Peyrouse Circular Trail

In the village of Les Merles, 5 km from Saint-Martin-de-Fressengeas (via the RD 98, towards Saint-Jory-de-Chalais; turn left at the junction by the monument to the hostages).
At the entrance to the village, near the Château des Merles, there is a car park for walkers on the left-hand side of the road.

(S/E) A few metres further on, to the right of the road, opposite a barn, a grassy path branches off between two standing stones, leading across the meadows. Follow it. At the fork in the road, carry on straight ahead between the meadows and, at the edge of the woods, follow the signposted path downhill which runs alongside a moss-covered wall, the sole remaining part of the abbey’s enclosure. It then runs alongside the meadows, crosses a stream and arrives behind the Peyrouse mill.

(1) At the crossroads, level with the mill, turn right, cross the stream again over a small wooden footbridge and continue downhill alongside a meadow, then follow the course of the stream to a ford which you cross over stones. Carry on straight ahead to the road to take in the view of the abbey at the bottom of the valley. Follow the road to the right until you reach the sign for the Fontaine aux Engelures. A farmhouse in the middle of the meadow is the only (recent) remnant of the abbey.

(2) Retrace your steps back to behind the mill and cross the footbridge again.

(1) Turn right, walking alongside the mill’s fence.

(3) At the fork in the road, in dry weather, take the path furthest to the right, which overlooks the Peyrouse pond. Through the woods, it climbs up towards the plateau (see the alternative route described in the ‘Practical information’ section for wet seasons).

(4) At the junction with a wider track (shown on the OSM map but not on the IGN map), turn left, then immediately right, across the meadows. A sign indicates a “shortcut to the village of Les Merles”. Head towards the village and turn left onto the road to return to the car park (S/E).

There are no significant difficulties in following this path, which has been developed, signposted and maintained by a local voluntary organisation (Amis Chemins).
In wet weather, the path along the pond can be very muddy; it is best to follow the route which climbs immediately to the left at the Fork in the road ::3:: and joins the junction with the shortcut to the village ::4::

The route is dotted with information boards detailing the history of the places you pass through:
- the Manoir des Merles, whose present buildings date from^{the 17th} century, probably served as a guesthouse for important visitors to the abbey. The path leading straight to the abbey site was likely used by them.
- The Cistercian Abbey of Peyrouse, founded in 1168, owned numerous farms and outbuildings in the surrounding villages.

In the hamlet, a place of grim remembrance: the barn where ten hostages were executed in April 1944.