Walks near Vernet-les-Bains and to Canigou

The DOLMEN and CORNEILLA

The dolmen (description) map

géoportail

3 hours;  climb: 300m

A pleasant circular walk, mostly in the hills between Vernet-les-Bains and Corneilla-de-Conflent. Highlights include an impressive dolmen and a sublime Romanesque church.

1 - The start (Place République). We descend a stone staircase, and we follow red-and-yellow waymarks... We cross the river ('Pont Kipling'). We go to the right... We meet the 'Route de Sahorre' and we go to the left. We now follow yellow waymarks.

2 - Road junction. We go to the right, into the 'Promenade Claude Nogué'. We descend the road for about 800 metres... Road junction. We go to the left. We pass a horse-riding centre ('Centre Equestre').

3 - Bifurcation. We go to the left... We follow a path which climbs the hillside, in woodland.

4 - Junction of the path and a track. We go straight ahead, along the track. After a short distance, we follow a path on the right. We descend to the track, then we follow the path to the right again.

5 - Rock with 'stone cups' and the remains of a partly-restored Romanesque chapel... We follow the path along the ridge.

6 - Dolmen. We go to the right, on a path, and we descend... We see Corneilla... We meet a lane. We go to the right, along the lane, towards Corneilla.

7 - Staircase and main road. We cross the road and we enter Corneilla. We pass through the old village and we follow a narrow street on the left to arrive at the church.

8 - Church. We turn back. We go to the left, and again to the left, to follow the 'Cami Saint-Jaume'. This lane bends to the left.

9 - Path, on the left, between two houses. We follow the path and we climb a steep slope. After a short terrace on the left, the path, on the right, climbs again, steeply. We meet a track and we go straight ahead.

10 - Bifurcation. We go to the right. We follow the track for nearly three kilometres.

11 - Road (Vernet-Fillols). We go to the right and again to the right, down some steps. We descend... We cross a footbridge over a river and we enter Vernet. We follow red-and-yellow waymarks, to the 'Entente Cordiale' monument.

12 - Town hall (on the left). After the town hall, we go to the left. We descend and we follow the narrow streets of the old village... We arrive in the town centre, our point of departure.