Loop between Martel and Gluges

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A botanical trail dotted with rock gardens and cliffs overlooking the Dordogne, with the superb hamlet of Gluges, built partly into the rock, halfway along the route.

Details

n°1053520
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.43 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 378 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 376 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 300 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 106 m
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Photos

From the top of the cliff
The Dordogne
Martel
gluges

Description of the walk

Park on Cours des Fosses in Martel.

(S/E) Cross Avenue du Général De Gaulle towards the post office.
Continue until you reach Rue Senlis and turn right towards the covered market, then head towards Avenue Laveyssière.

(1) Turn left, go through the roundabout and continue towards Creysse (D23) via Avenue de Nassogne. Reach the inverted three-way junction.

(2) Continue right, cross the railway line and turn right immediately after, following the yellow signposted "chemin botanique" (botanical trail). Follow the railway line and turn left onto an uphill grassy path.

(3) Turn right onto the road and then right again towards Montignac. Turn left and continue to the four-way intersection.

(4) Continue straight ahead in the same direction, then take the first left, following the yellow signs.
Then turn right onto a path lined with low walls and continue along the botanical trail.

(5) Turn right and continue on a relatively technical downhill path towards Jean Blanc.
Turn left onto the path and continue straight ahead at the next intersection. Once in Jean Blanc, turn right again.

(7) Follow the signs for Port de Gluges on the left. Continue downhill, follow the D840 towards La Tuilerie for a short while and join the D43.

(8) Continue right on the D43, crossing the village of Gluges and following the Dordogne River

(9) Turn right after the bridge onto a path leading to the cliffs of Gluges and admire the view.

(10) Continue to the right, then turn right again onto theGR®46towards Peyrazet Haut. Continue north until you reach the D23 at a place called Esclauzar.

(11) Continue straight ahead on theGR®46towards Martel.

(4) Continue on the road following theGR®46, white and red markings towards the station. Return to the three-way junction you passed at the start.

(2) Turn right onto Rue du Pourtanel and continue along Rue des Mirepoises after crossing Boulevard du Capitani. At the end of the street, turn right onto Rue Droite, then turn left twice to reach Rue Senlis. Turn right just before the Ecomuseum towards the post office.

Cross Avenue du Général de Gaulle and join Cours des Fosses (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 231 m - Parking: Cours Des Fosses
  2. 1 : km 0.29 - alt. 230 m - Turn left onto Avenue Laveyssière.
  3. 2 : km 0.59 - alt. 225 m - Three-way junction
  4. 3 : km 1.13 - alt. 236 m - Crossroads of the loop
  5. 4 : km 1.51 - alt. 257 m - Four-way intersection
  6. 5 : km 2.66 - alt. 291 m - Path on the right
  7. 6 : km 3.38 - alt. 261 m - Fork in the road to the left
  8. 7 : km 4.38 - alt. 227 m - Path on the left
  9. 8 : km 5.57 - alt. 120 m - Junction with the D43, on the right
  10. 9 : km 6.87 - alt. 109 m - Path going uphill on the right
  11. 10 : km 7.6 - alt. 221 m - Viewpoint over the Dordogne
  12. 11 : km 9.42 - alt. 248 m - Junction with the D23, straight ahead
  13. S/E : km 11.43 - alt. 232 m - Parking: Cours Des Fosses

Notes

Fountain in Gluges.
Good walking shoes.

Worth a visit

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.

Downloads
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Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 34 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
patlili
patlili

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with some lovely views; no particular difficulties.

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Thibault HEIMBURGER
Thibault HEIMBURGER

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent walk!
Personally, I parked more conveniently at the Martel car park/playground on Avenue de Nassogne, very close to the railway line. Then you have to follow the route carefully because there are many other signposted walking trails and it can be confusing.
A must-do.

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Lachassinie
Lachassinie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Completed today. Lovely walk. Met two people. Beautiful views.

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Pascal33
Pascal33

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with superb views of the
Dordogne Valley. Pass through the pretty village of Gluges. Then a very steep climb up to the plateau. Be careful not to miss the path on the left just before the climb (check the app carefully). Splendid views just after the climb. A bit of road at the end, but overall I really enjoyed this hike.

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uac
uac

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, but not to be done in rainy weather.

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Leclanpin
Leclanpin

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike on a lovely autumn day (25°C).
The only downside was that after the charming village of Gluges, and after turning right at the bridge, it wasn't easy to find the path that climbs up to the left onto the limestone plateau; there were no signs indicating the change in direction, nor was it mentioned in the description; this is where the Visorando app came in very handy.

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TISSOTY
TISSOTY

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike with beautiful panoramic views, allowing you to discover the surroundings of MARTEL and the beautiful village of GLUGES.

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Polux44
Polux44

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very good route, the most interesting parts are the botanical trail and the villages of Gluges and Martel.
The junction between the viewpoint at the top of the cliffs and Martel is very monotonous; you might want to try joining the botanical trail.
We used the "gpx" file to map out the route.

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jo1703
jo1703

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant walk, especially the first part with its well-maintained botanical trail. Some plants were no longer there, such as orchids and others, as they are spring flowers. For enthusiasts, this walk is therefore recommended in May/June.
The second part, with the long castrated path, is less interesting, which is why we recommend taking it in the opposite direction. Martel and Gluges are two places where you can't help but linger (and even take a lovely ride on the steam train) given the remarkable heritage. Although we never tire of this area, we regularly return to this route.
Be careful not to take this route in wet weather, however, as the uphill and downhill sections before and after Gluges can be slippery.
Thank you

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Lucielucia
Lucielucia
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very pleasant hike, botanical trail rich in orchids and other flowers

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abourgueil
abourgueil

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

on the map, the misplaced numbers hide information, otherwise everything is fine

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jean michel Bzdzinck
jean michel Bzdzinck
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A beautiful route, Martel is a welcoming village. A pleasant start on the causse trail lined with dry stone walls, a beautiful arrival in Gluges, a picnic on the right bank of the Dordogne before the climb back up to the causse. A little too much road on the way back, but the tour of the village of Martel makes up for this inconvenience.

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HAB099
HAB099

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The first part was flawless, but after 10 (at 213), the path was gravel with no shade, then it ran along the side of a country road until 4.

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noelle martin
noelle martin

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A somewhat challenging path downhill towards Gluges on rocky ground.
A lovely walk with beautiful, varied landscapes. Pleasant paths surrounded by low walls. Lots of orchids in May. Thank you for this beautiful walk.
There was an organised walk starting from Martel, which is why there were quite a few people.
After the hike, we stopped at the Belvédère de Copeyre with a view of the Dordogne.

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marcgilles82
marcgilles82

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful walk... the village of Gluges is superb. We used GPS for the walk, so there were no nasty surprises... definitely worth doing...

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