Walks near Vernet-les-Bains and to Canigou

CORNEILLA - VILLFRANCHE

1 - Corneilla-de-Conflent, village centre. With the church behind us, we pass to the right of a pretty statue... In the old village, we go to the right again... We descend towards the main road.

2 - We cross the road; we go to the right and immediately to the left, on a lane... We cross two rivers.

3 - We leave the lane and we follow a path on the left... The path climbs a steep slope.

4 - Dolmen. We go to the right... We follow a track, which climbs in zig-zags.

5 - Bifurcation. We go to the left (sharp turn)... We continue to follow the track.

6 - Hilltop ('Citerne Vauban'). We go to the right.

7 - Path crossing. We go to the left... The path descends in zig-zags... We are careful on the exposed sections.

8 - Junction with a road, at the foot of the hill. We go to the right... We cross the road and we enter the fortified village of Villefranche... We pass through the village.

9 - 'La porte de France' and a bridge over the Cady river... We cross a car park and a main road... We follow a waymarked path which climbs to the right... The path crosses a canal and it climbs towards a forest.

10 - Bifurcation, in the forest. We go to the left... The path turns to the left... It leaves the forest and it climbs in zig-zags.

11 - Bifurcation. We go to the right.

12 - 'La Redoute' (fortification of the 19th century)... We turn round and we descend to point 11, where we go to the right.

13 - Junction. We go to the right, on a track.

14 - Clearing and junction. We go straight ahead.

15 - Bifurcation. We leave the track and we follow a path on the right... The path turns to the left.

16 - Junction. We go straight ahead... On the left, we visit the 'Cabane d'en Bullas', a remarkable dry stone cabin (17)... We follow the path, which climbs to the right.

18 - Viewpoint over Villefranche, vertiginous but safe... We turn round and go back... At the junction at point 16, we go to the right, on a stony path...The path, waymarked, turns to the right and it joins a track... We follow the track... Junction of tracks. We go to the right... Our track turns to the left, under a power line... We climb... The track turns to the right... At a junction we go straight ahead.

19 - Second viewpoint, on a terrace... We turn round... After a few metres, at a junction, we go to the right, on a path... We follow the waymarks carefully... We pass to the left of a stone farmhouse, in ruins.

20 - Junction. We go to the right and we continue to descend... We pass to the left of two dry stone cabins.

21 - Small gate. We go through the gate, we go to the left and then we follow a path on the right... The path, stony, descends towards a stream.

22 - Footbridge. We cross the bridge, we climb and we go to the right... We return to the village of Corneilla.