Anguienne Fountains Route

Cliffs, boulders and old quarries frame this lush valley with its waterlogged soil and rich heritage, which you can discover by following the course of the Anguienne and from the top of the cliffs.

Details

3102627
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.48 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 112 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 110 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 133 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 67 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Soyaux (16800)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 45.631264° / E 0.187622°
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the car park, Route de Saint-Marc, after the Soyaux power station.

(S/E) Take the old tourist road (closed to traffic) for about 500 metres.

(1) After passing under the power line, ignore the path on the left, which will be taken later.
Nine original interpretation stations marked by kilometre posts allow you to (re)discover the Anguienne valley. Under the viaduct inaugurated in 2004, the Departmental Council has built facilities and footbridges allowing you to cross the Anguienne. On the other bank, off the route, you can see the Lyon Saint Marc fountain.

(2) After the viaduct, turn left and follow the path that climbs gently into the Combe de Bressour.

(3) At the stone block at the top, turn right onto the path that enters the woods and leads to the village of Le Peux (visible on OSM).

(4) At the end of the beautiful forest path, continue along the road until you reach the bend and turn right down the steep path that joins the tourist road.

(5) Take the road to the right.

(2) Leave the path on the right, go back under the viaduct and continue to marker No. 8.

(1) Go up the path on the right. Admire the cedars on the right in the bend and, just after, the small Simonette fountain (private) on the left. When you reach the Logis de Frégeneuil, which can be visited by appointment, continue along the road downhill.

(6) Turn left onto Rue des Robertes, then left onto Avenue du Pétureau. Turn left at the first street towards the charming Charlemagne Fountain. Before turning, walk back 100 metres to discover the Merovingian cemetery of Pétureau.

(7) After a refreshing stop at the Charlemagne Fountain, continue on the path to the Cerisier Fountain 700 metres away.

(8) Turn left onto the small road that descends towards the Saint-Marc road.

(9) Turn left to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 70 m - Car park on Route de Saint-Marc. Close to the - Anguienne (ruisseau) - Affluent de la Charente
  2. 1 : km 0.5 - alt. 71 m - Crossroads, opposite
  3. 2 : km 1.22 - alt. 69 m - Crossroads of the Peux circular
  4. 3 : km 2.14 - alt. 111 m - Stone block at the top
  5. 4 : km 3.18 - alt. 113 m - Road junction at Peux
  6. 5 : km 3.46 - alt. 74 m - Tourist route to the right
  7. 6 : km 6.31 - alt. 123 m - On the left, Rue des Robertes
  8. 7 : km 6.76 - alt. 112 m - Charlemagne Fountain
  9. 8 : km 7.6 - alt. 79 m - Cherry Tree Fountain
  10. 9 : km 7.98 - alt. 67 m - Turn left at the fork
  11. S/E : km 8.47 - alt. 70 m - Car park on Route de Saint-Marc (power station)

Notes

Markings: Green
Shade and sun
Family-friendly: yes
Contact Tourist Office: +33 (0)5 45 95 16 84

Worth a visit

Things to see along the way: the viaduct and the Anguienne Valley, the village of Le Peux, the Merovingian cemetery, the Logis de Frégeneuil, the Charlemagne Fountain, and the Cherry Tree Fountain.
The Anguienne Valley interpretive trail, which is part of the route, is accessible to pushchairs.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
Cazaux Yves
Cazaux Yves

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Nothing special to report, except that it alternates between ascents and descents in a 50/50 ratio.

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Momo17
Momo17

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We only covered half of this route (circular returning via the hamlet of Le Peux): a very pleasant route, particularly the paths through the heart of the forest reserve.
We will definitely be coming back to complete the second circular.
Maurice DOUTEAU

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Hello,
Thank you for your comment. It is true that green is not the most visible colour in nature, but as the green Périph marked in yellow follows part of the route, it was necessary to differentiate between them easily.
Kind regards,
Chantal

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Julien Bo
Julien Bo
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Overall, it's a nice walk. It's clearly not the most beautiful hike in the Angoulême area, but there are still some very pleasant sections. The markings are not very easy to spot in places, but with the Visorando app in offline mode, it's fine. Completed in less than 2 hours.

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JLH16
JLH16

Hello Chantal
In your reply, you forgot to mention the paved section from Logis de Frégeneuil to Fontaine Charlemagne, which crosses a housing estate and continues along Avenue du Pétureau, which is relatively busy with traffic, even on Sundays.
Still a lovely walk, though.
Jean-Luc

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Hello,

Thank you for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the views along this walk. The first part of the route, an old "tourist" road, is paved but closed to cars, allowing families with pushchairs to access the nature trail. As for the return journey, the only option is to take the Saint-Marc road – which is not a main road but has no pavement and is used by walkers' cars to access the site.
Best regards,
Chantal

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JLH16
JLH16

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, easy hike with stunning scenery and exceptional views of the viaduct (in winter without the leaves), as well as amazing discoveries in the underground quarries (proceed with caution and wear a headlamp without venturing too far).
It's a shame that about a third of the route is on tarmac and the end section is on a busy road, even on Sundays.

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jm2008@vis
jm2008@vis

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

I met several people who were looking for the fountains. The first one, on private land, I'm still looking for, as it's private property and I didn't want to venture too far off the path. I found the Charlemagne fountain without any trouble, but not the Merovingian cemetery. I also found the cherry tree fountain. The Anguienne Valley is peaceful, except when you're directly under the viaduct, of course. It's green and very pretty, a small, unspoilt area just a stone's throw from Angoulême.
The estimated time of 2 hours and 40 minutes is pessimistic. Stopping at the fountains to drink and take photos, it took me 1 hour and 50 minutes.

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Certainly a lovely walk, thank you for your comment.
Kind regards,
Chantal

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PAPY SUNN DE BRIE
PAPY SUNN DE BRIE

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful parish-specific hike to do again in good weather.

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Hello,

This cliff is certainly very pretty, but a large part of the path crosses private property, so we have not included it, even though many people use it.
Kind regards,
Chantal

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pacharlet
pacharlet

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

To make the route more interesting, I suggest changing the very first section of the S/E route to 2.
Starting from S/E, head southwest, cross the Anguienne and join the Viaduc path on the left bank of the Anguienne, pass under the VIADUCT and join hill 69 then No. 2, then continue along the marked trail.
The cliff on the left bank is full of holes and troglodytic caves of the lion of Saint Marc. Hermits arrived here around the 6th century, at the same time that Saint Cybard settled at the foot of the Plateau d'Angoulême, also in his cave. The occupation is thought to have lasted until the 15th century.

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Thank you for your comment.
Chantal

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manucoi
manucoi

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant route with flora and fauna
mplp

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Office de tourisme Angoulême
Office de tourisme Angoulême

Hello,
Thank you for your review.
The car park on Route de Saint Marc is 'traditional' because it is also the starting point for the nature trail. However, there is also a car park on Rue du Pétureau where you can easily park if you are doing the circular route.
Kind regards,
Chantal

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