Col de Bès

Description

This small loop explore a typically Cévenol landscape, with its villages and hamlets scattered in the valleys and over the mountain sides, and offers magnificent views from Mont Aigoual all the way to the sea. Gardens, crops, especially mild onions, orchards and flocks of sheep bear witness to the still active rural life in all seasons. Signposts will guide you all along this route, as well as yellow painted waymarks. In the description below, the signposted place names and/or directions are given in bold italics between quotation marks : From the the car park "Notre Dame de La Rouvière", walk towards - "Col de la Tribale" along the D152, at the start. At the Col, take the path on the left to "col de Bès". - At “col de Bès”, in the gap across the ridge, go to "Mas de Mourgues". - At "Mas de Mourgues", head to “Valnières” - At "Valnières", continue along the GR®6b trail toward “Puech Sigal”. - At "Puech Sigal", continue toward "Orlut". - At “Orlut” head down toward "Le Réservoir" and “Notre Dame de La Rouvière”. Return to the parking area.

Difficulty

Official rating: moderate, by Parc national des Cévennes.

Before you go

• Before committing yourself to a circuit, ensure that it is suitable for your activity level and ability. Remember that the weather changes quickly in the mountains. Take enough water.

Getting there

Start: Notre-Dame-de-la-Rouvière, Val-d'Aigoual (30).

Sources

• Track: Parc national des Cévennes, Licence Ouverte 1.0, Licence Ouverte 1.0 (Etalab) (destination.cevennes-parcnational.fr/trek/73894-Col-de-Bes). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
• Official elevation gain: 653 m, Parc national des Cévennes