MTB 5 - From Dourbies to St-Guiral, graded blue

Description

This circuit starting from the village of Dourbies feels rather southern. It is a long climb out of the Dourbies gorge to the magnificent viewpoint onto the Pic du St-Guiral, before you enjoy the fast and technical descent towards the end. 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 at "DOURBIES-Église" head towards - "Place des 3 Ermites", before going down to the river, crossing the footbridge and climbing back up to "La Clède". - At "La Clède", take the road on the left for 250m, then go up by the track on the right till you reach "Montredon". - At "Montredon", turn right and go down to - "La croix de Lagrinier". There follows the technical descent to get back to "La Clède" before you take the same path as on the outbound leg to return to the village via "Place des 3 Ermites" and then "DOURBIES-Église". This circuit is taken from the guidebook Massif de l’Aigoual, published by the communauté de communes Causses Aigoual Cévennes as part of the collection Espaces naturels gardois and the label Gard Pleine Nature.

Difficulty

Official rating: easy, 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. You must wear a helmet; further protective equipment is recommended. Respect other road users and stay in control of your speed and trajectory. Make sure your equipment is appropriate for the day’s weather conditions. Remember that the weather changes quickly in the mountains. Take enough water. Please close all gates and barriers behind you. No off-roading.
• Caution: patous (livestock guardians)! Seek advice on how to behave near these dogs from tourist offices and National Park information centres.

Getting there

Start: Village de Dourbies, Dourbies (30).

Sources

• Track: Parc national des Cévennes, Licence Ouverte 1.0, Licence Ouverte 1.0 (Etalab) (destination.cevennes-parcnational.fr/trek/42475-Entre-Dourbies-et-St-Guiral---VTT-n5). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
• Official elevation gain: 367 m, Parc national des Cévennes