Visiting the Cirque de Mourèze

Here I am, finally writing my first post about France. Funny, isn’t it? I must admit that, having started our travel and photography blog in the middle of the Pacific, on the island of Tahiti, we never really had the opportunity to write about France. Well, here we are at last. I’m taking advantage of being on summer holiday at my parents’ house in the South of France, more precisely in the Hérault region, to go for a walk in a well-known local site: the famous Cirque de Mourèze.

For those of you who have been following our blog for some time, this is clearly a less tropical destination than the islands of Tahiti and Bora Bora, which we write about regularly. But we also thought this countryside walk would be a nice opportunity to show you a little corner of France that many of you probably don’t know, unless you live nearby.

Let’s go, we’re taking you on a little walk through the famous Cirque de Mourèze, one of the region’s geological curiosities.

Before describing the walks around the Cirque, I wanted to say a few words about geology. I’m not going to give you a lecture, that’s not the idea, but if this place is so famous, it is mainly because of its geological and morphological setting. This 160-million-year-old site is known as a “mega-lapiaz”. To put it simply, it is an area of ruin-like relief, in this case made of dolomitic limestone, carved out by erosion over time. What we see today was once the bottom of an ancient shallow sea, which has since disappeared. Over time, erosion and rainwater shaped the landscape.

To simplify things, in addition to natural erosion caused by water, limestone rocks have the particularity of being soluble when they come into contact with water charged with carbon dioxide from the soil. This process of dissolution, caused by carbonic-acid-rich water, gradually attacks the limestone and dolomite. The result is this characteristic landscape that looks like a field of ruins.

There are actually two walks you can do in the Cirque de Mourèze. The first is a short loop, called the Parc des Courtinals, which takes you around the most characteristic formations of the Cirque in about 1 hour. The second is the longer 3-hour loop, which offers a magnificent view from the ridge of Mont Liausson over Lake Salagou. Note that you can also reach Mont Liausson from the small village of the same name, on the other side of the mountain. For this article, I decided to do both walks with my mother!

From the very start of the walk, you discover this highly original landscape, essentially made up of dolomitic rock, a type of limestone, which crumbles under the effects of erosion and rainwater dissolution. The result is a jagged landscape of small canyons, imposing rocks and sand known as “sandstone” or “dolomitic arena”. This sand simply comes from the rocks in the landscape you are walking through. Along the way, you’ll cross the typical preserved vegetation of the Cirque: rosemary, colourful heather, strawberry trees, a few pines, junipers and helianthemum.

The beginning of the walk is not the most spectacular part of the Cirque. You’ll see the most impressive formations instead on the way back, during the walk through the Parc des Courtinals, the short loop. The path climbs from the junction with the “Chemin des Charbonniers” towards the “Montagne de Liausson”, which is signposted. The climb to the summit is not particularly interesting in itself, but it does sometimes offer beautiful views of the surrounding area, Pic Vissou and its old watchtower. Honestly, there is nothing really complicated about the hike, even if there are a few fairly steep sections.

Reaching the top is a lovely reward, with a 180° panoramic view over Lake Salagou. For those who know the area, you can clearly see the famous peninsula of the lake, the village of Liausson and the vineyards below. Take a moment here for breakfast, it feels so good to be up there. It took us 1h30 to reach the highest point from the car park, with a few photo breaks along the way…

The return along the ridge offers several different viewpoints overlooking Lake Salagou. The rest of the way back to the village is relatively shady and does not offer anything particularly remarkable. Nevertheless, take the time to wander for a few moments through the little streets of this picturesque village. You can even stop for a drink at the foot of the imposing castle built just below the Cirque.

By the way, I had the privilege of accessing the castle, which is usually closed to visitors, and was able to take some lovely pictures of the surroundings and the Cirque. See for yourself!

Personally, if you have the time and feel like spending the whole day in the Cirque de Mourèze, I would suggest leaving early in the morning for the long loop, then taking the time to have a drink on a terrace and eat lunch at a restaurant in the village, before setting off later in the afternoon for the short loop. You could even consider spending the night here in the village, in one of the well-known hotels, but I’ll tell you more about that below.

After a good meal in the village, you can consider going for a short walk, also known as Le Parc des Courtinals. You have two options. If, for example, you have done the long hike in the morning, you can do the loop in the opposite direction and start from the village. This avoids going back along the same path as in the morning, which is also the less interesting section. If you only come to do this short walk, you might as well follow the loop in the usual direction, starting from the car park at the exit of the village.

Personally, I find this one-hour loop really interesting, especially the second part. The landscapes are superb, and with beautiful evening light like we had, around 8 pm, the scenery becomes truly magical. This second part features many more sandy canyons, small paths, and you’ll definitely enjoy walking between the rocks, each one with shapes more spectacular than the last.

You can easily spend a good hour here, or even two if you love photography, wandering through this maze of such unusual shapes! For those wondering, it is a very easy walk, not strenuous at all compared with the long loop, and you can totally do it with children or even a baby.

Of course, everything will depend on where you are coming from to discover this “Natura 2000” classified site. The two closest airports are Béziers and Montpellier, both just under an hour away and around 55 kilometres on average. If you are planning to book a domestic flight, I recommend taking a look at the Skyscanner website, which I have personally been using for more than 10 years.

If you are on holiday in the area, you can simply rent a car in Montpellier or Béziers for your holiday. Access to the Mourèze site is from the car park at the entrance to the village. Please note that there is a €3 parking fee.

Personally, I would recommend doing both walks, because they each offer something different. I would suggest doing the longer loop up to Mont Liausson early in the morning, and the shorter loop trail in the late afternoon or early evening. If you can avoid summer and the tourist crowds, that is certainly much better. Ideally, for people in the area, I would recommend autumn or spring, always early or late in the day to enjoy beautiful light. Avoid going there in the middle of the day because of the heat, and don’t forget to bring bottles of water, as there is nothing along the whole route.

Hotels in Mourèze:

• The Navas hotel “Les Hauts de Mourèze”: the hotel has an excellent reputation from what I have heard, although I have not slept there myself. The location is perfect, overlooking the Cirque de Mourèze. The swimming pool and the warm welcome are very much appreciated! In my opinion, it offers superb value for money, and I’ll try it next time I come to my parents’ house in Nébian,
• L’Auberge Val Mourèze: located outside the village, this place also has a good reputation. People particularly like the hotel’s setting, the magnificent swimming pool and the spa, perfect for relaxing after a hike.

Guest rooms and cottages in Mourèze:

• The gîte L’Ombretta: in the heart of the village, in a quiet location, this is an old winegrower’s house that has been entirely renovated.
• The Sabel guest rooms: located outside the village, they offer 2 bedrooms, 1 outdoor cabin and 1 treehouse cabin.
• The Domaine de Nabes gîte: several houses are available as holiday rentals in a splendid setting, away from the crowds. Note that camping is also possible!

As I said at the beginning of the article, you really need to remember to bring water for both hikes, because there is nothing along the way. You can possibly buy water at Restaurant Ô Cirque, at the start of the hike, only a few minutes from the car park.

For lunch or dinner, there is a well-known restaurant in the village called L’Art de la Flamme. You can also eat at the restaurant of Val Mourèze.

Finally, note that you can also have a drink at a small snack bar in the village, located at the end of the hikes, perfect for recharging your batteries. Its location is very pleasant: at the foot of the village castle, in the shade. I didn’t try it personally, but I saw that there is also a crêperie just next door. It’s a good option for those who want to eat quickly without having the budget for a restaurant. To help you find your way around, you can look at this very good map made by the Mourèze town hall.

I’m coming to the end of this article, my first one about France and even Europe! I hope you enjoyed the walk and that the photos will make you want to discover this beautiful part of Hérault. I admit it was really nice to do and to rediscover, especially with my family. Unfortunately, I won’t have time to write another article about the region for now, but I plan to do it next time. There are so many things to discover in the area, to name just a few: Lake Salagou, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, the Cirque de Navacelles, the Larzac, Mediterranean villages by the sea or by the lagoons where you can enjoy good seafood, such as Bouzigues, Sète, Balaruc-les-Bains, and more.

See you soon anyway,

Sylvain