Photo : Ophrys34 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Pic Saint-Loup
The Pic Saint-Loup is a 658-metre limestone relief rising in the Hérault garrigue, about twenty kilometres north of Montpellier, between Cazevieille and Valflaunes. Its ship's-prow silhouette is visible from very far and marks the passage between the coastal plain and the first foothills of the Cévennes.
On its ridge are a large iron cross and the chapel of the former Saint-Joseph hermitage, inhabited until the 1960s. From the summit, the panorama extends over the garrigue, the sea and the mountains, and the Hortus cliff faces it to the north.
Two main routes lead to the summit: from Cazevieille, the most common starting point, or from Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers. On the north slope, the ruins of the medieval castle of Montferrand, with its vaulted cellars, are worth the visit; caution is needed because of the cliffs and cavities that surround them.
