In the Vézère gorges, starting from Vigeois

Hike in the Vézère gorges starting from Vigeois, a charming little village where you can see a magnificent 11th-century abbey church, destroyed and rebuilt in 1489 after the Hundred Years' War. On this route, you will pass the old hospital (1840), cross the old bridge (12th century, known as the Pont des Anglais) and walk around half-timbered houses. A little further on, you will find an old carding mill.

Details

1078445
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.51 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 115 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 119 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 308 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 249 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park (free) opposite the abbey church.

(S/E) Cross Rue Principale to reach the Tourist Office. At the Tourist Office, turn right, then immediately left and go down the street. Pass in front of the old hospital and you will reach the footbridge over the Paris-Toulouse railway line. Cross it and go to the next crossroads.

(1) At the crossroads, take the path down to the left towards the power station.

(2) Walk past the power station and follow the river upstream to the Old Bridge.

(3) Cross the Old Bridge and, at the exit, turn right onto the path that passes in front of the lodge to join a tarmac road (D7).

(4) At the road, turn right and descend towards the Jargassou bridge.

(5) Cross the bridge and, just before the tunnel, turn left onto the path running alongside the Vézère to reach the old Got railway station and level crossing.

(6) Turn around and retrace your steps to the Old Bridge.

(3) Take the uphill tarmac road to see the half-timbered houses.

(1) Continue straight ahead to the footbridge and return to the starting point via the same route. (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 307 m - Abbey car park
  2. 1 : km 0.39 - alt. 267 m - Crossroads
  3. 2 : km 0.5 - alt. 250 m - Power station
  4. 3 : km 0.7 - alt. 249 m - Old Pont des Anglais
  5. 4 : km 1.08 - alt. 278 m - D7 crossroads
  6. 5 : km 1.39 - alt. 264 m - Jargassou Bridge
  7. 6 : km 3.84 - alt. 273 m - Old Got railway station
  8. S/E : km 7.51 - alt. 308 m - Abbey car park

Notes

For this hike, I recommend wearing walking shoes as there are some unstable sections, rocks and roots exposed by flooding of the Vézère river.

Worth a visit

12th-century abbey church. Go and visit it, it's open and free of charge.
Old hospital (1840).
Power station.
Old 12th-century bridge known as Pont des Anglais.
Former carding mill.
Half-timbered houses.
A bonus in Vigeois

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Pascal Peyramaure
Pascal Peyramaure

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike that partly follows the GR46 trail, best done when it's very hot as it's very shady along the river.
pascal

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Celineetfrederic
Celineetfrederic

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We prefer circular routes, but we still enjoyed this one, which was pleasant on a beautiful winter's day. Please note that the path is uneven in places with trees lying across it.

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domy39
domy39

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route along the banks of the Vézère (there are no real gorges along the banks). We did it on a very hot day, but most of it was in the shade of the trees, so it was cool.

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CDoucet
CDoucet

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We shortened the hike a bit and started from point 3. A very beautiful hike, almost entirely in the forest along the Vézère River. An ideal route in hot weather because it is shaded and you can enjoy the coolness of the Vézère. Several places to swim.

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Platax
Platax

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A wonderful walk along the Vézère river, with a beautiful little tunnel at the end. The path is well marked and accessible, with footbridges to help you cross tricky sections. The railing on one of the footbridges is rotten, so don't lean on it.

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splas
splas

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb walk along the banks of the Vézère, ideal on those hot afternoons...
A big thank you to the owner(s) who allow access and to all those who maintain this trail (tree trunks, footbridges, etc.).

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