In total, the circumference of the Lac du Salagou measures almost 22 kilometres. That might be a bit too much to walk in one day. The Circuit Les Vailhès is a 9.5 km loop trail between the hamlets of Vailhés and Pradines in the North part of the lake and covers a part of these 22 kilometres. Following the lake and the plateau of the Auverne (yes, not Auvergne) will bring you to an amazing landscape of the typical red ruff hills, for which the Lac du Salagou is known.
Red ruff
Imagine this: many million years ago, the region of the Lac du Salagou was a vast marshland. Over time- almost 40 million years that is- erosion left numerous layers of clay sediment full of iron oxide at the bottom of these marshes. And this is what created the unique red-earthed landscape we can still witness today. The contrasting colours of the sky, water and red ruff are striking and invite you to do numerous activities in, on and around the water. And spring is a great time to go, as the fresh green tree leaves, yellow broom, bright poppies, and even purple irises dot the red carpet.
Les Vailhés
Last Easter Monday, Chéri and I joined an international hiking group for a walk at the Lac du Salagou. It was a glorious day and as we started early, we had the lake to ourselves. The Circuit Les Vailhés hike is a 9.5 km loop trail with only a short ascent of about 15 minutes. The starting point is at the Les Vailhés campsite, and in about three hours you are back at the same spot. Although the lake is artificial, created in the 1960s to control the water of the river Salagou so it could irrigate the neighbouring agricultural fields, nothing about the lake looks artificial.
Photogenic
The first part of the hike literally brings you over the rolling and rippled red landscape, with the hills on the other side reflecting in the lake. Of course, I was the last one in line as I couldn’t stop taking pictures… Just when I thought I had enough photos of the beautiful surroundings, a line of cactuses popped up. Very photogenic, of course, same as the Notre Dame des Clans chapel and the round land art of rocks we saw a bit further along. About halfway, we had to climb for about 15 minutes. Nothing too bad, if you go slowly. Reaching the Auverne plateau brought us back to the hamlet of Vailhés and the campsite, passing a few gentle goats. It was a gorgeous way to start the day and to see the Lac du Salagou from another point of view.
