The Grotte de Mueron and Gorges du Blavet in Bagnols-en-Forêt

A stroll in an exceptional place, discovering the gorges of the river Blavet and the cave of Mueron which was inhabited in the Bronze Age.
Ideal in summer and on warmer days, avoid periods of heavy rain.

Technical sheet

n°4098610

Creation:
3 Aug 2015

Last update:
–

Last review:
6 Sep 2021

Activity: Walking
Distance: 6.28 km
Average duration: 2h 20
Difficulty: Moderate
Return to departure point: Yes
Vertical gain: + 197 m
Vertical drop: - 192 m
Highest point: 263 m
Lowest point: 94 m

Country: France
District: Bagnols-en-Forêt (83600)
Start/End: N 43.528684° / E 6.655044°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3543OT, 3544ET
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Description of the walk

Start from the Gorges du Blavet car park.

(1)Take the small path straight ahead which follows the river bed (southwest).

(2)At the crossroads of trails, fork right (southeast) and down to the ford.

(3) Cross the ford then go up the trail on the right (south-southeast) toward the cave. You'll notice a number of climbing routes around the cave.

(4)Continue along the trail up to the Piste de la Lieutenante (GR^®51).

(5)Then go left (east) on the GR^®51, with read and white route markers. Arrive at the bridge and look bellow at the channel dug into the rock which was used to feed a mill.

(6)Continue east on the GR^®51 toward the Piste du Château d'Eau.

(7) When you get to the water tower, climb (northwest) on the small path to reach a track and leave the GR^®51, continuing northwest and remaining on the Piste de Bayonne.

Admire the view of the gorges and a large Gallo-Roman oppidum (the former Bagnols).
Continue to the car via the track lined with chestnut trees.

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 209 m - Gorges du Blavet car park
1 : km 0.1 - alt. 207 m
2 : km 1.29 - alt. 177 m - Fork
3 : km 1.42 - alt. 139 m
4 : km 2.34 - alt. 101 m - GR51
5 : km 2.59 - alt. 102 m
6 : km 4.29 - alt. 206 m - Water tower
S/E : km 6.28 - alt. 207 m

Practical information

No specific equipment, good shoes. In rainy periods the rocks are slippery.
A pleasant stroll throughout the year but avoid periods of rain. Also good in summer as you can take advantage of the shade.

In the nearby area

Website link for the Gorges du Blavet and Grotte du Mueron Blavet

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5

Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.7 / 5

Clarity of route map
4.3 / 5

Route interest
4.3 / 5

ferrad

Sep 06, 2021 at 05:33 EDT

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The first part of the walk is lovely (from 1 up to halfway between markers 3 and 4). At this point the local map recommends turning right back towards the road, I would do this instead of following the walk as recommended here. I did the walk as per this website, and do not recommend doing the walk to 4,5,6 and back to 1. It is a long, boring, tiring and hot walk along a road with no remarkable views of the gorge.

SabineAl

Jun 14, 2021 at 07:50 EDT

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Fascinating landscape! The small river with very clear water, the fantastic grotte - and the first half of the walk was in the shade which was very pleasant. It was a bit difficult to find the way here since you need to cross the river twice and it wasn't entirely clear to us when and where that should happen. But there are multiple places this can be accomplished, so with a bit of adventurous spirit it was fine. The second half of the walk is a bit more boring along sandy paths in the sun, but you still get nice views the higher up you get.

welshguy69

May 15, 2019 at 11:55 EDT

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : May 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Enjoyable walk, but we did get a little lost early on, as the route description does not mention that you need to cross the river from the right bank to the left bank (going down steam) between waymalkers 1 & 2, before you the re-cross the river from left to right at the ford, to climb up to the cave. You can see this on the map if you look closely.