This 2.5 hour hike leads you through a forest of cork oaks by the Blavet's rocky river bed, alongside a sheer descent of rock and up to the top of the Gorges du Blavet canyon.
Getting there:
D4 from A8 highway towards the town of Bagnols-en-Foret.
Left on D47, heading towards Le Muy and La Motte. Left again at the next intersection by the Caveau Saint-Romain. Right on D47 at the Chapelle Notre Dame intersection, heading to Le Muy. Park on the left 4km after intersection - the path is signaled from the D47 road with a "Gorges du Blavet" sign. Lock your car and leave no valuables inside.
Hike:
You cross the white and green striped car fence and take the path on the right marked "Gorges." The path leads to the GR 51 main hiking trail through a profusion of oak and pines trees, heather, blackberry bushes.
At the jumble of rocks by the river, turn left to cross the river and walk on its left bank as the GR 51 path begins to climb. You trek among tall pine trees.
At an intersection, take a right, and continue on the GR 51 path which now descends towards the river and mounts of boulders. Notice the "Grotte" sign on a tree before the river.
Cross the river here, and head up towards the sheer cliff where you may spot a rock-climber hugging the face of the rock like a salamander.
The river babbles below as you navigate up through a forest of green oaks, around carved pitons of rock. You reach the top of the gorge where the GR 51 path opens up to a field of Aleppo pine trees, cistuses, lentisks.
The GR 51 joins the wide Piste de la Lieutenante road that you take heading east (left) to a bridge over the Blavet river. Over the bridge, the gorge appears like a drape of velvet in silver, ocre and salmon.
Cross the bridge and take the narrow blue path immediately following the bridge on the left - if you reach the "Le Réservoir" fire road, you have gone too far. The path is marked in blue dots of paint on trees and rocks.
After reaching up and around a promontory of boulders, the blue path dives down towards the Blavet river. Watch your step here. Follow the blue dots as the path sinuates alongside the river in a lush jungle of cork oaks, pines, mistletoe and heather. Hear any brown frogs croak? They sing in these ponds in the spring during mating season.
The GR 51 reaches the blue dotted path at the "Grotte" junction and leads you back to your car the same way you arrived.
Contact Bagnols-en-Foret Office du Tourisme for more information on the town of Bagnols and vicinity - Place de la Mairie, Bagnols-en-Foret, Tél: 04.94.40.64.68.
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