L’adret du Gravas

After an initial ascent on a shady track, you move on to open meadows, passing close to the Mindrits rocks, the mountain's highest point, before descending into the undergrowth. At several points on the Gravas mountain, ancient stone walls can be seen, evidence of the traditional practice of pastoralism, which continues to this day. Grazing herds keeps meadows such as those on the Gravas crest open. It's also a vital economic activity in rural areas. Remain calm in the presence of guard dogs.

Departure: From the hamlet of Les Moulins (commune of Vercoiran) follow the D242 towards Hubac. Cross the bridge, and stay on the main road. After passing a number of dwellings, you come across a signpost. Leave the road and take the track to the right, parking 100m further on the right-hand side of the track at a crossroads.

1. Turn left onto the main track, following the yellow markings.

2. 300m further on (alt. 712m on IGN), after a left-hand bend, you come to a fork in the road. Turn right onto the downhill track.

3. At the fork (alt. 829m on IGN), turn left onto the main track. This then becomes uneven.

4. 1.1 km further on, at the fork in the road, keep left on the main track.

5. Leave the main track and turn left onto a track leading into the pastures. After 50 m, at the fork in the road, turn left up the hill.

6. At the next junction, take the left-hand path on the slope, which then crosses a track, where you must continue straight on.

7. Stay on the main track when it crosses a path. As you approach shrubs and box trees, go around them to the left, then take the path to the right.

8. To take a less steep, technical path towards the Col de Sanguinet, turn left along a path through the meadow, then enter the beech forest. Follow the signs. The path turns right and then drops down to a wider track.

Direct, technical variant: Before you reach the forest, when the path descends, leave it and turn right into a grassy area (path not very well marked). The path soon becomes marked and climbs steadily up the hill, then descends again on a rocky, technical section.

9. Head south, to the right, and return to the Col de Sanguinet.

10. Take the path coming from the ridge and turn left (or right if you're coming from the alternative route) to reach the pass, then take the uphill track. On the hillock, at a cairn, continue straight ahead.

11. At the Col de Sanguinet crossroads (1080m), turn left towards Ubac (Vercoiran). The path then enters a beech forest.

12. 500m further on, at a fork in the road which crosses a field, keep left into the beech grove. The path then becomes a track, and the beech forest becomes a pine forest. Continue downhill for 3.3 km.

13. At the fork in the road, turn right onto the downhill track. This track passes two switchbacks before turning left and becoming a road. Follow this road for 700m to reach the starting point.

Spoken languages

• French

Labels and ranking

• Open air