Loop from Arnave via the Col d'Ijou

This loop takes you from the village of Arnave up to the Col d'Ijou, where you can see the village of Croquié before starting the descent via the village of Serres. You can also admire the beautiful view of the Pyrenees at various points along the walk.

Details

81767429
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.42 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 379 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 380 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 941 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 560 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park of the village hall at the entrance to the village of Arnave.

(S/E) When you leave the car park, turn left towards the centre of the village and, at the stone bridge, continue straight ahead along the Ruisseau d'Arnave. Follow the stream until you reach a crossroads.

(1) Turn right onto the path that leads into the woods. Continue through a clearing until you reach a T-junction.

(2) Turn left, continue up a fairly steep climb and, after an alpine gate, you will reach the Col d'Ijou (there is a signpost here).

(3) Take the forest track on the right, which climbs very gently at first, followed by a very easy descent, and join a small stream in a hairpin bend.

(4) Keep right and continue downhill until you reach the village of Serres.

(5) Turn right, following the sign for Chemin d'Arnave on a wooden sign, then, 50 m after, turn left at the Arnave sign, using the small gate that leads to a path that goes into the forest. Be careful, the start of the path is sloping, so take care not to fall. Then return to the T-junction you passed on the way there.

(2) Retrace your steps to return to the car park at the multipurpose hall at the entrance to the village of Arnave (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 562 m - Car park at the Arnave community centre
  2. 1 : km 0.28 - alt. 575 m - Crossroads
  3. 2 : km 0.76 - alt. 633 m - Crossroads of the loop
  4. 3 : km 1.93 - alt. 901 m - Col d'Ijou (901m)
  5. 4 : km 2.87 - alt. 914 m - Small stream
  6. 5 : km 3.77 - alt. 839 m - Serres
  7. S/E : km 5.42 - alt. 561 m - Car park at the Arnave community centre

Notes

(5) Serres: there is a fountain (water not drinkable) where dogs can drink.
On the way back to (1): if the weather permits, stop by the stream, which is very pleasant in summer.

Worth a visit

(3) Col d'Ijou: you will be able to see the village of Croquié just above you.
Between (4) and (5): you can admire the view of the Pyrenees.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 2 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
MaryS
MaryS

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful walk, with a delightful variety of feasts for the eyes. I don't think we even saw everything... so we'll have to come back! You start to appreciate the beauty of the place even before you arrive at the car park of the community centre!
On the linguistic side (), we learned the meaning of the expression "un sentier en devers" (a sloping path) the hard way... and as it's early autumn, the acorns hidden under the carpet of leaves made it quite a challenge to walk without slipping or falling! The walking sticks came in handy!
A place to explore further.

Machine-translated

Denis et Joëlle
Denis et Joëlle

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, a very beautiful walk with a stunning panoramic view of the Pyrenees mountain range.
The first part up to the pass is reasonably uphill.
On the descent, there are a few places that can be slippery, but we had good walking shoes and poles.
The area is very peaceful with a small, quiet village

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.