Saint-Sozy - Blanzaguet loop overlooking the Dordogne

A beautiful walk along the Dordogne and the surrounding cliffs. The start and finish are in the picturesque village of Saint-Sozy. The outward journey is along the cliff overlooking the Dordogne and offers magnificent views of Belcastel, Lacave, Le Bougayrou and Saint-Sozy. The return trip from the pretty village of Blanzaguet offers access to numerous caves before reaching the banks of the Dordogne, where you can take a dip.

Details

2357117
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.84 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 275 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 275 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 247 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 96 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Saint-Sozy (46200)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 44.880132° / E 1.564963°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2136ET
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park near the town hall.

Yellow markings throughout the loop.

(S/E) Cross the village heading north-east, then turn left onto Rue du Docteur Gouygou.

(1) Cross the D15 with caution and continue opposite on a path through the forest.

(2) Turn left onto a path that is well marked in yellow. There are views of the Dordogne River at the top of the cliff.
The path then descends to the small hamlet of Monges, which you cross, keeping in the same direction.

(3) At the end of the hamlet, turn right onto a path which is the most difficult part of the walk. The steep and slightly slippery climb leads to Roc Coulon.

(4) Turn left to reach the viewpoint over the Dordogne next to a large relay antenna. Continue along a wide white path to the village of Blanzaguet.

(5) Turn left at the end of the road and cross the village, keeping to the left and following the yellow markings. Take a small path at the end of the village.

(6) The path continues along the cliff about 50-m above the Dordogne. Along the way, visit numerous caves of all sizes, including this point of interest.

(7) Reach the right bank of the Dordogne. Swimming is possible. Finish the hike via the Chemin du Pas du Bois and then the Rue de la Curade, which is a continuation of the former.

(8) When you reach Rue de l'Occitanie, turn right to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 106 m - Parking at the town hall
  2. 1 : km 0.53 - alt. 117 m - Cross the D15 road
  3. 2 : km 0.88 - alt. 149 m - Left path
  4. 3 : km 1.9 - alt. 105 m - End of the small hamlet of Monges
  5. 4 : km 2.41 - alt. 240 m - Roc Coulon. Towards relay antennas
  6. 5 : km 4.08 - alt. 126 m - Blanzaguet
  7. 6 : km 5.26 - alt. 109 m - Cave
  8. 7 : km 6.2 - alt. 101 m - Right bank of the Dordogne
  9. 8 : km 7.69 - alt. 107 m - Rue de l'Occitanie, on the right
  10. S/E : km 7.84 - alt. 105 m - Parking at the town hall

Notes

Most of the trail is in the forest, which is nice and cool in summer.
A pair of good walking shoes is sufficient.
Hiking not recommended after heavy rain.
Somewhat dangerous (not recommended) for young children (under 10 years old). Interesting for those over 10 years old (caves, river).

Worth a visit

Swimming in the Dordogne.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 32 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Michel Gazeau
Michel Gazeau

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

Mostly shaded walk Beautiful view of the Dordogne valley

Machine-translated

pierreaureville
pierreaureville

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Very shaded in hot weather. Nice loop and beautiful view of the Dordogne. No difficulty.

Machine-translated

F DANY
F DANY

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent but rather dangerous walk along the cliffside. Splendid view.
The path is steep with quite a few steps. The trail is often narrow and quite slippery.
I do not recommend it for children, people who are not very fit or those who suffer from vertigo.
The risk of falling in wet weather seems significant, but it's so beautiful!

Machine-translated

dnrphil
dnrphil
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This is a beautiful hike that requires a bit of physical fitness and good hiking boots.
Between 3 and 4, you'll need to hold on tight, as there's a steep climb over 700 metres and some dangerous sections.
Between 5 and 7, the cliff path, although well maintained, suffers from rain damage and some modifications have been made to keep it passable, at the cost of some fairly strenuous climbing.
We must nevertheless thank the people who maintain these paths.
Avoid when the weather is wet.

Machine-translated

carl19
carl19

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Quite a strenuous hike at the beginning and narrow, sometimes slippery trail.
Very pleasant overall

Machine-translated

Milasyl
Milasyl

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, with a few technical sections. Avoid in very wet weather

Machine-translated

AndréDuchene
AndréDuchene
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Top notch, designed for running/trail running. Beautiful views in several places. Great GPS track

Machine-translated

MNORDIC
MNORDIC

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Setting off early in the morning, this hike is quite surprising
There is a steep climb at the beginning: you need to be careful because the path is narrow, earthy and certainly very slippery in wet weather... but on this hot day, there was no problem (note that the trees and vegetation obstruct the views). However, when you reach the top (antenna), there is a beautiful view of the valley
the path down is rocky until Blanzaguet...
then along the path it's superb with cliffs and shelters really liked it
A little tip for the return trip: take a break on the small pebble beach (on your right) and take some nice photos of the Dordogne... because after that it's back on the tarmac to St Sozy
A lovely walk!

Machine-translated

trantole
trantole

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent, very varied hike with woodland, cliffs and stony paths, overlooking the Dordogne with magnificent views. The climb is a little steep, so watch your heart rate 😄
Bring a torch to visit the mini caves in the cliff
Superb hike

Machine-translated

FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Hello,

The signage does not depend on the author or Visorando.
The description and map are there to guide you.
Best regards.

Machine-translated

mikelow
mikelow

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The route should be better marked before the motocross track to avoid missing the path on the cliff

Machine-translated

vero44130
vero44130

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

trip taken in mid-August 2022. It was very hot, so the return to the village in direct sunlight was tiring, even though it was very flat.

be careful at point 2 and make sure you see the path that branches off to the left. We didn't see the paint mark, but luckily I had the GPS route on my watch.

the climb to the relay antenna is very difficult, especially if you're afraid of heights. I don't recommend doing this walk with children or dogs as the climb is very steep and the path is very narrow with a drop on one side.

However, it's a wonderful walk and I recommend it, but at the start of the walk, the sign clearly states "for experienced walkers"

Machine-translated

Momo23
Momo23

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb hike with magnificent views at the Roc des Monges.

Machine-translated

Canelle
Canelle
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We started this circuit a little late in the season, which is why we returned at night . It was a bit of a shame because we covered the last part in the woods with little light. The cliffside requires a lot of attention and vigilance, especially on that day when the Dordogne was in flood and the path was a little slippery.
We'll do it again in the summer to enjoy the route a little more.

Machine-translated

Machere
Machere

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The description of the hike makes us think that we will be right next to the Dordogne, but we are actually following the cliff above.

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.