Trassanel walks

This hike in the Cabardès initially follows the ‘path of remembrance’ leading to the Grotte du Maquis de Trassanel, infamous for the number of Resistance fighters killed there by the occupying forces on 8 August 1944. On a lighter note, the route continues past the two remarkable viewpoints of Roc d’Agnel and Roc de l’Aigle before returning along the ridges, crossing a Natura 2000 protected area. A harmonious blend of history and unspoilt nature on the borders of the Montagne Noire and the Minervois. Several informative panels, rich in insights into the area’s geology and biosphere, are well worth a closer look.

Magnificent landscapes on the border between Haut-Cabardès and Minervois for a circular route that follows the GR®36 on the way back from the foot of Pradelles-Cabardès, taking an old Roman road. Breathtakingly beautiful landscapes, except for the Tramontane wind.

Between rocks, caves and passes, this hike starting from the Gouffre Géant de Cabrespine offers beautiful views of the Minervois plain, the Corbières massif and, weather permitting, the Pyrenees mountain range.

To complete a loop in the Montagne Noire on unmarked, poorly marked and rarely used paths, we have opened up a few sections of trail that allowed us to enjoy an unusual experience in a little-known area. If you like adventure, don't forget to take the GPX track with you!

Loop, on little-known trails or ones we create, reserved for experienced walkers who are willing to follow the GPX track and are not afraid to take poorly marked trails, most of which are unmarked.

A magnificent circular hike around Cabrespine offering beautiful 360° views, walks through fragrant heath scrubland in bloom (especially in spring), surprising caves (best visited with a head torch) and historical remains (a Roman road, a castle, etc.).

This varied walk first takes you to the Roc du Tonnerre, offering a superb 360° panorama: the Pic de Nore and the Haut Cabardès wind farm to the north, and the Minervois, the Corbières and the Pyrenees to the south. The second part takes you through six of the seven charming hamlets that make up the village of Castans, whose town hall and church are located in one of them, Laviale. Vast open spaces and stretches through magnificent woodland of conifers and beech trees alternate pleasantly, making you forget the final section on the road – a result of the floods in the winter of 2023, which have rendered the footbridge over the Ruisseau de Serremijeanne temporarily impassable.

A lovely, varied hike with alternating limestone and schist formations and many beautiful views (as far as the Pyrenees).

A loop trail to discover the sheepfolds of yesteryear and enjoy beautiful views of the Pyrenees, the Montagne Noire and the Pic de Nore.

Many points of interest along the route: arboretum, lime kilns, dolmen, legend, remarkable tree...

A circular route starting from the village of Les Ilhes-Cabardès. A few demanding climbs allow you to discover the unspoilt nature and mountain ranges in this area, which was occupied by the Maquis during the Second World War.

This challenging hike involves four successive ascents and descents in the foothills of the Montagne Noire. It offers a wide variety of places and views throughout the day. To complete this loop, we have cleared a path through broom and holm oak trees. The GPX track is essential for following this section, which is approximately 400 m long, from the point (10). The rest of the hike is on well-marked trails. Note the crossing of the Ruisseau de La Grave (at an altitude of 397 m), which can be tricky if the flow is strong.

⚠️ THERE IS AN ENTRANCE FEE TO VISIT THE SITE. See reviews. An enjoyable cultural visit combining walking and discovery, history and a journey into the past: visit the Cathar castles of Lastours. Four castrums on the same route: Quertinheux, Surdespine, Tour Régine, Cabaret. Suitable for families with motivated children. There are a large number of steps, which will give your psoas and quadriceps a good workout.

Exploring La Montagne Noire and one of the highest waterfalls in Europe.

An easy hike offering stunning views over the villages of Sallèles-Cabardès, Villegly, Villalier, Malves-Minervois, Boulhonnac, etc.

The tour of the photovoltaic park offers an almost 360° panorama. From Salsigne to Villeneuve via Villanière and its mine shaft, Limousis, Sallèles-Cabardès and Marmonières.

Facing the Pic de Nore, which saw the Tour de France pass through in 2018, the wind turbines installed on Mont Sarrat and spread across the municipalities of Pradelles-Cabardès and Cabrespine immediately catch the eye. TheGR®36, coming from Pic de Nore, winds its way at the foot of the masts before plunging towards Carcassonne via the Pas de Montsarrat, an ancient "Roman" communication route. The short length of the route offers the opportunity to extend the hike along the lake (see practical information).

A fantastic hike starting from Lake Pradelles-Cabardès leading to Pic de Nore, the highest peak of the Montagne Noire, with its breathtaking 360° view stretching from Hérault to Tarn via Aude, Pyrénées Orientales, Ariège and Haute Garonne.

A circular route through the Nore National Forest, passing through the Nore gate and the Pic de Nore, also known as the little Ventoux for its climate and its red and white telecommunications tower. The climb through the conifer and beech forests is gentle, but the descent to Pradelles-Cabardès is steep! In winter, it is possible to do all or part of the route on snowshoes, depending on snow conditions. Be careful, there is a ford to cross!

On the border between the Tarn and Aude departments, this circuit allows you to discover four authentic villages preserved in their green setting: Mas-Cabardès, which is the starting point, Roquefère and its castle, Miraval and La Tourette. Although mostly in the woods, the first part of the hike offers magnificent views of the Carcassonne plain, the Corbières and the Pyrenees in the background.

This hike is best done in spring in good weather to enjoy the magnificent views of the Pyrenees, the Carcassonne plain and the Mazametain. You will also have the opportunity to see an ice house and small menhirs. The vegetation is varied: sometimes Mediterranean, sometimes more mountainous. This hike is partially marked with a yellow line, a green line and a yellow dot.

On the western slopes of the Pic de Nore lies a block of gneiss, the Roc de Nouret, isolated on this windswept moorland, where broom and thorn bushes share the space. Higher up, the Bois de Combe Escure, which overlooks the ravine of the same name – the border between the Aude and Tarn departments – marks the watershed between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. A leisurely return to the village via the Bayours forest track.

Pic de Nore is the highest point of the Montagne Noire (1,211 m). The climb is fairly easy from the typical village of Pradelles Cabardès. It mainly takes you through beech forests with views of moorland offering superb panoramas to the south over the Pyrenees and to the north over the Espinouse. In addition to the Pic de Nore, which offers a magnificent 360° view, this circuit allows you to visit the "Cabane d'Hélène" menhirs and the famous ice houses of Pradelles.

In Villegly, a beautifully restored windmill offers a stunning view, and a ford sometimes allows you to step back in time to when there weren't as many bridges as there are today. All this is set against a backdrop of vineyards and heaths.

An easy walk through the heath, passing a few drystone shelters. Beautiful views of the Pyrenees and the nearby Montagne Noire.

The first half of this walk takes place in the Argent Double valley, the second half in the Cros valley, following parallel paths on a roughly south-north axis, allowing you to discover different tree species and the geological diversity of this very dry limestone massif.

The Clamoux, a small river and tributary of the Orbiel, rises on the slopes of Pic de Nore, the iconic peak of the Montagne Noire, where a Tour de France relay station stands. Following forest tracks, with climbs of varying difficulty, you arrive near the source of the Clamoux, a small stream at the start, which you follow on the right bank, off the marked trail, descending into the Soulanes de Nore National Forest to Laviale, which, along with six other hamlets, makes up the village of Castans.

You'll be amazed by the well-preserved state of the Visigoths' tombs found along the way. You can explore the cemetery, made up of fifteen or so graves, at the corner of a path in the middle of shrub land.

The Pic de Nore is the highest point and iconic summit of the Montagne Noire, with its transmitter visible for dozens of kilometres around. The circuit described here allows you to make the ascent without any difficulty, passing by several exceptional viewpoints over the Pyrenees. Two menhirs along the way and a visit to the old ice houses in Pradelles-Cabardès are a pleasant addition to this varied hike at medium altitude.

If you enjoy walking among junipers, gorse and rockroses on a very stony but not particularly difficult path, you will love this short hike, which will take you to the quarry where the red marble columns of the Palace of Versailles were quarried.

Hike on wide, often passable paths. We are in the low mountains with views of the Pyrenees and various villages in the Montagne Noire.

A leisurely walk offering an interesting view of the Rieusec valley, Salsigne and Villanière, and on the other side, the Orbiel valley.

In the Heath du Roi in Conques-sur-Orbiel, many dry stone structures have been restored by a village association. On this walk, we will show you the walls that were originally used to mark out boundaries and create enclosures for livestock at night.

On 300 hectares, an association in Conques-sur-Orbiel has restored a large number of drystone shelters, which were once used to shelter farmers when they worked on this inhospitable land. The rocks dug up during the work were used to build these shelters. You will come across around thirty of these drystone shelters.

This is an easy walk on a limestone plateau that was cultivated until a century ago, despite the poor soil. This is why there are many drystone shelters, which were small shelters to protect workers in case of bad weather. These shelters were built with countless stones taken from the land during agricultural work.

Starting from the village of Citou, this hike first leads to the Roc de Moussu which, despite its modest height (539 m), offers a viewpoint that is highly renowned in the region. The circular hike continues through the vast Soulanes de Nore State Forest, planted with deciduous and coniferous trees. The alternation of wide forest tracks and occasionally secluded paths makes the route varied and attractive, with two sections that are rarely or never used, requiring a good sense of direction and adding a touch of excitement. A route suitable for all seasons, even in summer, as it is mostly shaded. The autumn colours here are splendid.

From Notre-Dame du Cros (Caunes-Minervois), a route takes you to former marble quarries, with a picnic stop at the renovated Ventajou refuge, near the ruins of the castle of the old village that has disappeared. On the way back, you pass by the Moulin de Biot, a former witness to a technique of using wind energy for sawing marble. Warning from the author of the route in the "practical information" tab (2/11/2021)

A beautiful circular route starting from the village of Citou. Almost the entire hike takes place in the woods, so it is feasible in hot weather. A passage along the ridge at the highest points of the route offers beautiful views of the surrounding area, particularly the village of Lespinassière.

Starting from Citou, this circular route takes you on a route that winds along the western slopes of the massif, including the ascent to the summit of La Bourasse. Sections along the ridge offer interesting views over the Montagne Noire as far as the Minervois plain.

Walk in full sun. Don't forget your hat and water. Avoid when it has rained the previous week as the vineyard soil is very clayey and remains sticky for a long time. Very beautiful views of the village of Aragon.

An easy hike, ideal for those who love peace and quiet and walking in the forest, offering a gentle introduction to the Montagne Noire and the Massif de Nore. The route combines sunken paths lined with beautiful hawthorn and holly hedges, clearings, pastures and large forest areas where spruce trees grow alongside deciduous trees. A breath of fresh air on the outskirts of Mazamet.

In the Laure-Minervois area, drystone shelters known as capitelles bear witness to the history and work of the rural world. This route, marked in yellow, will take you to around thirty capitelles that have been restored by the villagers.

This unpretentious walk allows you to stroll in the fresh air through countryside that has remained very rural despite the proximity of the two villages and the town, which you can see via the Hôtel du Département, perched on its hilltop.

A lovely 8.5 km walk through heath and pine forest, or along one of the canals of the former, now-dry Marseillette pond.