Banastes route in Margon

An easy circular route around Margon, with several views of the beautiful 17th-century château. Pleasant in winter to enjoy an unobstructed view of the vineyard. This circular route includes many tarmac roads.

The entire route is marked in blue.

Details

18578674
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.10 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 87 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 92 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 122 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 75 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the small car park on Avenue de Pouzolles, opposite the château and church in Margon.

(S/E) Opposite the church, turn left onto the avenue and then immediately left.

(1) Turn left again, ignoring Rue de la Cantarelle, which you will take on the way back. Continue straight ahead on the blue-marked route, following Chemin du Plo. At the end of the path, turn left and you will reach the junction with the D30E2.

(2) Cross the road to continue straight ahead. Pass a small pond on your right and continue for about 100 metres.

(3) Take a short detour to the right to see the small pre-Romanesque chapel of Saint-Nazaire. Do not enter, as there is a risk of rockfalls. Retrace your steps and continue the route by turning right. At the end of the dirt track, take the tarmac road on the left.

(4) Before entering the village, take a small dirt track on the right. At the end of the path, cross the small bridge on the right and take thesecond tarmac road to the right of the wine press, which soon becomes a dirt track. Head straight into the woods, ignoring a path on the right. At the edge of the woods, turn right and walk along the edge of the fields on your left. At the end of the field, turn left.

(5) When you reach the D30, continue left and then take thefirst small road on the right. Go straight ahead at the crossroads and then turn right onto the next road, which leads to the D15.

(6) Cross carefully and continue straight ahead. Turn left at the next intersection and left again at the next one. Follow this road to the entrance to Pouzolles.

(7) Take the first street on the left. At the end of the village, continue along a dirt road. At the end of the dirt road, enter the housing estate.

(8) About 100 metres before the roundabout, turn left into the cul-de-sac, which turns into a dirt road through the fields. Carefully cross the D15 at the crossroads. Once on the D30, turn right and then left onto a dirt road between the vineyards.

(9) Turn left and then right. At the next intersection, follow the dirt track on the left which takes you back to Margon. Pass the sewage treatment plant and you will come out onto the D30.

(10) Turn right, then right again a hundred metres further on to reach Chemin d'Abeilhan. Turn left, then first turn right then left to follow Rue de la Cantarelle, which runs alongside the La Perrière housing estate on your right.

(1) Turn left, then right to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 98 m - Village square
  2. 1 : km 0.08 - alt. 100 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 1.64 - alt. 100 m - D30E2
  4. 3 : km 3.34 - alt. 85 m - Chapel junction
  5. 4 : km 4.36 - alt. 114 m - Path on the right
  6. 5 : km 5.73 - alt. 114 m - D30
  7. 6 : km 6.7 - alt. 110 m - D15
  8. 7 : km 8.76 - alt. 82 m - Entrance to Pouzolles
  9. 8 : km 9.53 - alt. 77 m - Pouzolles exit, dead end on the left
  10. 9 : km 10.25 - alt. 86 m - Vineyard path
  11. 10 : km 11.1 - alt. 84 m - D30
  12. S/E : km 12.1 - alt. 97 m - Village square

Worth a visit

Margon Castle and its remarkable garden are well worth a visit. Only open to visitors in summer.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
3.8 / 5
bertrand des bartassaïres
bertrand des bartassaïres

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed just after a heavy downpour. From the outset, there were no blue markings or signposted paths, so we had to ask a local resident for directions. During the hike, the vegetation covered the blue markings on the rocks in some places. There were a few fords to cross, but they weren't difficult despite the heavy rain. On leaving Pouzolles, after crossing the D30, a sign indicated to turn left at point 9, but there was nothing else for over a kilometre, so we retraced our steps and returned to the village near the Abeillan road, behind the castle grounds. It's a shame because in case of rain, the route isn't too muddy and you stay in the heart of nature, but you have to be careful when crossing fairly busy roads. So the signposting could be improved.

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User 16780418
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

More of a stroll than a hike. Passes through uninteresting housing estates. Map needs updating due to house construction in the middle of the route. Colourful passage through vineyards and forest in autumn. Margon Castle is worth seeing.

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Marc Maniere
Marc Maniere

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I went on this hike, which allowed me to discover the environment in which I now live. It's a charming and surprising place. It allowed me to connect different areas, such as the hike to Castan Castle. It wasn't difficult at all, despite being 12 km long.

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Manue SESMA
Manue SESMA

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice walk, a bit too much tarmac.

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lesvegas
lesvegas

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Despite the tarmac and the crossing of a residential area, it remains an easy walk with beautiful views of the castles.
An alternative route through the centre of Pouzolles can be considered to avoid the modern buildings.
Thank you.

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JeffK
JeffK
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

This route is a little disappointing. Apart from the fact that it often follows small tarmac roads (which was mentioned in the description), there are few pleasant spots and you are mainly surrounded by vineyards.
The villages we passed through have grown since the description was written, and it's not very pleasant to cycle through new housing developments, even if there are some beautiful houses.
The blue markings (a pleasant change from yellow) are beautifully done.
We followed this route in very windy weather (it's no coincidence that the neighbouring village is called Alignan du Vent) and there are very few sheltered spots.

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brageole
brageole

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello,
An easy hike through the vineyards, with little elevation gain, it is pleasant but nothing more.
The walk through the new housing developments in Pouzolles is of no interest; I would recommend going through the village centre and its pretty castle instead.
Margon and its castle are also worth seeing.

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Falka34
Falka34

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very easy route. Done in beautiful weather.
Beautiful views of the castles
Unfortunately, we were unable to visit Margon Castle as it was closed during this period.

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nathycaro
nathycaro

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Beautiful views of the two distant castles.
Despite this, there are many tarmac roads.
The route is very easy.
Great for visiting Margon Castle.
It is closed in February 2022 for visits inside, which is a shame.
Beautiful heritage. 👍

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Legrandas
Legrandas

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route without any major difficulties. Half of the route is on tarmac paths, making it fairly easy for beginners. Very well signposted. Beautiful views over the wine-growing plain. Unfortunately, it was very windy on 21 February 2022.

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aniane
aniane

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in fine weather. Very easy. A pleasant walk through the vineyards.
Beautiful castle in Margon, which can only be visited during heritage days.

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