Montestrucq circular

A very pleasant short walk in the Béarn des Gaves, through woods, fields and villages. Beautiful views of the Pyrenees.

Details

23617416
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.79 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 174 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 174 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 190 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 80 m

Description of the walk

Park at the junction between the D23 and Chemin Trescoigt. Be careful not to cause any obstruction: there is a bus stop at this location. The path is markedPR® on IGN maps and in yellow on the ground.

(S/E) Head south on Chemin du Marge.

(1) Ignore the road on the right, which will be the return route, and continue straight ahead, staying on this road until you reach the village of Montescrucq. Pass the town hall, then the church and the cemetery. Continue to the Croix du Christ de Montestrucq at the edge of the village.

(2) Turn right towards Navarrenx and continue for about 200 metres. Then take the forest path on the right, following the yellow markings, which leads to a small road at a place called Bayloc.

(3) Turn right and follow the path which ends at a barn. Continue across the fields then turn right back into the forest (yellow markings). Please note that there may be cows in the fields you are crossing. Reach a small bridge over the Saleys and cross the stream.

(4) Turn left, come out onto the small road that leads to Camouran and follow it to the left until you reach the Orion Hospital.

(5) At Pédecoste, before reaching the church, turn right onto Chemin Royal and continue until you reach Chemin du Marge.

(1) Turn left and head for the car park at the crossroads on the edge of the D23 (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 174 m - Trescoigt crossroads
  2. 1 : km 0.23 - alt. 173 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 2.81 - alt. 179 m - Christ of Montestrucq
  4. 3 : km 4.3 - alt. 153 m - Bayloc
  5. 4 : km 6.17 - alt. 83 m - Small bridge
  6. 5 : km 7.45 - alt. 82 m - Pédecoste, near - Saleys (rivière) - Affluent du Gave d'Oloron
  7. S/E : km 8.79 - alt. 174 m - Trescoigt crossroads

Notes

It is also possible to start from Montescrucq. You can park in the car park opposite the cemetery.

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 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
La chevre 64
La chevre 64
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The section in the forest and off-road could do with a repaint (yellow markings), many are largely faded, others are poorly placed, and you have to pay close attention to avoid making mistakes on the route. We set off in grey, very cloudy weather and didn't see the Pyrenees, which was a shame. Otherwise, the route was hilly and a bit muddy, but that was to be expected given the heavy rain we've had in the Béarn region. We started the hike at point 2 in the village of Montestrucq, in a small car park next to the church behind the town hall, with two picnic tables. Perfect for finishing the walk.

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Gilles Granereau
Gilles Granereau

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route, easy to follow with GPS or a map. However, the yellow markings are virtually non-existent.
As another walker pointed out, it is better to start at point 5, where there is a shaded car park.

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Chrisbtz
Chrisbtz

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Hike completed in early August in beautiful sunshine but not too hot, which was fortunate as only about a quarter of the route is shaded.
Not very busy as it is not very well signposted, but the map and the Visorando app are perfect and very reliable. Superb scenery, a pleasant path, a lovely hike to discover the Béarnaise countryside and its beautiful old houses along the route.
A word of advice: don't park at the bus stop as indicated in the description, but in the car park next to the church in the village of L'Hopital d'Orion (point 5 on the map), which I recommend as a starting point. The slope is steep between points 5 and 1 (about 10%), but after that there isn't much effort required. This is the only difficult part of the hike, so you might as well start there and park in a proper car park rather than on the side of the road, which is not intended for this purpose.

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Psychobud
Psychobud
• Edited:

Lots of tarmac roads and little shade, so it must be very hot in the height of summer.
Otherwise, peace and quiet.

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JALOSA
JALOSA

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

(4)
After point 3, you do indeed have to cross a field with cows. But there is no designated crossing, just a gate with a chain.

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kiketdid
kiketdid

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with varied terrain (tarmac, then woods, then fields, etc.). On a clear day, there are beautiful views of the Pyrenees, but make sure you do it when the ground is dry, as the wooded sections can be very muddy.
What's more, the hike is well signposted, so it's definitely worth doing!

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Mascale
Mascale

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The walk is superb because you mostly follow the ridge line of the hills. However, in winter, bring walking sticks: as soon as you descend into the valley, the ground is extremely wet and slippery.

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pastrouver
pastrouver

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

2 hours 10 minutes. Pleasant hike with beautiful views of the Pyrenees and pretty houses, varied, a little physically demanding but not too much.

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RCSAUVETERRE
RCSAUVETERRE

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike combining tarmac paths, village crossings and woodland, with beautiful views of the Pyrenees. The end of the route is slightly steep, crossing fields – remember to close the gates behind you!

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DENEBED
DENEBED

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant short hike, but still too much road for my taste. Fortunately, I found some chanterelle mushrooms in the last few kilometres.

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jmimi64
jmimi64

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route, easy with magnificent views of the Pyrenees and the Béarn countryside.

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MGSN85
MGSN85

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A lovely, easy hike with beautiful views, even though the Pyrenees were hidden.

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Babias
Babias

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful circular loop in Béarn that is easy to complete. Pay attention to the signposts at the start to choose which direction to take.

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