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Ventajou walks
The marble circuit in Caunes-Minervois
Visorando Member
7.68 mi
+1,686 ft
-1,696 ft
5h 00
Moderate
Departure from Caunes-Minervois (Aude)
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)
Ventajou
13.56 mi
+2,001 ft
-1,998 ft
8h 00
Difficult
Departure from Félines-Minervois (Hérault)
Starting from Félines-Minervois, this hike leads primarily to the ruins of Ventajou, which offer a magnificent view of the Corbières and the Pyrenees. But there are many other places of interest along the route: the pretty hamlet of Auberadou, the Planette dolmen, the stone apiaries and the old marble quarries of Planette, Castillou and Escaliers, a cistern carved into the rock, not to mention the Cubitus Cave, which is worth a short detour. Finally, a walk through a magnificent pine forest filled with wonderful scents will bring this journey to a harmonious conclusion.
The Moulin de Biot and the marble quarries via Ventajou
8.25 mi
+1,660 ft
-1,657 ft
5h 15
Moderate
Departure from Félines-Minervois (Hérault)
This hike, partly off the marked trails, allows you to see the hamlet of Biot, its quarry and its mill. As you pass the marble quarries (you will cross four during the hike), you will understand the titanic work carried out by our ancestors during the last century. The hike ends with a long, safe cliff-top path offering spectacular views of the Minervois plain and, beyond, the Corbières massif. In good weather, you can see the Pyrenees in the distance.
Circular walk starting from L’Abeuradou
9.42 mi
+2,231 ft
-2,218 ft
6h 15
Difficult
Departure from Félines-Minervois (Hérault)
A lovely walk in this area, well known for its two PR® trails in Caunes-Minervois and Félines-Minervois: the Marble Quarries Route. To create this circular route, off the beaten track, we spent several days ‘working’ to find the best route, clearing certain sections overgrown with vegetation and marking the paths we created with Yellow Circles. In the marble quarries, you can really appreciate the titanic effort put in by the workers at the start of the 20th century. Information boards explain how the various quarries we come across used to operate.
Saint-Amans-Soult – Saint-Pons-de-Thomières via the PassaPaïs