Loop around the Chapel of Sainte-Croix-de-Caldere

Loop starting from the car park at the spinning mill in Lasalle towards Sainte-Croix-de-Caldere and its magnificent chapel via the Col de l'Oursine. Return via Calviac and Saint-Bonnet-de-Salendrinque. Mainly in the woods, but you will still have plenty of magnificent views. Places to visit: Le Sollier and Le Castellas castles, the chapel of Sainte-Croix-de-Caldere, the Menhir à la Borie, the Salendrinque river and the spinning mills of Lasalle.

Details

1561193
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.81 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 452 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 459 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 598 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 211 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the large car park next to the spinning mill opposite the football pitch.

(S/E) Head away from the spinning mill towards a small lane that runs behind the houses: the Traverse des Endettés. Follow the lane to the Pont de Fer bridge that crosses the Salendrinque. Turn right towards the village centre, then left onto Rue de l'Écluse shortly after the Pont de Fer spinning mill. Pass the cemetery.

(1) Turn right, then immediately left onto the path that runs alongside the low wall. Stay on this path, ignoring all turnings on the right and left. Come out of the woods at a large crossroads at the Col de l'Oursine.

(2) Cross the road and continue on the slip road that branches off to the right. The path is on the right before the hairpin bend that leads to a private road. Continue along this path through the woods

(3) Cross the road serving Mas Hubert. Continue further into the woods to reach the village of Sainte-Croix-de-Caderle and the D153b road.

(4) Reach the chapel and the orientation table by heading towards the town hall opposite.

(5) Return to the D153b crossroads.

(4) Take it on the left until you reach the picnic area. Take the path on the right towards Saint-Bonnet-de-Salendrinque. Further on, you will rejoin the D153b.

(6) Cross it and continue straight ahead on Route Vieille. Stay on this road until you reach the La Coste neighbourhood.

(7) Turn right, then left to reach the D57 at the Moulin neighbourhood. Cross it, go over the bridge over the river and you will come out at a place called Mogador.

(8) Take the small path on the left indicated by a sign. Enter the woods again and stay on the main path until you reach a sign in the La Chapelle neighbourhood.

(9) Turn right onto the path that runs alongside the fences. Just before you reach a garden, turn left, then right towards the castle to arrive there.

(10) Continue along the road on the left, which ends in a cul-de-sac. When you reach a small group of houses, take the path on the left that passes in front of a house. Go down the steps to reach the D21 road. Turn right and follow it. When you reach the junction with the D39, turn right onto this road and you will quickly reach a new Y-junction after La Baraquette.

(11) Take this small road on the left that runs alongside the river to reach another major crossroads with a bakery.

(12) Take the street on the left, cross the river, follow it on the right bank until you reach the Y-junction at Foucart.

(13) Turn right, cross the river again and continue towards the spinning mill until you reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 275 m - Parking next to the spinning mill in Lasalle
  2. 1 : km 0.63 - alt. 309 m - Cemetery
  3. 2 : km 1.64 - alt. 422 m - Col de l'Oursine
  4. 3 : km 3.11 - alt. 555 m - Crossing the road leading to Mas Hubert
  5. 4 : km 4.08 - alt. 550 m - Sainte-Croix-de-Caderle
  6. 5 : km 4.28 - alt. 541 m - Chapel
  7. 6 : km 5.45 - alt. 483 m - The train station
  8. 7 : km 7.59 - alt. 256 m - La Coste
  9. 8 : km 8.7 - alt. 219 m - Path on the left (sign)
  10. 9 : km 9.69 - alt. 300 m - The Chapel
  11. 10 : km 10.14 - alt. 309 m - Le Castellas
  12. 11 : km 11.09 - alt. 260 m - Take the road on the left after the Salindrenque
  13. 12 : km 11.97 - alt. 280 m - Bakery
  14. 13 : km 12.49 - alt. 276 m - Shared gardens
  15. S/E : km 12.81 - alt. 274 m - Parking next to the spinning mill in Lasalle

Notes

Charming little villages with everything nearby and lots of places to swim.

Worth a visit

- Le Sollier and Le Castellas castles,
- the Sainte-Croix-de-Caldere chapel,
- the Menhir à la Borie,
- the Salendrinque river,
- and the Lasalle spinning mills.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 36 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Cabrie
Cabrie

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 11, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Walk taken on 11 January 2026.
Well-marked trail.
Trip completed in 3 hours and 20 minutes, covering 13.12 km.
Nothing extraordinary overall, except for the panoramic view at checkpoint 5. Easy trail.

After stage 12, once I had crossed the bridge, I tried to reach the next bridge, located just after checkpoint 13, by following the banks of the Salindreenque River.
These banks, on the right bank, seem ideal for great picnic spots in summer. However, I was unable to reach the road, so I had to turn back.

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ValClam
ValClam
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

A very pleasant hike under blue skies.

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User 28021590

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike

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NAELLE30
NAELLE30

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very pretty hike on a stony path with a bit of climbing, but it's easy going.
The chapel is magnificent and a work of peace.
We had a picnic there, by the way.
The return trip is more relaxed.

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cali34
cali34

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hiking on the historic trails of the Cévennes. I recommend it

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anneG
anneG

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We really enjoyed the tour. It wasn't difficult, the views were beautiful, and the village was well worth a visit!
Thank you for this discovery

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Les2Mi
Les2Mi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route, best enjoyed the day after rain. Apart from one or two sections uphill along a stream, the entire hike is easy.
Please note that there are numerous stones and boulders, so you will need to lift your feet a little higher.
There is a magnificent view from the Chapel of Ste-Croix de Caldère. The crossing of Chênaies makes this walk possible in summer.

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bergpaden
bergpaden

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
The hike was very good at the beginning. For the end, it is better to turn right at the signpost 5 km before the finish. The return trip through the hamlets is less interesting.
The village of Ste Croix de Caderle is very beautiful and the chapel is surprising.

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bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent chapel and castle.
No problems with GPS

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polo30
polo30

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

For the final stretch, I suggest turning right 5 km before the finish line at the sign for LASSALLE. The route is more scenic than the one that runs along the road.

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agetro30
agetro30
• Edited:

Hello, 1 person, 20/06/2023. Beautiful hike, mostly under trees. Correction needed: at the start, Rue de l'Écluse is actually "La Caladette" and is not "a little further on" but opposite the spinning mill. The Chemin du Mas Hubert that you cross is not marked, so you have to trust the description. There is no marker at the "Le Tourel" signpost, which would be reassuring. When you arrive at the castle, the GPS does not give the same route as in the description, but luckily there are yellow markings! In fact, without GPS, it's stressful! Done in 6 hours, cool!

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bponson
bponson

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, with an original start point at the Traverse des Endettés from the car park.
The mini-village of Ste Croix de Caderle is very interesting.
Explanation 10 is comprehensive, but errors are possible on site as there is no yellow marker to prevent you from going straight ahead.
There is a bit of tarmac at the end, which is probably unavoidable.
A beautiful hike in the Cévennes!

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dan 0145
dan 0145

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

just a quick note: the directions for starting the hike in Lasalle are very vague, and it's easy to end up on the departmental road that climbs up to the Col de l'Oursine, which adds a few extra kilometres. After that, everything is fine and the signposting is adequate. It's a superb hike and the best thing to do is to have a picnic in the little cemetery at Ste Croix de Caderle.

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, fairly easy hike in the morning. We enjoyed starting out in the tiny streets and the superb trails that followed. The chapel and its small cemetery invite you to reflect. The orientation table there offers a beautiful view. La Salendrinque provides a little refreshment. The castle, the Castellas and the hamlets tell their stories. The forest reminds us that autumn is approaching.
We will have fond memories of this hike.
PP and MM

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Sisco72
Sisco72
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike, shaded except for the last 2 km, chapel, orientation table, menhir, castles, perfect in this heatwave weather

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