Regularly above 1,000 metres in altitude, the route crosses many passes. It takes wide forest tracks and stony paths. On the edge of the Hérault department, the route takes a short turn into the Aveyron, in the territory of the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park.
ON MARCOU'S PATH
The reopened path from the Col de Marcou to the Col du Layrac was used, until 1949, by the inhabitants of the hamlet of Marcou and those of the commune of Mélagues. They used to go to Graissessac to stock up on coal, sugar, salt, coffee, tobacco and wine, which they usually exchanged for cereals or potatoes. To bring up several barrels of wine from Graissessac, it was necessary, after the Col de Layrac, to enlist the help of a neighbour who would "hitch up" an extra horse because of the steepness of the slope.
THE TRAPPERS OF FAGAIROLLES
Until 1940, the inhabitants of Fagairolles, blocked by the snow for part of the winter, trapped foxes, weasels, badgers and even moles, whose fur was highly sought after at the time. The skins were sold at the Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare fair which, every year on 24 February, attracted enthusiasts from all over the region.
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