In the Vicomte countryside

In Vic-le-Comte, park in a small dirt car park next to the cemetery, which is located to the north-west of the village.
Please note! This walk is not signposted.

(S/E) With your back to the car park and facing the cemetery, take the road on the right, turn left at the corner of the cemetery, cross a road and continue straight ahead on a gravel path that curves to the left and leads to a road. Continue on the path opposite. Further on, ignore a path on the right.

(1) At the intersection just after, turn right to follow the Ruisseau d'Enval stream. Further on, cross the stream over the stones. On the other side, continue to the right. Shortly after, at a fork, take the path on the right towards the stream and cross it again. Continue walking with the Ruisseau d'Enval on your left. Further on, this stream flows into the Ruisseau de Pignols. Just after this, you will come to a concrete ford over the Ruisseau de Pignols (see "Practical information"). Cross (ignore the eatery on the right) and join the road.

(2) Follow it to the right and then, at the fork, take the road that goes up to the right. Ignore a road that goes down to the left and, just after, take a path to the right. At the fork, keep left.

(3) You will come to a road; follow it to the left. Fifty metres further on, ignore the road veering off to the right. Further on, in the left-hand bend, leave the road and take the path on the right. After a sharp right-hand bend, you will come to another path; follow it to the left.

(4) Cross the D229 and continue on the path opposite. At the junction with a road, continue straight ahead on the path. You will come to a road; follow it to the left. Cross a small stream and ignore the path on the right just after.

(5) Further on, as the road makes a wide left turn, ignore the first path and then, just after, take the wide path on the right towards a winegrower's hut. At this stone hut, turn onto the path on the left. Further on, cross the Ruisseau de Pignols stream again. Turn around from time to time to enjoy the view on this climb. At the top of a field, turn left and walk along a fence on your right.

(6) At the crossroads of four paths, turn right. Pass under the power line. The path then turns right and heads south under the power line. Take the first path on the left, which goes around the Puy de Courand on the left and leads to a small road.

(7) Ignore the path on the right and continue along the road on the right. At the fork, turn left to enter the village of Pignols. Pass in front of a beautiful wash house adjoining a beautiful building.

(8) You will arrive at the centre of the village at a crossroads of small streets marked with a wooden cross. Note the fountain and, on the right, the war memorial made of enamelled lava. Turn left, ignore a street on the right (at the corner, an old oven converted into a small garden) then continue straight ahead at the crossroads with Rue des Noyers (fountain a few metres to the right) to arrive in front of the town hall. Turn right and climb the stairs on the left to reach the Church of Sainte-Madeleine (information panel at the bottom of the stairs). Return by the same route to the village centre.

(8) Continue straight ahead and, at the intersection, turn right onto Rue des Jardins. At the next intersection, continue left onto Rue des Fontaines, which runs along a wall on the left. At the end of the wall, at the intersection, follow the road to the left. At the next intersection, take the road to the right to cross the bridge over the Ruisseau de Pignols and continue on this road until you reach the intersection with the D225, at a red cross.

(9) Cross over and follow the path opposite. After about 100 metres, at the crossroads with a path, turn right and continue for about 600 metres until you reach a path on the left.

(10) Take this path on the left. Ignore two paths on the left and then a road on the right and enter Langlade. You will immediately arrive at Place de la Prada, where you can see the old stone houses and the wash house fountain.

(11) Continue straight ahead on Rue du Chevalier. Ignore Rue du Four on the right, then leave Place de la Fontaine on the left. Continue straight ahead to leave the village. Fans of Game of Thrones will notice a "barral oak" in the garden of one of the last houses on the left. Shortly afterwards, continue along the path that extends the street. At the antenna, ignore the path on the left. About 70 metres further on, just before a fork in the road, take the path on the left and continue to the next intersection.

(12) Turn onto the path on the right and head backwards. At the water trough on the right, ignore the path on the left, then another one 100 metres further on. You will come to another path; follow it to the left. Ignore the path on the right, then the one on the left, then another on the right.

(13) At the T-junction, continue right for a few metres, then turn left onto the D761, which bypasses Vic-le-Comte. Cross over and continue straight ahead. Ignore a street on the left, then further on, turn left onto Rue du Conseiller (no sign) opposite an electrical transformer (no entry, house no. 180 on the right). At the next crossroads with Rue de la Chaussade, continue straight ahead, still on Rue du Conseiller.
At the end of the street, turn right onto Rue Antoine Fabre for a few metres, then immediately turn left onto Rue du Vignard.

(14) Immediately afterwards, turn left onto Passage des Lavandières, which descends towards Ruisseau de Cougoul. Continue to the right along the wall of the gardens bordering the stream, then rejoin the tarmac road and go up to the right onto Passage de la Cote Sailhant.

You will come to Rue du Vignard; follow it to the left. At the next intersection, ignore Rue de la Cote Sailhant on the left and continue straight ahead, passing under the arched house. Continue straight ahead until you reach a square (Place de la République). Immediately turn left onto Rue du Tambour de Ville.

Turn right to pass in front of the church, then turn right again onto Rue du Docteur Malterre. You will arrive back at Place de la République. Turn left to reach Boulevard du Jeu de Paume at the monumental fountain. Follow it to the left until you reach a crossroads just before the town hall. Turn right (signposted "centre de secours") onto Boulevard de Beussat. Ignore a small square on the right, Impasse des Dames, which you will take later.

(15) To continue exploring Vic-le-Comte, keep going straight ahead. In the bend, ignore Rue des Grands Creux on the left. Ignore a street on the right, then a street on the left and another street on the right. In the next right-hand bend, ignore Rue Marc-Antoine-Bargoin on the left and you will arrive at a small triangular square, Place de la Liberté.

At the end of this square, turn right towards Place du Marché au Beurre (town sign). In front of the antique shop, follow the street that turns left. Ignore a small street on the right under an archway and arrive at Place du Vieux Marché. Continue straight ahead and pass to the right of the fountain, then, opposite, pass under the archway (sign for "le Marché au Beurre" on the right of the archway).

When you reach the church, turn right onto Rue de la Sainte-Chapelle. Ignore the street on the right, turn right at Passage de la Sainte-Chapelle (on the left) and you will arrive at Rue de la Thioule (no sign). Follow it to the right. When you reach Rue du Marché, take Rue Saint-Pierre opposite, slightly to the right. Follow it, ignoring Rue des Farges on the right, to reach Place Saint-Pierre. Turn right, then immediately right again and follow Rue du Marché to Boulevard de Beussat. Walk a few metres to the left.

(15) Turn right onto Impasse des Dames. In front of the former Couvent des Dames, head to the right then to the left and continue along this narrow street between gardens. At the end, continue along the path, ignoring another path that branches off to the left, and you will arrive at Rue du 19 Mars 1962 (no sign) after a right-hand bend.

Follow the street to the left, ignore the Lotissement des Creux Nord on your right, then turn right onto Rue de Verdun. Continue straight ahead on this street to reach the cemetery and the car park on the other side of the roundabout (S/E).

Caution! There are two stream crossings over stones, followed by a more challenging concrete ford with 10 cm of water (in July) and no stones. Plan to pick up a large stone a little before you reach it. One should be enough.

Discover more hikes in this area with descriptions or the Visorando app here

The ancient architecture is typical of the old wine-growing villages of Vic-le-Comte, Pignols and Langlade. There are also a few medieval houses in Vic-le-Comte.

In Pignols, the choir of the Church of Sainte-Madeleine is decorated with ancient paintings, the oldest dating from^{the 12th} century. One fresco is unusual in that it depicts Saint Madeleine as an apostle. An annual mass is held there on the saint's day, 22 July.

On the third weekend in July, there is also a large flea market, antiques fair and garage sale in the village of Vic-le-Comte.

Along this hike, don't forget to turn around regularly, especially on the climb to Pignols, to enjoy the unobstructed views of the surrounding mountains.