From Éclassan to the Pont Rouge

Discover the Chemin du Pont Rouge, once used by the children of Ozon on their way to school! Venture deep into a wooded forest through which the Ruisseau de Rancure flows.

Details

19810278
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.48 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 427 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 436 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,427 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,050 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the small car park on Rue du Lavoir.

(S/E) As you leave the car park, turn right until you reach a fire hydrant, then turn left.

(1) Take the first right onto Chemin de la Guiraude, then continue along the track for about 700 metres.

(2) Enter the forest via the path on the left. The path will be very steep at first before winding its way up and down a few small inclines. Even though several paths seem to branch off to the right, stay on the main path and continue for about 600 m.

(3) Cross the famous Pont Rouge bridge. From there, follow the path uphill until you reach a road.

(4) Turn left and follow the main road for about 1.5 km.

(5) About fifty metres before reaching a crossroads where there is a cluster of houses, turn left, just after a field of fruit trees. Head down the path.

(6) As you head back up, you’ll come to a crossroads: take the path on the right. Walk through the hamlet of Roche. Once you’ve passed through the hamlet, follow the road for 600 m until you reach the fire hydrant, then turn right to reach the car park on Rue du Lavoir (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,427 ft - Car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.08 - alt. 1,407 ft - Crossroads, turn right
  3. 2 : mi 0.52 - alt. 1,276 ft - Three-way junction, on the left
  4. 3 : mi 0.94 - alt. 1,050 ft - Pont Rouge
  5. 4 : mi 1.36 - alt. 1,250 ft - Crossroads (path/road), turn left
  6. 5 : mi 2.39 - alt. 1,263 ft - Crossroads (path/road), turn left
  7. 6 : mi 2.92 - alt. 1,312 ft - Crossroads; turn left
  8. S/E : mi 3.48 - alt. 1,427 ft - End of the route

Notes

There are plenty of car parks available in the centre of Eclassan.
Be aware of the wind, which is often strong between (4) and (5).

Worth a visit

(1) The Eclassan washhouse, which gave the street its name.
(3) The road bridge once used by the children of Ozon to get to school.
(6) The Château des Prés (visible from this spot).

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
3.7 / 5
aq38
aq38

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A relatively shaded, easy route. The section on the D506 between points 4 and 5 is a bit uninteresting (it’s a bit long on a road with not much traffic), but there isn’t much choice if you want to do a circular route. An easy walk, with 40 per cent on tarmac and the rest on good paths. There may be muddy patches in the woodland.

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philkikou
philkikou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I walked the route in the opposite direction and ‘extended’ it by adding the ‘Ruisseau de Limelande to Gachon’ walk; at point 3, I followed the Rancure as far as L’Ardennes. A lovely stretch through the woodland, and a wonderful discovery of the Pont Rouge and its history.

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Kélig07
Kélig07

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk. No difficulty at all.
It’s still best to do it in walking boots, as some sections can be muddy.
The tarmac section is a bit too long. On the other hand, we didn’t come across many cars.

Machine-translated

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