HIKE 8

Taurac Plateau (Hérault)

In short...

Length: 7 Km (4.4 mi)

Difference in height: 200 m (660 ft)

Time: 2 h 30 mn

Map: IGN 2742 ET (1/25 000).

Difficulties : There are probably too many signposted path. Some parts of the hike (possible to avoid) are on cliff's edge.

Seasons: all the year.

Equipment: light hike.

Water: at the car park.

Signs : red and white (GR - Grande Randonnée), yellow (PR - Petite Randonnée), blue, red (miscellaneous).

Advice: take advantage of going there to visit the famous cave "La Grotte des Demoiselles" !

Profile

Access

At 35 Km north of Montpellier, the starting point is at the car park of "La Grotte des Demoiselles". From Montpellier, go on the D986 to Ganges until St-Bauzille-de-Putois, where it's easy to follow the roadsigns to the cave.

Itinerary

(numbers refers to the map and the photographs)

(1) Stop on the car park built for the visitors of the cave "Grotte des Demoiselles". Then walk to the upper car park. Go west along the foot of the cliff to an electric transformer. Next to it, a signpost shows a map of the Taurac plateau above us with its numerous footpaths. Beside the signpost, a track climbs up between agaves, passes under a wooden electric post. The red and white signs of the GR 60 are easy to see on the wall at the beginning of the path. The ascent is short but steep, and is located in a grooveof the cliff. As soon as we're on the plateau, we get a beautiful view on the surrounding plain and the Hérault gorges.

(2) We arrive on a first crossroad with a path marked out in blue. Rightward it goes to the Taurac swallow hole, as indicated on a rock ("Aven du Taurac"). Leftward, it reaches a very nice point of view fork with the cliff path and goes down the plateau. The GR follow it for few feet and then continues rightward.

(3) Further, a path marked out with yellow signs goes right. We stay on the GR (straight forward).

(4) Few time later, a new fork: a track is on left, marked in green. We stay on the GR (straight forward).

(5) Further, a new fork: a track is on left, marked in green. We stay on the GR (straight forward).

Path departures marked with green signs (green metallic rectangles nailed on the trees) that occurs place to place communicate with the cliff path that is abve the Hérault gorges. Even impressive by places, this path offers a extraordinary view. The easiest part is between the first two starts on left (4) and (5) indicated previously (dark red path on the map below).

(6) A bit further on the GR, there is a little stone shelter. Eventually you can found a pile carefully made of oak branches, reconstitution of the work the woodcutters and charcoal burners, as they were used to do long ago.

(7) Further, there is a path on left, marked in yellow. We stay on the GR (rightward).

(8) A bit further, a new branching off: a path goes left, marked in green. We stay on the GR (straight forward).

(9) A bit further, a new fork: a path goes left, marked in blue. We stay on the GR (straight forward). Few time later there is a swallow hole on right. Vegetation is made of little size oaks, but changes slowly as we go north. White oaks gets more numerous and higher, and the undergrowth gets moister. The path goes gently down.

(10) Still further, the path meets a former forest lane that comes from right and that is marked in yellow. Our way still follow the GR that now follow the forest lane leftward. As far as we turn around the Fer à Cheval ravine, the path gets larger. This former forest lane could have been used to carry by cart the charcoal made on the plateau. It's yet possible to distinguish in lying stones the wear tracks of the iron wheels of the carts.

(11) We turn around the ravine and pass nearby many swallow holes and arrive on a metalled lane. This lane goes down left to Laroque. The GR follows it. We leave the it to go up right and east. It's a PR (marked with yellow signs).

(12) After one kilometer, there is a branching off on left of a green marked path. We go right on the PR. Anyway, it's a good idea to go on and back on the green marked path because after a few footsteps we arrive at the north edge of the Taurac plateau. There is a superb view on the Aigoual massif just in front of us. The ascent with the PR is amidst a smaller vegetation than when we were on the GR, here is mainly little green oaks.

(13) We arrive at the top of the ascent, there is an unclear pass where we find again the view on the valley south of the Taurac plateau. There is a fork, marked by a cairn. A path goes north-east while another goes down to the south-west: we take this one. A yellow cross indicates that we leave the PR, the path is marked with red signs.

(14) We find later a falling down dolmen. Green oaks and box trees are now more close one to each other, and white oaks are present in damp hollows. We meet several branching off of paths with no signs on our way to the south-west: keep on the one with red signs.

(15) The next fork with a path with signs is with a path marked with yellow signs, going right. We continue left.

(16) Then we find a path marked in green going left. We go on rightward, always on the paths signposted in red.

(17) Further, another fork with a cairn, our path go right and up (red and yelllow signs). Don't take the left path marked in yellow and going down? On the cairn is written "l'Eure": it's the name of a swallow hole very close. We arrive then at the edge of the cliff above the cave "Grotte des Demoiselles".

(18) A new fork, with inscriptions: rightward "La Roca, Aven del Taurac", from where we come "Roc del Pin". We go left along the cliff's edge, then on a cornice going downward that permits us to come back on the steep track we used to climb on the plateau (red and white signs: GR).

Map

Portfolio

(clic on the thumbnails to enlarge them : a new screen will be displayed by your browser. Just close it to come back here)

(1) On the car park: the starting point of the track that climb on the cliff. View of the cliff.

(2) View north from the top of the cliff.

(3) The path in the forest, on the plateau.

(4) Herault gorges at the level of "Moulin Neuf" ('the new water mill').

(5) A lapiaz on the cornice above Hérault gorges.

(6) A pile of oak branches ready to be transformed in charchoal.

(9) A swallow hole.

(14) The dolmen.

Moreover...

The clives of the Taurac plateau is a well-known rock-climbing site. There are several climbing sectors, left bank and right bank of the river Hérault.

The cliff on both sides of the cave "Grottes des Demoiselles" are fit for rock-climbing. The signpost situated at the beginning of the path indicates which sectors are allowed and which are forbidden (photograph 1). Rock-climbers: have respect for these limits and beware not to make stone fall down on the car park !

The rock is limestone (Cretaceous dolomite, excellent but the bottom of "La Tour" and "L'Aiguillette"). There are 80 ways, 30 to 90 m high (100-300 ft) most of them with a good equipment (4c-7c). The climbing site is very nice during winter as a result it is protected from the north wind and exposed due south.