Around Le Pègue

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A pleasant walk through the typical landscapes of the southern Drôme (holm oaks, pines, vineyards, ruins).

Details

n°20009199
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.24 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,270 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,270 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,768 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,115 ft
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the ruins of Saint-Marcel Chapel.
as you climb up to the ruins of the chapel

Description of the walk

Bakery car park. If the bakery is open, please ensure you leave spaces available for their customers.

(S/E) Set off anti-clockwise. Cross the bridge, turn left and, at the Fork in the road, head up the Chemin des Congos. You’ll soon leave the tarmac behind and follow a path to a small bridge over the Torrent de Poujol. Cross the stream and follow the track for about a hundred metres.

(1) When the track turns right, take the path leading off to the left (be careful not to miss this turn-off). The climb through the holm oaks is very steep; the path is very slippery in wet weather. Use a crevice in the cliff, secured with a rope (a tricky section), to climb up to the ruins of La Chapelle Saint-Marcel.

(2) Start your descent again via the path on the right-hand side as you approached, to reach the Le Donjon stream. Cross the stream at the ford and follow the road to the right for about 200 m.

(3) Take the path on the left (not the track 20 m further on). Follow the right bank of the Ravin du Combeau upstream. Climb until you reach a flat area.

(4) Follow a path to the right for 50 m until you reach a Fork in the road. Then take the left-hand path and continue straight downhill towards the dry stream bed. Follow the right bank of this stream until you reach a track.

(5) Follow the track to the right. After about 150 m, turn left. You’ll come to a group of houses; go round them on the right (do not go through the courtyard).

(6) Head down the track to the right, which soon goes round a large fenced-off pond. Follow the Ravin des Gipières track until you reach a road.

(7) Turn left, walk through the hamlet of Les Gailes, where you take the Chemin des Gailes on the left. At the Fork in the road, follow the path straight on until you reach a road.

(8) Cross the road and follow the path on the right. At the Fork in the road, continue to the right along the Chemin des Cotes to the priory.

(9) Cross the road and follow the path, then the road, to reach the bakery car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,250 ft - Car park at the bakery
  2. 1 : mi 0.71 - alt. 1,444 ft - Climb up to the foot of the cliff
  3. 2 : mi 0.83 - alt. 1,722 ft - Chapelle Saint-Marcel (Le Pègue)
  4. 3 : mi 1.24 - alt. 1,394 ft - Path starts on the left
  5. 4 : mi 1.73 - alt. 1,768 ft - Flat stretch – Junction
  6. 5 : mi 2.53 - alt. 1,611 ft - Junction – Track
  7. 6 : mi 2.98 - alt. 1,322 ft - Track
  8. 7 : mi 3.49 - alt. 1,115 ft - Route to Les Gailes
  9. 8 : mi 3.79 - alt. 1,178 ft - Crossing the road
  10. 9 : mi 4.36 - alt. 1,165 ft - Priory
  11. S/E : mi 5.24 - alt. 1,250 ft - Car park at the bakery

Worth a visit

From the Saint-Marcel Chapel, the view is superb.
The Notre-Dame Priory is well worth a visit.
The Pègue Archaeological Museum will appeal to lovers of ancient ruins

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.6 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 23401899

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with beautiful scenery, alternating between woodland and more open areas.
The ‘steep’ climb to Saint Michel Chapel isn’t marked as an option, although it certainly is one.
Apart from this option, the route is straightforward.
Car park: there is another, larger one. If you’re coming from Nyons, it’s right there waiting for you. If you’re coming via the bakery, cross the bridge then turn right at the restaurant; this car park is then about a hundred metres away.

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catche
catche

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We couldn’t find the path leading up to the chapel… We took the main route to get there… We came down via the path with the ropes to rejoin the route… not easy going downhill…
The rest of the route was perfect and very enjoyable.

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Randonneurs Bdx
Randonneurs Bdx
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful scenery through varied countryside. It’s a bit of a challenge if you want to climb up to the chapel; the ravine is tough going both up and down: not for everyone – you’ll need long legs and strong muscles.
As for signposting, there is none; there is a recently cleared forest track leading down to the stream. Thesecond section is far more interesting.

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Gérard Lennoz
Gérard Lennoz
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk if you only have half a day. The scenery is always beautiful in this area. The priory is worth a visit. The chapel is also worth a visit. All in all, a lovely time.

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joel555
joel555

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I really enjoyed this walk!
The climb up to the chapel ruins via the steep path is a lovely highlight; it’s a bit of a workout but manageable! Alternatively, there’s a gentler path, signposted at the junction leading towards the stream.
From the chapel, I carried on to the ruins of the Oppidum
The second part reveals some unexpected scenery, with mountains displaying magnificent ochre hues.
I adapted the end of the route slightly by modifying the GPX track beforehand, starting from point 5 on the second section, passing by the ruins of La Viale and the orientation table.
Then back via the ruins of the Saint Blaise Priory in Montbrison-sur-Lez – magnificent!
A lovely hike – thank you, 16dent, for introducing me to this route.

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jerfa84
jerfa84

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello
Near point 1, we found a path on the left, but very quickly the vegetation became dense (branches, brambles, etc.) and we returned to the track. We followed it and, a little further up, took a path on the left which skirted around a clear-cut area and led us towards the cliff.
We then climbed up to the Saint Marcel chapel, going in the opposite direction to the route description.
Please note, there is a tricky section secured by ropes on the way up to the summit. It’s perfectly manageable if you take your time.
Magnificent view from the chapel.
Despite our efforts, we may not have found the correct path mentioned in the description at point 1...
In any case, we were able to visit Saint Marcel Chapel, which is well worth a visit.

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