Cirque de Nibousou in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val

A loop on the heights of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val with a passage through the undergrowth, around the Cirque de Nibousou and on the plateau.
Beautiful panoramic views of the Cirque de Nibousou and the Gorges de l'Aveyron.

Details

2696018
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.54 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 218 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 215 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 331 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 136 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the tennis court car park on the RD958 (or Avenue du Docteur Paul Benet).

(S/E) Follow it north for about a hundred metres, skirting the school grounds until you reach the corner of Rue de la Cote du Rodanèze. Take this relatively straight, uphill street.

After Avenue du Roc Deyme, leave the return path on your right and continue straight ahead. At the first hairpin bend to the left at a reservoir, stay on the road which continues to climb up the hillside and makes a large right-hand bend.

(2) At a relay antenna, take a path through the undergrowth on the left. At a crossroads, turn left again. The path opens onto a balcony overlooking the cirque and goes around it, offering a clear view of the village and the Gorges de l'Aveyron.

(3) At a crossroads, turn right into the undergrowth, leaving the cirque behind you.
Alternative: you can continue to the left, heading west to walk along the cirque, then further on, heading north, into the woods and rejoin the route at (4). This adds about 2 km to the walk.

(4) At the end of the trail, turn right at the T-junction onto a carriage road. Follow it to the hamlet of Bosc de la Cam.

(5) At the end of the road, take the tarmac road on the right (alternative route on the left to visit the Bosc caves). Follow this road, go through the 90° bend and continue straight ahead.

(6) Take the road on the right towards Clost de Mérigot.

(7) At a cross, leave the road, which curves to the right, and take the path opposite. After a flat section, the path descends to the ridge with another view of the Aveyron gorges and leads to the Rodanèze housing estate.

(8) Turn right onto the road, then left onto a path that descends and passes between the houses to rejoin Rue de la Cote du Rodanèze.

(1) Follow it downhill to the left to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 139 m - Tennis court car park. Close to the
  2. 1 : km 0.43 - alt. 177 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 1.71 - alt. 320 m - Relay antenna
  4. 3 : km 2.59 - alt. 324 m - Exit from the cirque
  5. 4 : km 3.07 - alt. 330 m - End of the trail in the woods
  6. 5 : km 4.02 - alt. 314 m - Hamlet of Bosc de la Cam
  7. 6 : km 4.9 - alt. 322 m - T-junction
  8. 7 : km 5.28 - alt. 324 m - Cross
  9. 8 : km 6.77 - alt. 208 m - Le Rodanèze housing estate
  10. S/E : km 7.54 - alt. 139 m - Tennis court car park

Notes

Trail accessible in all seasons.
The hill at the start, even on tarmac, is quite tough.
Very pleasant to walk in autumn.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 24 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 10535023

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with breathtaking scenery. Incredible views of the cirque, especially in sunny weather like we had on 14 December. Some areas were still wet from the rain of the previous days, so it can be a little slippery, but if you're careful, there's no problem. It's easy, with a slight climb at the beginning, but the scenery quickly makes you forget the effort. Ideal with a dog! Once we reached the top, we were lucky enough to watch paragliders and hang gliders flying, a little extra that we really appreciated.

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User 7333290

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

SUPERB hike, guaranteed change of scenery, highly recommended

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bidiman
bidiman

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very beautiful course, although not shaded enough for my liking

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jppoizat
jppoizat

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, easy hike except for a few hundred metres on the descent

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gaston16
gaston16

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy hike, despite starting on a paved road. The views of the cirque, the Aveyron valley and the village of Saint Antonin are well worth the trip. The description should perhaps mention that there is a ladder for the final descent (although this does not pose any difficulty). This hike was done in the morning. In summary, this is an interesting hike.

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pyrenees
pyrenees

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Most of the walk was along the road😬, which fortunately was not very busy that day.
two lovely but short sections along a balcony path with beautiful views and pleasant undergrowth.

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Droogy
Droogy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very pleasant walk with beautiful views. Ideal for families.

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V@lentin81
V@lentin81

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk. I took the opportunity to make a little detour to visit the Grotte du Bosc, but it was closed. The final descent to St Antonin was a little more difficult.

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Antonio Pires
Antonio Pires

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Good route, especially in the cirque. However, there is a lot of tarmac, which is a shame

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jean.marie.prieto
jean.marie.prieto

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful, easy walk offering lovely views of the Aveyron gorges. The hike starts in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val and begins on a road. This is the least pleasant part. The end of the route follows a downhill path with gravel, which can make this section more difficult in wet weather.

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Véro81
Véro81

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great hike.

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Seve-82
Seve-82

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk in the hills
I recommend it

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DavidAlbert
DavidAlbert

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, starting with an uphill climb but on a quiet road. This is followed by some very pleasant stretches through the woods and, finally, spectacular views of the valley and river.
The loop can be completed in two hours without pushing yourself too hard.
Highly recommended route!

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Marc Vandevelde
Marc Vandevelde

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk with a beautiful stretch along the cliff edge and views of the medieval town of Saint Antonin at the end.

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Vivihope
Vivihope

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did the hike alone with my two Chihuahuas. It was quite a steep climb, but I quickly forgot about that as I crossed through the forest, along the cliffside and through fields. It's a really pleasant hike with views of the valley. It took me 2½ hours, stopping to enjoy the scenery and take a short break. The descent is also steep, so be careful where you put your feet to avoid slipping. Be careful, there is a small ladder to climb down towards the end. Thank you for this route 🙂

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