Circular of Arsac

Park in the car park in front of Arsac Town Hall, on the east side. Alternatively, there is a car park on the west side which serves the schools.

(S/E) Leave the car park via Avenue du Ligondras heading north-east. Just before Allée de Chappaz, you will see a wash house on your left below. Cross the Laurino stream.

(1) Turn left onto Allée de Merlot and follow it to the junction with Allée du Cabernet.

(2) Continue straight ahead on the path heading north-west until you reach the triangular junction of Rue du Bois de Luquet and Allée du Clos du Bernada.

(3) Turn left onto Allée du Clos du Bernada. Turn left onto Allée du Luquet at a T-junction. Turn right onto Allée de Lancelot, taking the path on the left-hand side of the lane. At the end of this road, turn left and follow Allée de la Dame Blanche for about 60 metres. Turn right onto a path in a small wood just before the junction with Allée du Roi Artus. The path leads to a track that runs alongside the large gravel pit.

(4) Follow the path on the right along the large gravel pit. After about 300 metres, take the path on the left that runs alongside the gravel pit and joins another lane.

(5) Turn left along the large gravel pit on your left and two small ponds on your right at a place called Bernade. Continue to a T-junction.

(6) Take the path on the left, which immediately turns right at a right angle and passes between two gravel pits. Immediately afterwards, go through a gate and continue straight ahead for about 250 metres.

(7) Take the small path on the left that enters the woods, joins the main gravel pit after about 150 metres, then runs alongside it, branching off to the right. Follow the path to a crossroads with two paths.

(8) Take the path on the right that goes straight ahead towards the north, with your back to the gravel pit. Follow it until you reach a T-junction.

(9) Turn left onto a lane that soon passes between two active gravel pits. Continue along the path until you reach the Arsac road, D208.

(10) Cross it carefully and continue straight ahead on a good path. About five hundred metres further on, just before a right-hand bend in the path, take the path on the left. This turns right a hundred metres further on. It then crosses an open area and heads towards a high-voltage power line.

(11) Immediately after passing under the high-voltage power line, turn left onto the path that runs alongside it for about one kilometre. It then joins a path coming from the right before passing under the high-voltage power line and gradually veering off to the left. The path reaches a straight road, the Passe du Moulinat. Cross it and continue straight ahead until you reach a T-junction.

(12) Turn left onto a path that runs alongside the woods on your left and vineyards on your right, with small wind turbines to prevent frost in winter. Continue straight ahead until you reach the D208 road. Follow it to the right, taking great care, for about 200 metres.

(13) Turn left onto Rue des Gunères. Follow this road until you reach a junction with another road. Turn right onto the grassy road heading south-east. Be careful not to take the road on the right, which heads north-east. The road leads to a small roundabout. Cross it and follow Rue de Barrail opposite, then immediately turn right onto Chemin de la Gravière.

(14) At the junction with Rue du Pys, turn left and follow it until you reach the junction with Rue de Villeneuve on the right (second crossroads).

(15) Turn right and follow Rue de Villeneuve until it reaches a T-junction with Rue de l'Abbé Fremon. Turn left onto Rue de l'Abbé Fremon, which soon reaches the junction between Place Camille Godard and Place Saint Germain.

(16) Turn left onto Place Saint Germain, then take Avenue du Ligondras. Pass in front of the chevet of the Church of Saint-Germain and continue to the car park in front of Arsac Town Hall. (S/E)

The route follows good paths, which are mostly wide and sandy. Nevertheless, it is advisable to wear sturdy footwear.

This hike does not present any difficulty in terms of orientation. In addition, it is advisable to follow the directions in the description and on the map, combined with a good reading of the landscape. The waypoints with their GPS coordinates and the distance from the starting point are helpful for hikers who are new to the route.

Hike completed by the author on 23 September 2025

Arsac

With fewer than 600 Arsacots in the aftermath of the Second World War, the population of Arsac now stands at over 3,600. In the mid-20th century, Arsacot was a pejorative term used by the inhabitants of neighbouring communes to refer to the people of Arsac. The village of Arsac was mocked because it was far from major transport routes and had no direct access to Bordeaux, either by road or by train. To emphasise the village's isolation, their neighbours in the Médoc region said that the Arsacots lived in the land of squirrels! Fortunately, today the term Arsacots has lost its derogatory connotation and is used to refer to the native Arsacais, the old families, the respectable roots of Arsac.

Presentation of the commune of Arsac.