing it in the middle of summer!

This hike alternates between beech, oak and chestnut forests and cattle pastures on the hillsides. The elevation gain is gentle, but the beautiful descent through the woods after Le Montagnet can be difficult in wet weather. Spring and late autumn are the best times to enjoy this route.

A shaded hike through a beautiful forest that once provided charcoal. A few pits, or charcoal pits, remain as evidence of this.

From the dam, head towards the Montagne Noire Natural Park for a hike in the forest and along the river. After a short wet crossing and a final easy climb, the arrival point reveals a magnificent view of the dam.

Three quarters of the hike is sheltered from the sun and wind by the beech forest (mainly). Wear good shoes as the trail is often muddy with some stream crossings that are more or less maintained. Foresters have cleared the trail, which creates some large puddles, but these can always be avoided by walking along the edges of the forest.

On the watershed between the Aude and Tarn rivers, we follow in the footsteps of P.P. Riquet once again, discovering other water resources that enabled this self-taught engineer to demonstrate to the experts sent by Colbert the merits of his project to supply his Canal des Deux Mers. However, the forest remains present on this easy route, and Arfons, with its slate roofs, is a picturesque little village in the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park.

The proximity of the lake for cooling off, the deciduous forest for a shaded walk and the very passable paths, despite a few fords along the route, ensure a very pleasant time even with children.

A refreshing walk in the Montagne Noire from the small village of Lacombe (11310) to the Ramondens national forest (Tarn) with a picnic stop near the retaining dyke of the St-Denis basin. Return via the right bank of the Alzeau and passage at the Prise d'Alzeau, source of the Canal du Midi, before climbing back up to Lacombe. Walk checked on 18/06/23. A few details have been added by the author

360 years ago, Pierre Paul Riquet had the trial trench for the Canal du Midi dug. The official purpose of this small diversion canal was to prove that large quantities of water could be brought from the Montagne Noire to the Naurouze threshold, where the planned navigation canal would have its "dividing point", its highest watercourse. However, for Riquet, the stakes were much higher: he also wanted to prove that he was fully capable of managing a project as large as the gigantic structure he had planned. To convince Colbert and the commission responsible for examining the feasibility of the project, he offered to finance the test canal himself and only be reimbursed if the objectives were achieved... Theoutcome proved this stubborn man right! This walk takes you on a journey of discovery to find traces of this "Rigole d'Essai" in the Alzeau valley, starting from the village of Lacombe. Parking is available opposite the town hall.

Here is a variation on the "Lac de Laprade, around the lake" hike. This variation avoids the climb up the paved road to the village of Laprade Basse. It allows you to visit the Laprade peat bogs and enjoy a pleasant walk on pontoons.

Nestled between Lake Galaube and Lake Laprade Basse, the Loubatière State Forest covers 450 hectares. It is located in the western part of the vast forest that covers the southern slope of the Montagne Noire in the Aude department. A single, completely wooded area, this forest, which ranges in altitude from 660 to 885 metres, forms the headwaters of the Linon stream. In autumn, it offers a dream setting for hikers in search of mushrooms and chestnuts, with the golden colours of oak, beech, birch and chestnut leaves carpeting the ground. This is the ideal playground for an easy walk starting from the hamlet of Cals Haut, part of the commune of Lacombe, between Saissac and Les Martys.

From Lac de Laprade Basse in the commune of Cuxac-Cabardès, "Let's go for a walk in the woods to see if the wolf is there!" In fact, let's set off to explore the Loubatière National Forest, from the Dure River, which feeds the lake, to the Linon Stream, which joins it upstream from Montolieu. Beneath centuries-old trees stand the ruins of an old Carthusian monastery abandoned long before the Revolution, due, among other things, to wolves... which have since been replaced by deer.

This is a lovely walk through the vineyards and fields of Briatexte, ideal in winter. Dotted among the valleys and hills are pigeon lofts and distant bell towers. The few sections of road do not detract from the charm of these rural landscapes.

Starting from the pretty site of the Arifat waterfalls, this hike alternates between forest passages and paths on gentle ridges where the view opens up over the surrounding mountains and valleys to offer beautiful panoramas, particularly stunning in autumn when the deciduous trees are ablaze with colour.

A circular that will allow you to discover the Lauragais countryside and the Rigole de la Plaine, which feeds the Canal du Midi

Landscapes of the Lauragais region starting from Saint-Paulet. Long shaded stretch along the Rigole de la Plaine, Lake Lenclas with picnic facilities, the Cathar memorial at Les Cassés, view of the exterior of the castle and the Pyrenees.

A lovely walk in the Tarn countryside with a Tuscan feel. Beautiful views and two chapels to see along the way. Yellow signposts. Please note that changes are pending. Moderator's note 10 May 2024 Official modification of the route between point (12) and point (13) with new signage. Do not take the path towards the Bruguière farm. From point (12), follow the Sainte-Cécile road, pass the path leading to the farm but continue on the Sainte-Cécile road until you return to point (9). From the point (9), turn right onto the Pébrines road. When you reach the fork, take the right-hand branch. Continue until you reach the point (13).