Trail d'Aqui - Saint Hippolyte
46 km - D+ 2000m - ***** - 37 % road - 26 % wide track - 37 % monotrace - 100 % happiness! Run whenever you like? Run with whoever you want? Let yourself be guided? Run in total freedom!
Trail d?Aqui?s longest course will take a lot of managing!
The start is in the heart of the village. You set off slowly along the road. And the 1st plunge into Artigues is just sublime!
But we're already heading up around Artigues. A shady bump leads to a little-used road that takes you back down to the village.
And all the way down to the village of Pons, just 275m above sea level! And a bonus climb up the stairs back down to the Goul and its bridge.
This is followed by an ascent over a demanding monotrace. Then on to Les Molèdes and its beautiful forest, before landing in the middle of nowhere on the Goul dam!
We climb back up to Escalafron and, after fording the Auguié stream, begin the long ascent to St Hippolyte: 4.5km and 300 D+ to swallow! It's never very difficult, but it's always uphill.
At Sapso, we turn left towards the Granges de La Roque. We cross the departmental road with care and follow a sublime trail reopened by the locals especially for Trail d?Aqui!
La Roque, Le Couderc, Sergeant and the Camin d?Olt hamlets follow one another in sublime succession! But it's all uphill to Rouens: 3km and 350 D+!
It's well worth the effort: enjoy the panoramic viewpoint over the Truyère valley, the Pic du Castel cross and the Saut du chien canyon?
Road descent to Lafargue with 2km to take a breather. The following flat stretch to Gally is very pleasant. We cross the main road and the path that takes us to Vallon is a beautiful moment of contemplation: enjoy!
Pass through the courtyard of Vallon castle, wow!
The drive through the village is very pleasant. After the cemetery, you plunge back into a clear view. And off you go for 4km of rolling hills back to Sergeant.
The next 2km are the same as the outward journey to Lax. From there, you descend to Le Roustit, then Thély and Le Lucadou. You're on the banks of the Truyère, and it's soothing.
But the climb ahead is tough: 1.5km for 230 D+ in a wild forest! A little respite after La Cassagne, but you're soon back in Izaguette on a superb monotrace along the Blanquerie ravine: 200 D- in 1km!
We'll need to make the most of the next 2.5km, which are flat, shady and on the banks of the Truyère? Because the last bump is there to finish on a high note: 5km and 400 D+! There's just one moment to take a breather: crossing the Départementale?
