Mont Brion : from watchtowers to fords

Description

A walk over draille (drovers’ road) and paths, through chestnut orchards and holm oak groves, offering fine views over the Cévennes ! This pretty ascent towards Mont Brion offers panoramic 360° views, ranging from Mont Aigoual to Mont Lozère via Mont Bouquet, Mont Ventoux and, further south, the sea. At Sainte Croix de Caderle, take advantage of the viewpoint indicator and discover the small Romanesque chapel and its history. Signposts will guide you all along this route. In the description below, the signposted place names and/or directions are given in bold italics between quotation marks : Starting from the car park “Route vieille” in Sainte-Croix de Caderle, go uphill to the village (with a there-and-back detour to the viewpoint indicator), then to “Mont Brion” via: - “La Graussille” and - “La Malaygue”. - At “Mont Brion”, go downhill to: - “Col de Briontet”. Then return to “Sainte Croix de Caderle” via: - “Le Tourel”, - "Sainte croix de Caderle", and finally to the car park at “Route Vieille”. This hike is taken from the guidebook Cévennes et vallées du Gardon, autour d’Anduze et Saint-Jean-du-Gard, published by the Agglomération d’Alès as part of the collection Espaces Naturels Gardois and the label Gard Pleine Nature.

Difficulty

Official rating: moderate, by Parc national des Cévennes.

Before you go

• Make sure your equipment is appropriate for the day’s weather conditions. Remember that the weather changes quickly in the mountains. Take enough water, wear sturdy shoes and put on a hat.

Getting there

Start: Sainte Croix de Caderle, Sainte-Croix-de-Caderle (30).

Sources

• Track: Parc national des Cévennes, Licence Ouverte 1.0, Licence Ouverte 1.0 (Etalab) (destination.cevennes-parcnational.fr/trek/96852-Mont-Brion-de-guets-en-gues). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
• Official elevation gain: 479 m, Parc national des Cévennes