Sightseeing along the way
The Cordes Plateau: countless streams and rivers have shaped and eroded this limestone plateau to form a collection of gently rolling hills of equal height. Meadows take up the valley bottoms, crops are grown on the lower slopes, and areas of woodland, dry grasses and heathland are found on the steeper slopes.
On the Cordes Plateau man has always farmed small patches of grazing land and vineyards because of the hilly terrain and the rather dry climate up on the causse.
The Puech de Mordagne: this is the name of the hill on which Cordes-sur-Ciel was built. It is in fact a rocky promontory that rises more than 100 metres above the valleys of the Cérou and its tributary the Aurosse. Half of this hill was originally crowned by cliffs of white limestone, but the rock was used to build the bastide's first ramparts and fortified gates. When you visit the town you can indeed see part of what remains of this original limestone crown at the end of rue Chaude.
Panoramas of Cordes-sur-Ciel: the route, which winds its way along shallow valleys festooned with cliffs, provides different views of Cordes-sur-Ciel, making the walker feel like an artist looking for the best angle from which to paint his subject. One cannot help but agree with T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) who, visiting Cordes-sur-Ciel in 1908, declared: "an artist could paint here for a year without ever repeating himself, and all his paintings would be beautiful."
The Gaillac AOC vineyards: it is easy to spot the square plots of vines dotted around your route. These vines form part of the Gaillac AOC area (lien vers page vins de Gaillac / rubrique tourisme et vins): 2,500 hectares in all, with some hundred individual producers, 3 wine cooperatives and estates that rarely exceed 20 hectares in size where quality is the watchword. This vineyard, one of the oldest in France, produces whites and reds that are robust and appealing, just like the countryside where it grows, stretching from the Cordes Plateau to the banks of the River Tarn.
Practical info
The Causse Trail around Cordes-sur-Ciel
=> The route description (in French), written by the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre, is available from Cordes-sur-Ciel Tourist Office – 8, place Jeanne Ramels-Cals - Tel. +33 (0)5 63 56 00 52.
Start and end point
The village of Souel (parking on Place de l’Église). 6 km south of Cordes-sur-Ciel.
Length
12 km.
Duration
3 hrs.
Total height difference
119 m (184 m to 303 m).
Waymarking
Yellow (PR®).
Level
Intermediate. For regular walkers.
Best time to go
Practicable all year round.
Additional information
This walking route is also open to mountain biking and horse riding.
Getting there
Cordes-sur-Ciel is 25 km north of Albi (Tarn).
Information
This walk runs through one of the typical causse landscapes of Midi-Pyrénées, providing lots of panoramic views of Cordes-sur-Ciel and taking you to the foot of the splendid 'bastide' founded in 1222.
The route explores the stunning countryside where Cordes-sur-Ciel rises like a diamond mounted on a gold ring. The surroundings, the limestone plateau of the causse, contribute greatly to the beauty of this Great Tourist Site in Midi-Pyrénées, perched on the hill known as the Puech de Mordagne.
Together, the bastide and surrounding countryside, maintain a serene dialogue in which the limestone, present in shades ranging from chalk white to brown-gold, speaks to us in a timeless language comprehensible to all.
A Mediterranean feel
Here, the light has a special quality about it, as if coloured by coming into contact with the light gold sculpted façades so admired by visitors to Cordes-sur-Ciel. The vegetation, including juniper, dry grasses and vines, has a Mediterranean feel. And yet the spring and autumn mists sometimes shroud the hills with a more Atlantic atmosphere, and on occasion Cordes-sur-Ciel floats above a sea of clouds.
The causse around Cordes-sur-Ciel is typical of this part of the Tarn département north of Gaillac and Albi. What's more, the Gaillac vineyards (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) stretch up onto the Cordes Plateau, as you will see on the walk. The vines that grow in these sun-warmed, pebbly soils produce fruity white wines and subtle reds.
Around Cordes-sur-Ciel, founded originally to repel the barons of the North who came to pursue the Cathars, the countryside is discreetly dotted with pretty little villages such as Noailles and Souel, where the walk begins, villages of rustic peasant houses built in a stone that gives them a certain presence, and also, a little further away, with châteaux such as the Château de Cayla (Château-Musée Maurice et Eugénie de Guérin).
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