Sidobre, a journey to the land of granite

This region, between Mazamet and Castres, is extraordinary for its accumulation of granite boulders, left in all directions by nature. The walk is always sheltered from the sun and wind, and there is no tarmac.
I am making an exception to my rule of ignoring the markings left on rocks and trees. This walk is well signposted, but only pay attention to the FFR markings. White and red lines for the^GR® and yellow lines elsewhere.

Details

n°578245

Creation:
08 May 2017

Last update:
09 Oct 2021

Last review:
16 Sep 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 7.03 km
Average duration: 2h 20
Difficulty: Easy
Back to start: No
Ascent: + 128 m
Descent: - 178 m
Highest point: 673 m
Lowest point: 593 m

Country: France
Areas: Massif central, Sidobre
District: Lacrouzette (81210)
Start: N 43.665129° / E 2.393221°
End: N 43.659673° / E 2.376913°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2343ET
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Description of the walk

Several routes start from Crémaussel, a hamlet of Lacrouzette. Crémaussell is located to the east of the village and can be reached via a small road passing by the Croix de Beyriès. Use the Visorando tool "how to get to the start of the hike". When you arrive in Crémaussel, there is a car park on the south side of the road.

(S) Cross the road and take the path between two houses. This path is marked by numerous signs indicating the names of the rocks. You are also on the^GR®36, marked in red and white. Keep to your left and pass in front of the Petit Géologue shop, which you can visit if it is open. Climb this fairly wide but very rocky path to the Roc de l'Oie.

(1) Pass to the left of the rock and descend towards the Trois Fromages, a spectacular pile of rocks. Return to Roc de l'Oie via the same path and go around it to the left. You are now leaving the^GR®36and will only be guided by the yellow horizontal line. Do not lose sight of the markings, as this is a very popular spot and there are paths in all directions. At Roc de l'Éléphant, keep to the right, following the yellow lines. After this very winding path, you will return to the car park where you started.

(S) Take a wide path to the left of the car park, perpendicular to the road. You are now back on the^GR®36and can follow the red and white markings without leaving this wide, well-marked path. Further on, pass under two high-voltage power lines.

(2) You will come to a crossroads with a sign indicating "Sentier des rocs de Crémaussel". Turn right, leaving the^GR®, and continue along this path, following the yellow markings. Pass under the high-voltage power lines again.

(3) At this junction, turn left and follow the yellow markings. There are orange markings, which are quite rough and much more prominent on this path, which you can follow to La Safranière. As this path is not varied, you cannot go wrong. Walk westwards to reach La Safranière, where the walk ends (E).

Waypoints

S : km 0 - alt. 654 m - Cross the road and take the rocky path.
1 : km 0.56 - alt. 661 m - Turn right in front of Roc de l'Oie.
2 : km 4.66 - alt. 655 m - Turn right at the small sign.
3 : km 5.2 - alt. 667 m - On the left, take the path through the forest.
E : km 7.03 - alt. 599 m - La Safranière cul-de-sac

Notes

This is a linear hike: make sure you have at least one car at the starting point car park and one at the finishing point.

If you wish to return to the starting point on foot:

From La Safranière, on the road, continue to the right. Shortly afterwards, ignore the road on the left. About 400 metres further on, you will come to a small road at Croix de Beyriès (place not indicated on site), turn right. About 500 metres further on, at a fork, continue on the road opposite, slightly to the right, for about 1.5 km to reach Crémaussel (S).

Worth a visit

It would take too long to list everything there is to see in Sidobre. We recommend "La Maison du Sidobre", which summarises it all quite well.
Don't miss Peyro-Clabado, accessible from the road between Lacrouzette and Crémaussel, an 800-tonne rock resting on 2 square metres.
Visit the church in Lacrouzette, where you will see some rather exceptional wall panel sculptures. You can meet the sculptor at the Jean Cros Museum located at Peyro Clabado.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5

Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5

Route interest
4.6 / 5

jano le doc

16 Sep 2025 at 23:14 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did the tour in the morning, with a risk of rain, but lots of humidity, though no downpours. In short
The tour is easy to follow, but if you go, I hope that, like us, you enjoy stones.
very interesting, nature has a lot to show us.

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Tenzig11250

21 Oct 2024 at 04:57 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely cultural stroll

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Ptg

14 Oct 2024 at 11:01 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant, shade and sunshine, interesting Sidobre discovery trail with alternative routes available.

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JF31

02 Sep 2024 at 14:57 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We didn't follow the route exactly. We did the hike in reverse (too steep) and ended up doing a circular route to get back to the car with a little bit of tarmac.
Beautiful light, peaceful hike. The small hamlet of Ricard in its original state. A must-see.
The Sidobre is magnificent at the end of summer and you never tire of the trail of wonders.
The only downside was the high humidity (85% on the day of the hike), which was sometimes unpleasant with the added heat.

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Bachotet

02 Mar 2022 at 11:16 3600

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely, peaceful family walk.

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p.lambrechts

01 Mar 2022 at 15:20 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

no message

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Vendinielle

09 Oct 2021 at 16:02 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Be sure to visit outside of peak season to enjoy the peace and magic of the place. Today – with birdsong, the cool, damp air and the scent of the early morning – it was wonderful.
As for the route, it's a real shame not to do the circular, which is actually the Rocs de Crémaussel trail (FFRP); allow just under 3 hours. Coming from Lautrec, I parked at the well-equipped Beyriès picnic area and set off in the opposite direction. This is a good way to start as the path is easy. At Crémaussel, I did the circular "sentier des merveilles" route described by Lippo and returned to my starting point via Ricard and La Fusarié. It's impossible to go wrong. I find it more interesting this way, as it's always better to save the best for last, and the section not described here is really beautiful.
Chestnut, beech and oak trees, and in winter, holly and conifers. Be careful, there are some good water reserves along the way, especially after point 3.

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mhajji6634

13 Sep 2021 at 08:50 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very good route that we did with our 5-year-old son without any major difficulties.
What's more, there's a really fun section on the trail of wonders.
Not too crowded at this time of year (mid-September).

We parked at Ricard and reached the Roc de l'Oie via the GR trail, then completed a circular route to return to our vehicle from the arrival car park via the blue dotted line on the map. Apart from a good climb at the start (15 to 20 minutes), there were no further difficulties in my opinion, and it allows you to complete a circular route.

Thank you for sharing!

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Joëlle C

10 Aug 2020 at 15:54 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful route, very shaded, despite the large number of visitors. My granddaughters and I were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the site, it's impressive. Thank you, recommended outside of July and August. Well marked, splendid.

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02 Aug 2020 at 18:43 7200

The user account associated with this content has been deleted.

sabinesg

15 Jun 2020 at 10:32 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walks,
To be repeated!
As always, make sure you know where the starting point is to avoid too much walking for the younger ones.

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lippo

30 Jan 2020 at 16:13 3600

Thank you Henri57 for defending me. Critics often repeat the refrain "poor signposting". I have already explained several times that I never deal with signposting unless it is exceptionally good. Too many associations mark their own trails in often fanciful colours, felled trees, rocks moved by a tractor, etc. The only important trail is the one provided by VisoRando on your mobile phone. If you take the wrong path 10 metres further on, you will notice it on the trail. It is too dangerous to follow markings that have led me astray several times... before I had VisoRando.
Have a good day.

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henri57

30 Jan 2020 at 16:06 3600 • Edited: 30 Jan 2020 at 16:07 3600

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to give your opinion.

By "route on map", we do not mean evaluating the signposting, but rather the accuracy of the route as it appears on the map in relation to the actual terrain.

Visorando does not recommend signposting as it can be modified or removed, whereas information about the terrain is stable.

If signposting is essential for you, Visorando provides, in addition to the description and the IGN 1:25,000 map, a virtual signposting system: a GPS application.

This tool, offered free of charge by Visorando, allows you to validate waypoints and thus remove any doubts about your orientation.

See you soon!

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francoise Godin

30 Jan 2020 at 09:07 3600

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello, this hike is very interesting but difficult to find as the route is poorly marked.

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denis-du-47

10 Jun 2019 at 14:17 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great hike for families, with a good climb between Ricard and Roc de l'Oie, otherwise very pleasant and always wooded.

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Author

lippo
60 Walks

Visorando member

District: Villardonnel (11600)

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