The beautiful Gorges d’Héric in the heart of the ‘Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Languedoc’ are always well worth a visit. In summer it is perfect for a dip in the river Orb and the naturally formed rock pools. Only for the brave though, because the water is cold as ice, even when the weather is hot! To round off the day, you will find plenty of wonderful places to spread your picnic blanket.
Impressive gorges
The Héric River rises to about 1000 meters in altitude in the Espinousse in Le Massif du Caroux. About 8 kilometres further on it plunges 800 meters down into the Orb River. The Gorges d’Héric are impressive gorges where you can take great walks. Too warm during summer, when we only can think of getting into the river as quickly as possible. But perfect during the other seasons, not least because you will find it less crowded in the off-season.
Perfect track
Our little family has tried to reach the hameau of Héric several times but never made it to the top. Until now! The weather was ideal, not too warm, not too cold and everybody was up for it. There is a perfect track that will lead you all the way up, very accessible for kids and buggies. It takes about one and a half hours to get up to Héric.
Great hike
In total, we walked for about 3 hours, including some stops. Our kids, from 11 to 14 years, were so busy climbing, running, throwing rocks in the river and looking for sticks, that they didn’t even realise they were walking for such a long time. Only right before the top, then they got a bit tired. Just in time, we found the hameau, where you can have a pause in a tiny café, run by a lovely lady. Don’t expect too much of it; it’s just nice to sit there and rest for a bit before you head back. Downwards will go twice as quickly.
