Circular Gijou in Saint-Pierre-de-Trivisy

A peaceful hike that first leads to the valley where the Gijou flows before climbing up to the plateau, where a rural landscape dotted with farms unfolds. Mostly in the undergrowth, the route nevertheless offers several open sections with views stretching over the hills and slopes, where meadows and cultivated land intermingle. A few sections on tarmac require caution but do not detract from the peaceful atmosphere that prevails throughout.

Details

22123899
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.46 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 456 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 448 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 709 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 432 m

Photos

Description of the walk

In Saint-Pierre-de-Trivisy, park in the small car park in front of the town hall on the edge of the D57.

(S/E) Turn towards the town hall and walk carefully along the D57 until you reach the first junction marked by a signpost.

YellowPR® andyellowand red GRP® markings

Turn right onto the small tarmac road, which turns into a path at the last house. When you reach the first fork, turn right. After about 100 metres, ignore a narrower path on the left and you will soon reach a large crossroads.

(1) Turn left as indicated by the double markings and walk up the valley. At the next signpost, turn right and walk gradually uphill until you reach a tarmac road.

(2) Turn left and continue to the junction with the D89.

(3) Turn left again (IGN map is incorrect at this point) and walk carefully along the left-hand side of the road, which has been mowed and maintained. Walk to the first junction where you will see road signs indicating "Sénégazet" among other destinations, and where the double signposting clearly shows the direction to follow.

(4) Cross with extreme caution and turn right onto the narrow tarmac road that leads to Les Fédials. At the first house, take a sharp right turn and descend to the hamlet of Sénégazet. In the right-hand bend, leave the road and continue straight ahead.

(5) Before rejoining the tarmac, take a beautiful, shaded sunken path that descends to the left. At the fork, continue to the right and continue downhill to a crossroads where you turn left to join the D157, which you reach at a signpost.

YellowPR® markings

(6) Cross with great caution due to very poor visibility for motorists. Then turn left and use the right-hand shoulder to follow the road to the hairpin bend.

(7) Leave the road and turn right onto a downhill path that leads to a fork near the Gijou stream flowing below.

No signposts

Turn left to follow the river along the botanical trail, whose signposts are mostly in poor condition, either too faded to be legible or vandalised. You will come to a landslide area, which you must cross using a path probably made by fishermen. After this particularly troublesome obstacle, continue on to rejoin the D157, which you should follow to the right using the right-hand shoulder.

(8) Cross carefully and head left towards the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Tournadous, which stands proudly with its slender bell tower.

YellowPR® markings

Facing the church and the small war memorial, turn right to walk along the cemetery and you will soon reach a fork (very difficult to see if the grass is tall). Turn right and walk steadily uphill to the Roucan buildings, where you will find the tarmac road. Continue to the left-hand bend.

No markings

(9) The double markings (PR® andGRP®) invite you to go straight ahead on a grassy path after crossing a barrier. Ignore these and continue left on the road, which climbs steadily to reach the junction with the D89.

YellowPR® and yellow and redGRP® markings

(10) Cross with caution and, at the fork immediately ahead, take the left-hand branch. Follow the path that runs along the edge of the woods and alongside a large meadow on your left until you reach the corner of the meadow and a hedge.

(11) Turn left and continue along the meadow until you reach a small tarmac road at the Faubentous house.

(12) Keep going in the same direction and follow this quiet road until you reach a double junction marked by road signs indicating "Les Bordes" and "la Gravasse" respectively.

Yellow and redGRP® markings

(13) Continue straight ahead, leaving thePR® on your left. Pass the Franquéso farm buildings and walk to the right-hand bend.

(14) Leave the road and follow the wide carriageway on the left. This descends to the bottom of a small valley and then climbs back up towards Saint-Pierre-de-Trivisy. Stay on the main path, keeping in the same direction. After the cemetery, keep to the right to quickly reach the town hall car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 620 m - Town hall car park
  2. 1 : km 1.05 - alt. 590 m - Crossroads, on the left
  3. 2 : km 2.31 - alt. 678 m - Tarmac road, on the left
  4. 3 : km 3.14 - alt. 705 m - D89
  5. 4 : km 3.68 - alt. 703 m - Head towards Sénégazet on the right.
  6. 5 : km 5.17 - alt. 590 m - Sénégazet
  7. 6 : km 6 - alt. 486 m - D157
  8. 7 : km 6.35 - alt. 476 m - Leave the tarmac road. Towards - Gijou (rivière)
  9. 8 : km 7.39 - alt. 438 m - Crossing the D157
  10. 9 : km 9.51 - alt. 612 m - Bend, continue along the road
  11. 10 : km 10.03 - alt. 671 m - D89
  12. 11 : km 10.52 - alt. 690 m - Fork to the left
  13. 12 : km 11.05 - alt. 692 m - Faubentous
  14. 13 : km 12.36 - alt. 652 m - Double junction, straight ahead
  15. 14 : km 12.92 - alt. 628 m - Leave the road on the left.
  16. S/E : km 14.46 - alt. 620 m - Town hall car park

Notes

Signposting is generally good but sometimes old and faded.

Condition of the trails in May 2022: mostly well maintained, but some sections were overgrown and the tall grass made progress difficult. This was the case between Notre-Dame de Tournadous (8) and Le Roucan (9), where the first junction was very difficult to see on the ground, as well as between (10) and (11).

Some sections of road require caution and attention. This is particularly the case:

  • between (3) and (4): the D89 is very busy and the bends make it difficult for motorists to see clearly. Fortunately, the wide, well-mowed left-hand verge makes it easy and safe to walk along.
  • between (6) and 8: winding, busy road with poor visibility. Use the right-hand shoulder.

Landslide between (7) and (8): although short, the passage is quite steep and difficult to negotiate. Care must be taken to avoid slipping. As things stand, I recommend avoiding it by staying on the road until (8). However, in this case, you will miss out on a welcome and very pleasant stop on the banks of the Gijou.

Low hiking boots are sufficient.

There are no water sources on the route. Bring enough supplies with you.

Worth a visit

This hike largely follows thePR® route known as "Maison de la Vallée" as well as another circular route called "Les Mélèzes".

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Vendinielle
Vendinielle

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent views. Lots of flowers at the end of April, with the sweet smell of honey in the air. The route offers a good balance between woodland and panoramic views. There is a bit of road walking, but this allows for unobstructed views and the roads are not very busy. Take the route description AND the Visorando app with you, as it is not always easy to find your way once you are out there.

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ID81360
ID81360

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A beautiful hike, with lovely sunken paths that bear witness to times gone by, and superb views of the Lacaune mountains and the Gijou valley. In the distance, you can see the Pic de Montalet, the highest point in the Tarn, with its two peaks: the military area with its antennas, and the other on the left, with the rock on which a statue of the Virgin Mary stands. Bring your binoculars.

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PB81
PB81

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with beautiful scenery.
However, the route is sometimes vague // on the trail. Passages that have become impassable require a change of route in certain places.
Nevertheless, it is still recommended.

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LULUETULYSSE
LULUETULYSSE

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike; we didn't encounter any particular difficulties. The scree slope is secured by a barrier and we passed through without any problems.
The GPS track guided us well throughout the route.
A beautiful hike. We were lucky to have beautiful sunshine.

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grosselin
grosselin

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Good, easy-to-follow hike

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ha-thai81
ha-thai81

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello everyone, for your information, this route is very well signposted by the local council under the name "circuit maison de la vallée" (valley house route), which you can follow without any difficulty.

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GUIRAUD FRANCOIS
GUIRAUD FRANCOIS

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I went hiking on Sunday with friends. It was very enjoyable and matched the description and GPS track. The scree had been cleared, so we had no trouble getting through. We will do it again because the weather was not good (fog).

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jeanmarieeliane
jeanmarieeliane

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

To avoid the scree, which can be dangerous in wet weather and for people with physical problems, do not descend towards Gijou but continue along the road. There are many grassy sections and exposure to the sun across the entire plateau up to Saint Pierre.

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MauEve
MauEve

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very pleasant hike through rural countryside, with lots of undergrowth and views of the hills.
Passing through hamlets and hamlets allows you to meet locals from time to time.
There are quite a few small roads that are rarely used. We recommend this hike.

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