Around Saint-Jean-de-Valériscle

A beautiful hike in the Auzonnet valley, with stunning scenery but also the constant presence of the region's industrial past, linked to coal, which is sure to captivate you. The medieval village of Saint-Jean-de-Valériscle is also worth a visit. The route is well marked and does not present any particular difficulties.

Details

19499562
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.52 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 356 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 359 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 455 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 186 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park near the town hall.

(S/E) Facing the town hall, follow the main street on the left, then go straight on Rue des Granges until you reach a fork.

(1) Turn right onto the old Robiac road, which joins the D59, which you will cross before climbing the stony path that starts behind a fire hydrant, slightly to the right. Follow the path that climbs gently above the hamlet of Les Prats.

(2) After passing a ruin, follow the path on the right towards Mas Julian, which you will leave on your left. The path becomes passable and descends towards a crossroads located just before the Col des Brousses.

(3) At the cross, turn right onto the road towards Château du Montalet and Saint Ambroix for about 300 metres.

(4) Turn right towards Saint-Jean-de-Valériscle. Keep right at the first fork after a good kilometre and continue for about a hundred metres.

(5) Take the hairpin bend to the left and climb up the forest track which, after about a kilometre, gently descends through the woods towards the D59.

(6) Cross the road and follow it to the left for 50 metres before taking a path that descends to the right and passes under the old railway line before turning into a tarmac road that goes around the old mining town of La Nougarède.

(7) At the entrance to the town, turn immediately right, then after about 200 metres, take the path on the left towards Les Cambons. Join the D904.

(8) Turn right behind the petrol station towards Mas de Valz and walk for about half a kilometre.

(9) Be careful not to miss the path that branches off to the right along a small wood. At the first fork, keep left and continue along a wall until you reach a T-junction.

(10) Turn right. Stay on the path that leads under the trees to an old lime kiln.

(11) Continue until you reach a wider forest path. The path is then flat and continues to a place called Pommier, where it joins a tarmac road behind the old mine building.

(12) Follow it downhill to the right, passing under a bridge. Do not cross the river, but take the path in front of you that runs along the cemetery on your left to reach a small footbridge shortly afterwards.

(13) Cross and follow the riverbank to the entrance of the village. The yellow signs lead you back through the narrow streets and past a beautiful church to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 221 m - Town hall
  2. 1 : km 0.25 - alt. 226 m - Old Robiac road
  3. 2 : km 1.29 - alt. 310 m - Ruins
  4. 3 : km 2.2 - alt. 361 m - Cross
  5. 4 : km 2.57 - alt. 382 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 4 - alt. 391 m - Hairpin left turn
  7. 6 : km 7.52 - alt. 201 m - D59 road
  8. 7 : km 8.34 - alt. 192 m - La Nougarède
  9. 8 : km 9.51 - alt. 198 m - D509 road - Petrol station
  10. 9 : km 10.08 - alt. 226 m - Trail
  11. 10 : km 10.53 - alt. 254 m - T-junction
  12. 11 : km 11.55 - alt. 228 m - Lime kiln
  13. 12 : km 12.48 - alt. 226 m - Mines building
  14. 13 : km 13.09 - alt. 199 m - Pedestrian footbridge
  15. S/E : km 13.52 - alt. 221 m - Town hall

Notes

There are few water sources apart from the petrol station on the D509; in summer, make sure you have enough supplies, especially as although much of the route is in forest, there is little shade on the DFCI firebreaks.

Worth a visit

The Coat of Arms Museum in Saint-Jean-de-Valériscle is of interest to history and heraldry enthusiasts.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
m30
m30
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, beautiful medieval village, beautiful scenery, easy and enjoyable hike.

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ethee
ethee

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent and enjoyable hike, wonderful discovery... Varied landscapes, ending with a visit to the village
No particular difficulties

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User 4042238

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Great hike, easy and enjoyable.

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Liliane W.
Liliane W.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, the only slight difficulty being its length. Beautiful views, information boards about the region's mining history and, to finish off, a visit to the magnificent medieval village.

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Flo13
Flo13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike...
Very beautiful and varied paths, reminiscent in places of the existence of the mine in previous years!
It's a shame it was cloudy, as we didn't get to enjoy the amazing view of the Cévennes when we were up high. We'll have to do it again on a clear day.
Don't forget to visit the medieval village when you arrive and stop off at the inn...

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Chulupiba
Chulupiba

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike
Beautiful scenery
Visorando explanations are top notch

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in the morning. Trails and lovely paths. Yellow markings. Between points 10 and 11, on the left side of the path, near point 11, there are three small caves. From point 13 to the finish, the path along the river is very pleasant and the walk through this beautiful village is very interesting.
PP and MM

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monange
monange

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike without too much elevation gain. Nice for exploring the village and its mining history. A long forest firebreak trail with some lovely views. GPS used at times due to brief description. Completed in 4 hours with a short break. Church in keeping with the atmosphere of the place. I really liked it.

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Delemontey
Delemontey

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We ended the hike with a visit to the old village, but we were unable to see inside the church (which is apparently magnificent), as according to the information we gathered, it is only open in the morning. So perhaps start there.

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sjl30
sjl30

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Under a beautiful sun, we enjoyed the scenery. No difficulty, a few stony paths, like most in the Cévennes
Be careful, at the cemetery, you have to continue along the road (we understood that we had to pass to the right of the cemetery).
The village's narrow streets are beautiful and, in our opinion, worth lingering over.
There was a bit of walking on the road, but there were very few cars, so it was perfect.
In conclusion, thank you for this itinerary, which is very well described.

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