Sigalens circular loop

At the very tip of the Gironde, on the border with Lot-et-Garonne, between the cantons of Auros and Grignols: a hilly, oak-wooded and very quiet area. Well worth a visit... except in October and November during the wood pigeon hunting season.

Details

26970159
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.48 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 179 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 188 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 131 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 54 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Sigalens (33690)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 44.449507° / W 0.045965°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1638SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park near the church.

Please note: much of this route is signposted with signs and markers from the Departmental Council, sometimes green, sometimes yellow and sometimes both green and yellow. The colour is not important for this route. Some markers are missing at junctions.

Note: during wet weather, some paths can become very muddy.

(S/E) Set off by following the D124 on the left-hand side (northbound) for about 200 m, before turning left onto a small road leading to Lac de Sigalens, located about 1 km away.

(1) "When you reach the lake, take a moment to have a stroll; there are several picnic tables available in the shade". Then leave the area via the wide path on the left that runs alongside the lake. When you reach a post with several signposts indicating various circular loops, take the left-hand path towards “Pays de Grignols” (marked in yellow). The path then climbs through the woodland before reaching the plateau.

Turn right and walk along the edge of a field, then zigzag a little before reaching the D124. Cross it carefully and follow it to the right (south) for about 200 m.

(2) Turn left onto the very narrow road, which soon becomes a dirt track, descending through the woods and joining a small road that more or less follows the course of a river (the Lisos). Follow this road to the right for about 400 m.

(3) At this point, let a forestry track branch off to the right. Take a small, unmarked path starting on the left, running alongside a fence, which quickly leads to the river. Ford the river (sandy bed); otherwise, simply veer slightly to the right to reach a sturdy footbridge formed by several concrete posts laid across the river. After crossing, walk back 15 m to the left to find the continuation of the path.
Then climb the hillside through the woodland. The well-marked path winds slightly before climbing steeply until it runs alongside the hamlet of Le This. Continue along the path, which widens and runs along the edge of the plateau.

(4) At the next crossroads, where you’ll see the signs for the departmental paths, take the path opposite. Continue pleasantly along the edge of the plateau, still in the shade, and you’ll emerge in another hamlet (Les Rochereaux) onto a small road at a crossroads well-marked with signposts. The church at Campin can be glimpsed on the right, so head in that direction.

(5) Campin church is unique and very old. To visit it, you’ll need to ask for the keys; in the meantime, the view of the surrounding area is remarkable. Set off again, retracing your steps along the same small road to the signposts, then head towards Sigalens, keeping to the right for 500 m.

(6) There are signposts for Sigalens. Follow a good path to the left through the woods, running alongside a large pidgeon hunting hut which crosses over the path via a bridge. Still in the woods, head down the hillside to reach another small road; follow this to the right until you reach the hamlet of Laverrière on the banks of the Lisos (an old mill?), then to a crossroads.

(7) Take the road slightly to the left for about 150 m, and leave it at the next bend to take a dirt track heading straight on and climbing through the woods. On leaving the woods, walk alongside fields bordered by beautiful trees (the hamlet of La Traverse) before reaching Sigalens and the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 131 m - Sigalens (church) - Grenier-pigeonnier de Sigalens
  2. 1 : km 1.05 - alt. 96 m - Lake Sigalens - Lac de Sigalens
  3. 2 : km 2.81 - alt. 124 m - Abandonment of the D124
  4. 3 : km 4.48 - alt. 58 m - Small path on the left
  5. 4 : km 5.41 - alt. 119 m - Crossroads, path opposite
  6. 5 : km 6.53 - alt. 130 m - Campin Church - Eglise Saint-Michel de Campin
  7. 6 : km 6.97 - alt. 99 m - Path on the left
  8. 7 : km 8.08 - alt. 55 m - Laverrière, on the left
  9. S/E : km 9.48 - alt. 130 m - Sigalens (church) - Grenier-pigeonnier de Sigalens

Notes

You can probably get tap water next to the church in Campin.

"Le Grenier de Sigalens" bakery.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

3.7 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.7 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
User 27445637

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, my partner and I did the hike last Tuesday. Three quarters of the hike is easy to access and well maintained. However, the section between 4 and 5 is completely neglected: brambles across the path, thick, stubborn grass... It took us 30 minutes to cover 200 metres. Hikers, beware!

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Le Teckel de l'Espace
Le Teckel de l'Espace

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Your (prompt!) reply gives me the opportunity to express our gratitude for the voluntary work that gives us access to all these walks. My aim was simply to point out that part of the route (a good quarter of the south-western section) of this otherwise lovely walk is now (as of recently, given the last post dated 16 April, which only mentions the mud as a negative point) impassable and even potentially dangerous for families with children. So here’s hoping for a dry spell, though I doubt it will be enough to restore a passable route given the current state of the path – we can only hope the Department takes action!
Kind regards,
BD

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bobca
bobca

Hello,
I’m sorry to hear you had difficulties with this route.
Three points:
1) The issue of maintaining marked trails is a real one; this is the responsibility of the Departmental Council.
2) This year (2023–2024) has been exceptionally wet, rendering several routes completely impassable. When a drought occurs, everything will return to normal; there is little we can do about it (except hike along the minor roads).
3) Ideally, we should revisit the same routes regularly to check the condition of the paths and then report our observations. We are volunteers, so everything depends on the time we have available.
Kind regards,
RC

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Le Teckel de l'Espace
Le Teckel de l'Espace

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Hike done this morning, 8 June 2024. Very disappointed with the route: between points (2) and (4), 2 or 3 km of a real slog along a steep and very muddy path, overgrown with tall grass—sometimes up to your neck (trousers a must)—nettles, brambles and ticks. It’s very surprising to find a marked route in such a poor state over many sections (say 20% of the total) and to still see it listed on a reputable site like this one. A real shame, as the route is otherwise varied and pleasant, with a lovely start by the lake and a pretty church with a bell tower at (5) in Campin.

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bobca
bobca

Thanks – when I come back, I’ll definitely be going the other way!

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Bouty
Bouty

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk. Lots of lovely woodland, so it’s very pleasant. 90% of the route is on paths. Please note that in wet weather, some sections can be very muddy or even boggy, so make sure you bring the right gear. Best done early in the morning and walked in reverse so you finish by the lake with a picnic!

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bobca
bobca

Thanks. I’d be interested to know what the waypoints are on the 17km circular route – I’d love to go back there!

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isèrevercors
isèrevercors

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I did this hike in 2011. Fortunately, I’d kept a record of the original 17km route, so I did it again
and I can tell you that within a year the path will be impassable in several places – the vegetation has taken over
right... luckily the markers are still there to guide the way, but for how much longer?
A total of 17 km. And I used your route to get to the lake.
Apart from the disappointment of seeing that the route isn’t maintained, it’s a lovely hike through wooded, countryside terrain, and
a small chapel – which is also a shame, as it’s in a sorry state........

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jpbr31
jpbr31

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did the walk but in the opposite direction, so we had a bite to eat by the lake at around 12.30 pm
Some of the paths hadn’t been mowed, so we ended up with several ticks to remove in the evening
It was a hot day

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bobca
bobca

Have you ever crossed the Lisos at the Piquemil mill?

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bobca
bobca

Good idea, thanks. Next time I’ll pop over to Monclaris and update it!

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vtramut
vtramut

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, scenic circular route under the glorious February sun!
Not too much tarmac, and quite varied scenery.
We decided to extend the circular route described on Visorando (using the maps published by the local council) and to make our start/finish point the church at Monclaris, which is truly beautiful. This allowed us to have a picnic by Lake Sigalens halfway through the walk. It was perfect!

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