Vergnolles Ridges Circular Loop

Very close to Argentat, this circular route along the ridges above Vergnolles offers magnificent panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and the Dordogne valley.

23/08/2023: The walk has been modified.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.01 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,079 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,093 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,690 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 584 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

The walk starts at the northern edge of the village, at the junction between the Route du Oradel and the Chemin des Vignes. You can park at the side of the road, as there isn’t much traffic. It’s also possible to park freely in the village of Vergnolles. There is no designated car park in the village. Parking is free (please avoid blocking any doors or garages!)

(S/E) Head south along the Chemin des Vignes. At the end of the street, turn right onto the Chemin du Trel for about 50 metres until you reach a Fork in the road with another street on the left.

(1) Turn left and continue along a path that takes you onto theGRP® des Gabariers.

(2) Follow it to the right (red and yellow markings). Climb the gentle slope, keeping a south-south-easterly then south-easterly heading.

(3) Turn left to continue climbing along theGRP® on the ridge path (if you carry on straight ahead, you’ll head back down). In open terrain, you’ll reach a farm track, which you follow to the right for about 250 m.

(4) You then leave the track and take a path on the right that runs between the fields (still following theGRP® marked in red and yellow). You pass close to some rocks (view of the Dordogne valley). You head back down, staying on the GRP®.

(5) When theGRP® takes a sharp left-hand bend, leave it and turn right.

(6) At the fork in the road just after the left-hand bend, take the left-hand branch. Descend, negotiating several bends. Stay on the main path and ignore the side tracks. At the bottom, you’ll come out onto the D116.

(7) Follow the road to the right and enter Vergnolles. Cross the village, staying on the D116 (Route du Temple then Route du Pradel), and return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 633 ft - North exit of the village – Chemin des Vignes
  2. 1 : mi 0.21 - alt. 646 ft - Junction
  3. 2 : mi 0.6 - alt. 889 ft - Connection to the GRP
  4. 3 : mi 1.4 - alt. 1,457 ft - Junction
  5. 4 : mi 2.03 - alt. 1,690 ft - Junction
  6. 5 : mi 2.89 - alt. 1,302 ft - Crossroads
  7. 6 : mi 3.1 - alt. 1,240 ft - Fork in the road
  8. 7 : mi 4.65 - alt. 584 ft - D116 road - Dordogne (fleuve)
  9. S/E : mi 5.01 - alt. 630 ft - North exit of the village – Route du Pradel

Notes

There are no water sources along this walk.
The path is clearly visible throughout and poses no problems with navigation.
There is no shelter available (apart from under the trees) in the event of bad weather.

Worth a visit

An ideal spot for a break, with a magnificent view over the Dordogne valley.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 3478626

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, quiet walk. What a treat it is, after a good workout, to take a dip in the Dordogne at the end of the walk.
I’d highly recommend it

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Danic
Danic

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I’ll qualify my answers, as it isn’t necessarily the description itself that I’m criticising. Whilst on holiday in Vergnolles, this walk was obviously on the itinerary. As we were walking along the road towards Beaulieu, at the junction with a path, I had my doubts when I spotted a ‘No Entry’ sign and a ‘Roadworks in Progress’ sign, assuming that this path was the return route for the walk. I popped into the Argentat tourist office to ask, but they said there were no issues. So off we went. As soon as we passed over the vineyards, not only had the path ahead disappeared, but the whole area was littered with felled timber that hadn’t been cleared away. Using my GPS, I spotted a ‘possible’ path 100 or 200 metres further up. We decided to give it a go and make our way through the branches. We found the path in question, which took us to the GR de pays, and discovered two signs, 30 metres apart, indicating that felling was in progress! No one was there, and there was no work site, so we carried on and reached a magnificent viewpoint that made up for the earlier setback. We made our way back down via a path leading to the hamlet of Le Temple; it’s longer but safer. A word of advice: “wait until the situation returns to normal”.

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MacRando1955
MacRando1955

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The “Circular Walk of Vergnolles Crests” is a pleasant walk through the trees. The path is very well signposted and perfectly accessible at this time of year. The elevation gain is gentle. It’s a lovely walk across a few meadows where herds of cows, heifers, weanlings and bulls were grazing. The views over the Dordogne valley are not to be missed!

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