Prehistory route in Sers

Unspoilt nature, pretty villages, art in the countryside, magnificent views, remarkable limestone cliffs and a major prehistoric site are all good reasons to explore this route in the shade of the undergrowth.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.00 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 272 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 270 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 184 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 102 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Sers (16410)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 45.5965° / E 0.32182°
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the fairground car park.

(S/E) Pass the Rue du Champ de Foire motorhome area, then take the small path on the left after the pétanque court. Turn left at the bottom, pass in front of the Nanteuillet wash house and, further on, go up into the woods on the left.

(1) At the intersection, turn left onto a small path. After the old farm building, go down to the right and immediately take the path on the left that goes down to the village of Roche: beautiful views of the Échelle valley.

(2) At the village exit, follow the road to the left, taking the time to admire the landscape from the promontory of the cross. Carefully follow the RD 73 to the right to quickly reach the entrance to the Fontenelles site on the left. Go through the gate. At the next fork, ignore the path on the left that leads to Fontenelles, which the route will cross on the way back.

(3) Climb up the hillside on the right and continue straight ahead for 800 m, ignoring the paths on the right and left. At the edge of the woods, walk along the houses on the left and then down the road towards the village of Coussadeau.

(4) Take the Route des Fondeurs de Cloches on the left and descend to the Fontaine du Coussadeau. Continue along the small path on the left, turn right into the woods and then right again, coming out onto the Chemin du Roc de Sers – off the route, make a return trip to discover the freely accessible prehistoric site 250 m to the left.

(5) Cross the RD87 to take the Route du Ganit opposite – admire the cliffs. At the top of the hill, in the bend, turn left into the undergrowth. Continue on the single track to the hamlet of Fonchain: beautiful view of the Château Charbontière on the other side of the valley. Follow the small road down to the RD87 and take a look at the old railway bridge.

(6) Carefully follow the road to the left, climb up into the village on the right and continue on the right at the top. Enter the forest path on the left before the castle gate. Continue straight ahead for 1 km, ignoring all paths on the right and left.

(7) Go up to the left after the pond and continue straight ahead at the intersection.

(8) Turn right at the road, then take the white path on the left. Follow it down to the village of Chez Bibot, which you will bypass on the left.

(9) Follow the path on the left, then go through the gate on the right to enter the Fontenelles site, which is classified as a Natura 2000 site. Turn left, cross the small wooden footbridge and walk along the pond to go up to Christophe Gonnet's artwork "Affleurement" (Outcrop) on the right, on the other side of the stream.

(10) Go up the white path, turn left at the top: see the cliffs on the right. After a large rock, turn right down the slope. Continue for 300 m on the white path.

(11) Leave this path at the bottom and turn right. Walk past the wash house (private) and follow the path straight ahead, which climbs back up towards the village.
Take the protected path at the corner of the house, cross over to follow the pavement, ignore the Route du Chauffour and go up towards the roundabout.

(12) Continue left onto Rue du Champ de Foire, which takes you back to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 163 m - Fairground car park
  2. 1 : km 1.16 - alt. 146 m - Crossroads
  3. 2 : km 2.37 - alt. 113 m - Village of Roche, near the - Échelle (ruisseau) - Affluent de la Touvre
  4. 3 : km 2.96 - alt. 121 m - Fourche
  5. 4 : km 3.98 - alt. 145 m - Entrance to the village
  6. 5 : km 4.74 - alt. 111 m - Crossing the D87
  7. 6 : km 6.37 - alt. 128 m - Village of Charbontière
  8. 7 : km 7.86 - alt. 135 m - Pond
  9. 8 : km 9.03 - alt. 179 m - Route
  10. 9 : km 9.77 - alt. 145 m - Chez Bibot
  11. 10 : km 10.13 - alt. 123 m - Artwork on the right
  12. 11 : km 10.65 - alt. 108 m - Fork in the road
  13. 12 : km 11.83 - alt. 166 m - Roundabout
  14. S/E : km 12 - alt. 163 m - Fairground car park

Notes

Yellow marked route
Hunting days in the Fontenelles area from September to February: Monday, Wednesday morning, Saturday, Sunday morning.

Contact: Pays d'Angoulême Tourist Office +33 (0)5 45 95 16 84

Worth a visit

Off the trail, the right-hand lane leads to the Logis de Nanteuil (private property).

(5) Old railway bridge: the Angoulême/Ribérac line ran here from April 1875 to 1939 for passengers and until 1951 for goods.

(9) Art in nature: "Affleurement" by Christophe Gonnet https://www.angouleme-rando.com/itinerai...

(11) See the seesaw on the square, the blacksmith carved with a chainsaw into a sequoia tree and the "work" that was used to hold animals in place for shoeing.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
jesuisdoncjemarche
jesuisdoncjemarche

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very beautiful

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PRL
PRL

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful shaded walk
Magnificent trees, including one remarkable oak
Take a detour to Roc de Sers

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Francis G
Francis G

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Tbien

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chipie33290
chipie33290

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent route through the woods, very pleasant when it's hot.
Uphill and downhill sections offering beautiful views.
A short round trip to discover the prehistoric site of Roc de Sers: very interesting.
Many thanks for this route

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Hello,

Thank you for your comment. It is indeed a very beautiful route, even though the rainy weather is not ideal for hiking.
see you soon on our trails
Chantal

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philkikou
philkikou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike through the woods with lots of ponds and the very interesting Roc de Sers site, which is freely accessible 250 metres from the trail. It's worth making a detour to visit! I accidentally did the trail backwards at the start, but most of it follows the yellow markings. Thank you for this trail!

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Hello,
Thank you for your comment. See you soon on our trails!
Chantal

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Marinalamer
Marinalamer

Beautiful hike. Beautiful variety of landscapes and paths. Informative thanks to the lovely, well-maintained prehistoric site.

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Hello,
Thank you for your comment. The Prehistory route is indeed a beautiful walk. I hope you got to see the Roc de Sers site.
see you soon on our trails,
Chantal

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cannelle02
cannelle02
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A very beautiful route with lots of small local heritage sites. Beautiful forest. Not much road, which hikers love...

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