TRAIL ON THE GR®7 GRAND ORB DISCOVERY BACKPACKING

1

To start this stage, the climb, short but steep towards the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Capimont (km 2), quickly awakens the muscles. The rest is not easy either as rolling trails alternate between valleys and causses on the foothills of the Larzac. The terrain flattens out at the Orb crossing (km 15) when the route enters this wide valley. The end of the stage offers a nice climb on a pleasant single track to reach the village of Dio (km 22). Accommodations along the route: (Km 0) Many accommodations in Lamalou-les-Bains https://www.tourisme.grandorb.fr/ (Km 22) Lou Castellou Gîte in Dio https://lesdoudous34.wixsite.com/loucastellou (Km 22) Château de Dio Gîte http://chateaudedio.info/#!/Home

2

After reaching Valquières as a warm-up (km 26), the muscles will be particularly tested for the roughly 350m positive elevation gain that leads to Puech Caubel (km 28, summit at 400m off the GR®7) offering as a reward a nice viewpoint over the Monts d’Orb. The rest of the route offers magnificent ridge passages on varied paths with no significant difficulty. This section allows you to prepare to tackle the last 10 kilometers with a descending profile that reaches Lodève. While not difficult, the last section requires some physical freshness, especially on the single track parts where some slopes can be steep. Accommodations along the route: (Km 22) Lou Castellou Gîte in Dio https://lesdoudous34.wixsite.com/loucastellou (Km 22) Château de Dio Gîte http://chateaudedio.info/#!/Home (Km 41) Many accommodations in Lodève https://www.tourisme.grandorb.fr/

3

In Lodève, bus lines 661 and 681 allow a return to Montpellier or Millau. To check schedules, visit the site lio.laregion.fr On site, you will easily find places to eat as well as many accommodations. https://www.tourisme.grandorb.fr/

White and red GR

https://www.parc-haut-languedoc.fr/

Haut-Languedoc Regional Natural Park

GR - FFR