Route des Crêtes in Viville

This hamlet with its spicy scents offers superb views of the "puys" of Champniers, the surrounding countryside and the town of Angoulême.

Details

3102777
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.55 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 96 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 97 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 144 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 69 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Champniers (16430)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 45.701889° / E 0.237166°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1731SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the small car park at the Saint-Roch Chapel.

(S/E) After reading about the history of the 16th-century Chapelle des Lépreux, turn right onto Rue de la Muscade. Continue to the Viville wash house, named after the stream that flows into the Touvre.

Retrace your steps to the crossroads, turn right and take Rue de la Sauge.

(2) Turn right onto an uphill path. Ignore a path on the left further on, pass under the power line and continue straight ahead to Rue de la Myrte, which you descend. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead onto Rue des Léchères.

(3) After the last house on the right, take the path on the right that descends towards the Ruisseau le Viville stream. Cross it, reach the junction with Rue du Basilic and turn right. Pass the pumping station.
Off the trail, take a detour to the left along Impasse du Câpre to admire the Chamarande residence.

(4) Turn left onto Chemin du Persil. After walking through woods and pastures in Combe des Ormeaux, you will arrive at the top of Viville, Chemin du Persil. Turn left onto Rue de l'Anis.

(5) Turn left onto Rue du Safran. Continue straight ahead. At the top, you will have a view of the Angoulême plateau.

(6) Take a sharp right turn around the small hut and follow the path that leads to the vineyards. Continue straight ahead for 1 km, crossing the road: enjoy the view of the church and the village of Champniers on your left. Continue straight ahead for another 500 m.

(7) At the end, turn right. At the next crossroads, leave the path and take the narrow track opposite, which follows the old Roman road for almost 1 km. This Roman road marks the boundary between the municipalities of Champniers and Brie.

(8) At the end of the Roman road, follow the path on the right until you reach Rue de l'Armoise, which you descend on the left. Pass the Bouillons wash house on your right.

(9) Turn right onto Rue du Curcuma, then continue along Rue de la Lavande.

(10) Cross Rue de la Ciboulette and make a quick first turn left then right to reach Rue de l'Estragon. At the end of the housing estate, turn right onto the path that leads to Rue de la Sauge, which you took at the start.

(2) Turn right and retrace your steps to return to the chapel car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 78 m - Car park at the Saint-Roch Chapel in Viville
  2. 1 : km 0.12 - alt. 77 m - Viville wash house
  3. 2 : km 0.42 - alt. 87 m - Crossroads of the circular loop
  4. 3 : km 1.59 - alt. 82 m - Path on the right
  5. 4 : km 2.49 - alt. 75 m - Turn left onto Chemin du Persil
  6. 5 : km 3.89 - alt. 117 m - Rue du Safran, on the left
  7. 6 : km 4.68 - alt. 140 m - Cabin, on the right at the hairpin bend
  8. 7 : km 6.33 - alt. 134 m - Crossroads, on the right.
  9. 8 : km 7.39 - alt. 92 m - End of the Roman road, on the right
  10. 9 : km 7.98 - alt. 86 m - After the Bouillons wash house
  11. 10 : km 8.66 - alt. 81 m - Rue du Curcuma, on the right
  12. S/E : km 9.55 - alt. 78 m - Car park at the Saint-Roch Chapel in Viville

Notes

Markings: Green
Shade/sun
Family-friendly: yes

Contacts:
Town hall: 05 45 69 88 98 / Tourist office: 05 45 95 16 84
Extract from file No. 021PA Walks between Touvre and Charente

Worth a visit

Things to see along the way: Saint-Roch Chapel, the wash house, the Chamarande residence, magnificent views of Angoulême and Champniers, the Roman road, the Bouillons wash house.

Off the trail: take Rue de la Vanille in the village to admire magnificent porches and 19th-century mansions.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 8543689

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

Some lovely views along the walk

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Clarisse16
Clarisse16

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy, pleasant and well-marked hike

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your opinion. I will ask the town hall to take action on the Roman road. This is indeed the time of year when grass grows quickly, but it is also the nesting season, which delays certain maintenance work.
Kind regards
Chantal

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josyetjo
josyetjo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant walk, shame the wash houses aren't showcased
For us, the off-trail sections were uninteresting.
In places, the Roman road is overgrown with tall grass and nettles.
Otherwise, a very pleasant hike.

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Hello,

Thank you for your comment. The ridges are indeed pleasant in beautiful winter sunshine.
As for the Chamarande residence, I haven't found much information about it yet.
Best regards,
Chantal

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kehan
kehan

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with varied views. The old Roman road is the icing on the cake. The Chamarande lodge deserves to be showcased with information and photos about its history.

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Cazaux Yves
Cazaux Yves

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A well-shaded route, few sections on tarmac and magnificent scenery in places!

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Florikawalk
Florikawalk

Thank you on behalf of all hikers and walkers.

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Hello,
Thank you for your comment. We will take the necessary steps to improve the signage.
Kind regards,
Chantal, Pays d'Angoulême Tourist Office

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Florikawalk
Florikawalk

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant trail, alternating between landscapes and gentle slopes.
However, this is the second time I've done it and it's still just as poorly marked (in fact, nothing has been improved in a year). Some junctions are extremely poorly signposted, or even not signposted at all (with four possible directions, you have to try all four to find the right one). We come across a well-marked GR trail, while the ridge trail leaves us in the dark for hundreds of metres, when all that would be needed is to mark it below the GR markers.
Yet there were three of us watching the markers, and even with three pairs of eyes, we couldn't have managed without the description.

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r.ammeux
r.ammeux

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, particularly worthwhile for the beautiful views. Lovers of old buildings will be disappointed (but you can console yourself with the porches on the main street in Viville...). Alternating between paths and paved sections. In winter, the narrow path south of the field in Breuil is particularly slippery. You can avoid it by taking the GRP trail between Angoumois and Périgord.

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Hello,
Thank you for your comment. I was worried that Viville had come out of its bed. Did you encounter any difficulties?
Kind regards,
Chantal

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oualent
oualent

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, without much difficulty, with beautiful passages at high altitude and under the woods. Reliable route and explanations.

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balou17
balou17

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A fantastic hike. That says it all. Diversity (trail, views, biotope) – it's all there. If you still have some energy left, take a stroll around the village to discover some pretty Charente porches.

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