Beauzens loop from Ajat

A beautiful hike covering many kilometres but with little elevation gain. Pleasant paths between low walls and woods, especially after the hamlet of Beauzens. Interesting village, churches, castle, hamlet of Beauzens, stele.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.84 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 525 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 551 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 869 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 502 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Périgord
  • ⚐ City: Ajat (24210)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 45.156937° / E 1.015794°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1934E, 1935E
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking in the village of Ajat, near the church and below the castle. The village hiking sign is located between the car park and the main street, in front of the restaurant.

Yellow signposts

(S/E) Head towards the church, pass the town hall, turn left (Rue Médiévale). Turn right immediately, leaving Rue du Puits on your right and continuing left on Rue Médiévale. When you reach a small chapel, turn right onto Route de la Planche and pass the tennis courts and swimming pool.

(1) At the crossroads, leave Route du Breuil on your left and Route des Chênes Verts on your right and continue along the path opposite. Follow the valley, leaving a first path on your right, then a second one shortly after.

(2) At the three-way junction, turn left, then shortly afterwards right onto the main path that climbs into the woods. Continue until you reach a road.

(3) Leave the road to Fossemagne on your right and turn left towards the Bois Nègre and Beauzens loops (signs... a bit worn!). Then leave the road to "Le Colombier" on your right and continue on the same road (Route des Canons).

(4) At the "Cédez le passage" sign, leave the road to Thenon, Bars and Montignac on your right and take the track opposite (towards the Bois Negre and Beauzens loops).

(5) At the end of the field that the path runs alongside, at a tree, take the path that starts on the right. Be careful, it's easy to miss! The shorter Bois Nègre loop continues straight ahead on the track, but there are no markers or signs to indicate this! Join a road after passing a hedge of thuja trees (Route de la Tuilerie) and follow it to the left.

(6) Shortly after the "Give Way" sign, at the first house, turn right onto the path and follow the fence. Pass close to a house. The path forks to the left and joins the D68. Cross it carefully and continue straight ahead near the beautiful Gounissoux residence. The path descends for a few dozen metres. Turn left and pass below a small house.

(7) Just after this, leave the castine and take the path that starts on the right and runs alongside some wooden huts. After a pond, turn left onto a carriageway.

(8) Leave it quickly and climb up the path that starts on the right. At a crossroads, leave the road to Thenon, Azerat and Bars on your right and turn left towards "Boucle de Beauzens".

(9) At the junction with a road (Route de Lavaux), turn right, go over the motorway, then over the Périgueux-Brive railway line.

(10) Immediately after, turn left onto the road that runs alongside the railway line. At a three-way junction, leave the main road, which turns left, and continue straight ahead to join a road.

(11) Turn left, then continue straight ahead towards Beauzens on Route des Écoles.

(12) At the T-junction, ignore the sign for "Ajat 2.6km" on your left and turn right. In the hamlet of Beauzens, at the church, ignore Ruelle du Prieuré on your right and continue along Rue du Séchoir. Turn left into Impasse des Carrières.

(13) Immediately leave the road that branches off to the left and the carriageway that leads into a field and take a path bordered on the right by a low wall. The signpost is on the left, hidden by vegetation.

(14) At a three-way junction, turn left onto the most well-trodden path and begin a long, beautiful walk through the woods until you reach a T-junction.

(15) Leave the road to Gabillou, Sainte-Orse and Brouchaud on your right and turn left towards "Boucle de Beauzens". Then leave the carriageway on your right and follow the path opposite. Further on, cross the carriageway to stay on the path. When you reach the Puyservier maquis memorial stone at a crossroads, continue straight ahead towards "Boucle de Beauzens" and leave the road to Limeyrat. Join a carriageway.

(16) At the crossroads with a tarmac section, continue on the road opposite towards "Ajat, boucles du Bois Negre et des Chauprades". Go over the motorway. Leave a path on your right and take the road opposite towards "boucles des Chauprades, du Bois Nègre et de Beauzens".

(17) After the level crossing, turn left. The road runs alongside the railway line, then veers away slightly before rejoining it.

(18) Leave the road at the edge of the railway line and take the path that starts on the right. Be careful, it's easy to miss! Continue until you reach a road.

(19) Turn right and follow it to Ajat. When you reach the village, cross the crossroads carefully and take the Chemin d'Ans opposite to return to the car park near the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 650 ft - Car park near the church
  2. 1 : mi 0.33 - alt. 630 ft - Start of the trail
  3. 2 : mi 1.11 - alt. 748 ft - Three-way junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.54 - alt. 866 ft - Junction with a road
  5. 4 : mi 2.34 - alt. 827 ft - Start of the trail
  6. 5 : mi 2.79 - alt. 794 ft - Trailhead
  7. 6 : mi 3.59 - alt. 833 ft - Start of the trail
  8. 7 : mi 3.94 - alt. 755 ft - Les Gounissoux after the Moulin de Lavaux
  9. 8 : mi 4.47 - alt. 653 ft - Trailhead
  10. 9 : mi 5.16 - alt. 689 ft - Junction with a road
  11. 10 : mi 5.55 - alt. 653 ft - Start of the trail after the railway line
  12. 11 : mi 6.28 - alt. 676 ft - Junction with a road
  13. 12 : mi 6.76 - alt. 663 ft - T-junction
  14. 13 : mi 6.92 - alt. 656 ft - Trailhead at the Impasse de Carrières
  15. 14 : mi 7.16 - alt. 617 ft - Fork in the road at the three-way junction
  16. 15 : mi 8.13 - alt. 502 ft - Crossroads
  17. 16 : mi 8.84 - alt. 620 ft - Crossroads
  18. 17 : mi 9.52 - alt. 610 ft - Fork in the road after the level crossing
  19. 18 : mi 9.8 - alt. 620 ft - Trailhead at the railway crossing
  20. 19 : mi 10.32 - alt. 676 ft - Junction with a road
  21. S/E : mi 10.84 - alt. 650 ft - Car park near the church

Notes

Pub restaurant in the village of Ajat

Worth a visit

Romanesque and Gothic Saint-Martin Church in the village, 12th and 13th centuries: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89glise_Saint-Martin_d%27Ajat

Stained glass windows by Korean priest Kim En Joong in Saint-Martin Church: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_En_Joong

Ajat Castle, 16th and 17th centuries: open to visitors occasionally in summer or during heritage days: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_d%27Ajat

Romanesque church of Saint-Barthélémy, 12th century, hamlet of Beauzens: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89glise_Saint-Barth%C3%A9lemy_de_Bauzens

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