Route du Lac de Saint-Thomas

A route mainly on roads, best done in winter as there is very little shade, but watch out for mud on the dirt section ofthe GR® 86.

Details

4522161
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.33 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 102 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 107 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 320 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 252 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park on the village square in Saint-Thomas.

(S/E) With your back to the town hall, leaving the D53 Route de Sainte-Foy-de Peyrolières on your left, go round the old moat of the castle; at the bend, take the shaded path opposite which leads down to the lake. Cross the road leading to the hamlet of La Cabane, then continue along the path opposite which runs alongside the lake until you reach the road leading to the Ranch Equi Punch.

(1) Turn left onto the tarmac road that forms part of theGR®86, and follow it.
Pass the ranch on your left, turn left then right until you reach the junction at the bend to the left of the access road to the ranch.

(2) Turn right onto theGR®86; after the left-hand bend, head east again, following the Ruisseau de la Galage. Continue along this path to the hamlet of En Pouillac, where the road replaces the track.

(3) At the crossroads at the edge of the hamlet, turn left onto the road and head up to the D53a, which links Saint-Thomas to Sainte-Foy-de-Peyrolières.

(4) Turn left onto the D-road and follow it to the crossroads at the start of the hamlet of Mouréou.

(5) Turn onto the small road on the right and continue to the D53 between Saint-Thomas and Saint-Lys.
Turn right onto the main road and continue to the dirt track on the left.

(6) Turn left onto the dirt track and continue to the hamlet of Larroudé after descending and then climbing back up the bed of the Ruisseau de Mescurt. If the track is not visible because it has been ploughed, go straight ahead to reach the left-hand side of the copse; you will then need to follow the edge of the copse to the stream crossing. You will reach a T-junction. The start of the dirt track may vary depending on ploughing, as may its route up to the edge of the copse; beyond that, it is always in the same place.

(7) Turn left at the junction and rejoin the road that forms part of theGR®86, which you should follow to the finish. Continue along this Route d’En Palas to the junction with the Route d’Empeaux.

(8) Turn left onto the D58 towards Saint-Thomas, then immediately right into the dead-end road until you reach the path on the left leading to the cemetery.

(9) Turn left and continue along this path until you rejoin the road at the next junction. Turn left onto the road, leaving the cemetery behind you, and continue to the village square and the car park at the start (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 319 m - Car park at the village square in Saint-Thomas
  2. 1 : km 0.94 - alt. 268 m - Route to the ranch
  3. 2 : km 1.73 - alt. 271 m - Towards La Galage, or - Ayguebelle (cours d'eau) - Affluent du Ruisseau de Goudourg
  4. 3 : km 2.95 - alt. 254 m - In Pouillac
  5. 4 : km 3.63 - alt. 310 m - D53a
  6. 5 : km 4.1 - alt. 312 m - The hamlet of Mouréou
  7. 6 : km 4.81 - alt. 310 m - Dirt track
  8. 7 : km 5.79 - alt. 273 m - Larroudé
  9. 8 : km 7.59 - alt. 317 m - Route d'Empeaux
  10. 9 : km 7.83 - alt. 312 m - Towards the Cemetery
  11. S/E : km 8.33 - alt. 319 m - Car park at the village square in Saint-Thomas

Notes

On the square at Saint-Thomas, near the boules club, there is a drinking water tap; a little further down, at Lake Saint-Thomas, there is a picnic area.

The ranch before point (2) has a bar with a terrace.

Worth a visit

Beautiful views along the route of the Pyrenees, the Gers valleys and the riverbanks of the rivers crossed.
When the ground is soggy, there may be mud on the dirt section of theGR® 86 after the ranch
The start of the path after point (6) may follow a different route depending on ploughing.

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

4.2 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
JP3166
JP3166

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very good walk for beginners, with minor difficulties at the start and a second half to recover. Be careful in the event of heavy rain, as some paths cut through by farm machinery or quad bikes can be muddy and slippery, but nothing insurmountable.

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AJT-31
AJT-31

It’s true that, from time to time, the path is ploughed up. I think there used to be two different owners, but now there’s only one, who ploughs the whole field, whereas before there used to be a gap between the two plots. It’s a shame, because this path was officially registered with the local council.

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FreeP.
FreeP.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
A route best enjoyed in good weather. A great start in the lovely village of St Thomas. A very pleasant path between the start and point 3. Between 3 and 4, a lovely uphill road. However, between 4 and 6, the road is busier and you have to stop at the side of the road... and at 6: no more trail! We had to jump the ditch and take a shortcut across the fields to reach point 7.
Easy return from 7 to the finish along a quiet country lane
A lovely route, apart from losing the trail between 6 and 7.

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Gégé 53
Gégé 53

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant route, despite a section on tarmac.

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JLBRICE
JLBRICE

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The path from point 6 across the fields no longer exists; it has been ploughed over.
It rejoins the path further down at the stream crossing.
The crossing in question is currently easy, but will depend on the crops later in the season.
Head for the edge of the woods.

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gunam
gunam

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A very pleasant and scenic walk with sweeping views of the Pyrenees.
The path on the GR86 is muddy after the riding centre and… “ploughed up” by quad bikes, but it is possible to veer off slightly to walk along the edge on the right where it is less muddy.
At point 6, there is definitely no longer a path, as the whole area has been sown with wheat. The path shown on the IGN map no longer exists. We therefore continued as best we could along the edge of the copse, taking great care not to trample the wheat shoots, but it is not certain that the farmer will allow free passage if any damage is caused.
Thank you for suggesting this walk and for the route. It’s a shame about the difficulty at point 6.

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Abeille66
Abeille66

not carried out

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Domidas
Domidas

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with lovely scenery. The dirt tracks were muddy (though that came as no surprise given the weather over the previous weeks), but still passable by sticking to the verges.
The road sections are very quiet, except perhaps the D53 between points 5 and 6.
Indeed, at point 6, the dirt track was completely obscured as it had been ploughed and was overgrown with grass. We walked straight past it without seeing it and would never have found it without the GPS guidance.

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