Source de l'Orb (monts de l'Escandorgue)

Le Clapier (ou Cornus, selon la page)

The Orb rises in the monts de l'Escandorgue, ‘at the mont Bouviala (Aveyron)’, at 884 m above sea level according to the text of Wikipedia FR. The infobox of the same page indicates 820 m and the commune of Cornus, while the text speaks of the commune of Le Clapier, near the village of Roqueredonde: the page contradicts itself and the exact location remains to be confirmed. It is a mountain spring, at the origin of a coastal river 135.6 km long, whose basin covers 1,585 km² and counts 108 listed tributaries. The name is very ancient: Strabo (c. 60 BC – c. AD 20) calls it Orbis and has it descend from the mont Cemmène, that is, the Cévennes; Pomponius Mela (c. 43) repeats Orbis, Ptolemy says Orobis, Avienus (c. 350) Orobus, and Delisle's map of 1708 writes Orb. The etymology is debated: Frank R. Hamlin sees in it a pre-Indo-European root or(o)b- of unknown meaning; Xavier Delamarre, a Gaulish root orb-, ‘heir’, because the Orb would ‘inherit’ from its many small tributaries. No legend or ancient use of the source was found.

Getting there: Coordinates from the Wikipedia FR infobox (areq.net copy), which contradicts itself on the commune: the text says Le Clapier, near Roqueredonde; the infobox says Cornus. Exact location not verified. A hike ‘de l'Orb à l'Escandorgue’ starts from Roqueredonde (Hérault Tourisme entry), without locating the source.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound