Circular around Saint-Côme via the Oppidum de Mouressipe

This hike will take you through the Vaunage plain, a very fertile valley between Nîmes and Sommières where vineyards and olive groves stretch out. It has been continuously populated since the middle of the Neolithic period, as evidenced by the Congénies menhir dating from around 2500 BC.
Seven oppida known to date were built and occupied from the 8th century BC to the 1st century AD, notably by the Volques. Along the way, you will cross heath and vineyards and discover an oppidum (hilltop settlement), a mill and wells dating from Roman times.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 16.29 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 397 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 395 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 200 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 63 m

Description of the walk

Park in the car park after the War Memorial on the Maruéjols road (marked by a mural).

(S/E) Turn right towards the war memorial. Head back up towards the square and follow Rue du Marchepied on the left.

(1) Take a dirt track on the left and follow it for quite a long way, ignoring a turn-off on the right.

(2) Continue straight ahead, staying on the path, until you reach a crossroads with an information panel about the Mouressipe site.

(3) Turn right onto a small path that climbs up through the heath and goes around Serre Mouressipe to the east. You will reach the Fontaine de Bigot fountain.

(4) Continue straight ahead and begin the climb leading to the ruins of a tower on the Oppidum de Mouressipe.

(5) After going around the tower, take a small winding path that goes into the heath and reach the water supply sources dating back to Roman times.

(6) Turn right, then left about 50 metres further on. The path then continues along the hillside, where the vegetation has given way to rock. Walk along the eastern slope of Côte Bertrand, which dominates on the right. Along the way, you will discover the hamlet of Maruéjols as you pass close to a riding centre.

(7) At the crossroads, turn right and head back into the heath, following a small path carved out by a stream when it rains.

(8) Leave the descending path and turn right. Go around Pic Méjean by making a circular to the left.

(9) Turn right to cross the Bois de Fabre and come out onto a DFCI track. Turn right and cross the RD703 to go opposite.

(10) Keep left.

(11) Do the same at the next three-way junction before the solar panel park and join a track.

(12) Turn right onto this track, then turn right again to follow the panels on your left and rejoin the DFCI track.

(13) Turn left onto this track and continue straight ahead until you reach a cistern at elevation 197.

(14) Leave the track and take a path on the right that eventually leads to the D1.

(15) Ignore the road and turn right onto a path that runs alongside it for a while. Cross a field.

(16) Leave the field and climb up to the left to reach the plateau.

(17) Pass the Saint-Roman Chapel and continue to the left. Cross the Valat de la Font de Saint-Bonnet and continue uphill to the mill.

(18) Enjoy the beautiful view and continue the route to the crossroads you passed earlier.

(10) Turn left twice to follow the path that leads back down the hillside.

(19) Look for the small path on your right that leads down to the road. Cross the road and take the path opposite, lined with olive groves. You will come to a fork in the road that you passed on the way there.

(2) Turn left and follow the outward route in the opposite direction to return to the village and car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 63 m - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.3 - alt. 73 m - Common fork. Return trip
  3. 2 : km 0.66 - alt. 77 m - Crossroads of the large circular
  4. 3 : km 0.9 - alt. 85 m - Information panel
  5. 4 : km 1.64 - alt. 128 m - Font de Bigot
  6. 5 : km 2.2 - alt. 184 m - Remains of a Celtic tower, remodelled by the Romans
  7. 6 : km 2.75 - alt. 115 m - Font de Robert
  8. 7 : km 4.2 - alt. 112 m - Fork to the right
  9. 8 : km 4.85 - alt. 163 m - Fork in the road, to the right
  10. 9 : km 6.06 - alt. 162 m - Intersection, on the right
  11. 10 : km 7.11 - alt. 193 m - Crossroads of the small circular
  12. 11 : km 7.71 - alt. 188 m - Fork in the road, left
  13. 12 : km 8.03 - alt. 195 m - Head towards Parignargues, towards the photovoltaic panels.
  14. 13 : km 8.84 - alt. 181 m - DFCI track, on the left
  15. 14 : km 10.1 - alt. 198 m - Leave the track and take the path on the right.
  16. 15 : km 11.14 - alt. 173 m - D1
  17. 16 : km 11.84 - alt. 122 m - The path is uphill and quite steep.
  18. 17 : km 11.98 - alt. 159 m - Saint-Roman Chapel
  19. 18 : km 13.49 - alt. 199 m - Mill
  20. 19 : km 14.96 - alt. 149 m - Path on the right
  21. S/E : km 16.29 - alt. 63 m - Car park

Notes

(10) If it's time to eat, you can go down a little to the right (it's very quick) to picnic on the rocks in the sun during colder periods. You will have a beautiful view of the Vaunage.
Then head back up to continue on your way.

(11) If this seems too long, you can cut across to the right before the solar panels to arrive directly at (13).

Worth a visit

A beautifully preserved example of an oppidum, the Oppidum de Nages, opposite Saint-Côme and Maruéjols on the other side of the Vaunage.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
La ptitlaine
La ptitlaine

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk above the Vaunage. We had to cut the route short because the path had turned into a torrent in one spot, despite two windy days beforehand (though there had been weeks of rain before that).
It’s best to keep your phone to hand so you don’t stray from the path.
The view over the Vaunage is lovely.

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bernard randonneur
bernard randonneur

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, but not to be done in wet weather. Lots of muddy paths. But overall it wasn't too bad.

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athmos.oner
athmos.oner

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike to follow with a GPS. A bit too much DFCI (firebreak), but beautiful passages make you forget about it.
I came across some friendly hunters, but they still headed towards the marked trail, even though I had met a hunter who had informed his colleagues by walkie-talkie! Coming across a dead wild boar on the trail + a nearby gunshot was not the best moment.
Otherwise, I was alone in the peace and quiet with some pretty old stones.

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AryDan
AryDan

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 6 February 2025 on a beautiful day (3 pensioners and a small Maltese Bichon dog).

We noticed a significant discrepancy between the mileage recorded by two watches, an average of 18.9 km, with a 200 m difference between the two watches, and that indicated on the hike sheet: 16.23 km. The latter is close to that mentioned in our recording of the route with the Visorando app on a mobile phone: 16.16 km. This confirms our previous observations (particularly during trail training), which lead us to believe that mobile phones are not very reliable for this type of recording.

A very beautiful route with superb panoramic views. It requires the GPX track to avoid being misled by yellow markings, which can be misleading on several occasions. We did the hike after a period of rain, so there were several muddy spots, particularly on either side of the Mouressipe oppidum and just after the solar panels (but the little dog that accompanied us got through without any difficulty :-) ). We really liked the variety of paths, firebreaks, shaded trails, climbs, descents and hillsides.

In addition to the points mentioned in the hike description, there were numerous drystone shelters (stone huts) that had been renovated to varying degrees, a fountain, Fontarame, 200 m from point 7, and a paragliding take-off area between points 18 and 10. We had a picnic at the Saint-Roman chapel, but there are several picnic areas (Moulin, paragliding area, Fontarame fountain).

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fidu
fidu

This hike does require you to follow the GPX track, as you sometimes leave the PR.
As for the numerous firebreaks, they only represent a very small part of the route, which you could also shorten by skipping point 11 and going straight to point 13, as indicated. With regard to slippery terrain, it is not a good idea to hike during or after rainy days! In our region, the terrain is easily slippery, whether rocky or muddy. Someone wisely mentioned this...

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lolote30
lolote30
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The first circular of the hike is easy and accessible, the trail is fairly good, and you walk along small paths and trails. The second part of the circular has a lot of firebreaks, the trail is less clear (we got lost several times), and we found this part to be endless. There were also muddy and slippery sections.

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14154942mb
14154942mb

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

This beautiful route is a must-do: be careful with the markings, which are not always accurate (twice we had to follow the yellow crosses). The GPS puts us back on the right track. The end of the hike is a bit challenging, but it's a treat. Plus, the sun is shining.

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pages philippe
pages philippe

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This hike is interesting (Roman site, springs, passage through the woods) at the beginning and end (beautiful views of the Vaunage). The passage on the plateau is tedious.
The route is well marked if you have a GPS guide or a very accurate map. I don't think the directions given on Vidéo Rando are sufficient.

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike. A few tracks but also some very beautiful paths through heath, forest and rocks.
Beautiful views over the Vaunage and beyond, especially at the mill. When you're walking on the plain, you wouldn't imagine
that such a landscape exists. Not too physically demanding, even for seniors like us, and above all very pleasant. Thank you to the author.
PP and MM

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GMGALD
GMGALD

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike. On this type of trail, GPS is useful. There's a bit of mud, but it's the dry season, so you have to be careful when it rains.
I didn't see anyone all day.

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sebaubais
sebaubais

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike at the beginning and end.
It's a shame that the upper section is DFCI all the way!

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Anassou
Anassou

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello
To follow this route, you must have the Visorando GPS app...
There are many small paths that cross the route, which can be problematic if you do not have the app.
There are muddy sections that can be difficult to navigate. Avoid hiking after rainy weather.

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jougla jean michel
jougla jean michel

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

To follow this very interesting route, it is essential to have the Visorando GPS application...
The directions can sometimes be vague.
We did this hike just after the rainy season, and many sections were flooded and very muddy.
In several places, you walk along the bed of a temporary stream, but it is nice to see the heath watered.

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Rolande 30
Rolande 30

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Pleasant route up to point 13, but after that it becomes very rough with lots of stones. Wear good walking shoes. At point 19, be careful as the path is very rough. See if there is another path out of the heath. Do not follow the yellow markings, but use the Visorando GPS.

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