From Rochebeaucourt to the Ste-Croix quarry

PDIPR route no. 1, proposed as part of the Departmental Plan for Walking and Hiking Routes (PDIPR), in the commune of La Rochebeaucourt et Argentine.
From the heart of the village, you will reach the Argentine Plateau and its historical past. Then, a long wander along the former Angoulême-Marmande railway line will take you through woods and copses, along the edge of the Ste Croix quarry, before turning onto a green slope facing the Nizonne and returning to the village.

Details

44543673
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.95 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 755 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 728 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 531 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 302 ft

Description of the walk

Arrive via the RD939 or D12 and head to the centre of the village of La Rochebeaucourt, Place du Champ de Foire.

(S/E) From Place du Champ de Foire, with the square behind you, take Route de Ribérac on the right, heading south-southeast. Atthe first junction, turn left up Rue des Carrières de Font Babou. At the bottom of the hill, at the junction with Route des Carrières, take the hairpin bend to the right to join the D12 and the cemetery.

(1) At the stop sign, turn left, cross the small Pierres de Beix wash house and carefully follow the D12 until you reach an old stone changing platform. Take the dirt track opposite. On the way up, keep to the right-hand path until you reach the Argentine cemetery and its church.

(2) Opposite the cemetery, turn right, walk alongside the church (on your right) and turn left, walking alongside the cemetery. Then follow a small steep path that runs along the rock and descends to the old railway line.

(3) Turn left at a 90° angle and follow this old track. At the junction with the tarmac road, opposite thefirst gatekeeper's house, the junction is a few metres to the left. Continue to the next gatekeeper's house (private property). Walk along the left-hand side and you will come to a tarmac road (Route des Carriers).

(4) Follow it a few metres to the right to find the old railway line immediately on your left. Continue, leaving the Boudoire wash house below and passing under the bridge. Further on, join the path leading to the old Roman road and the railway bridge.

(5) Take this path, turn right and go up onto the bridge, heading towards the plateau. Continue to the barrier that prevents access to the plateau's aeronautical area.

(6) Turn right under the power line, then right again at the junction with the second wide dirt track. Continue straight ahead until you reach a fork in the Broussettes woods.

(7) Leave the path that goes straight towards Les Martres and turn right into the undergrowth towards the limestone quarry enclosure. Follow it on the left until you reach the Route des Carrières.

(8) Cross this road (Ste-Croix on your right) and take the small forest path opposite, through coppice and pine woods, then bordered by dry stone walls marking the boundary of the commune. You will arrive at the hamlet of Beauchaud.

(9) Leave it on your right and turn left onto the path through the cultivated fields. Continue in the shade of the oak trees until you reach the tarmac road (Route des Gravelles).

(10) Follow it to the left (towards Bonneuil) until you reach the crossroads, then turn right into an oak undergrowth. Keep left until you exit the woods. The small path leads out onto the Nizonne valley. After a short stretch in the open, it joins another path which descends to the left into a chestnut grove, down to the bottom of the valley. There you will find the small Bouquerie fountain, tucked away at the far right.

(11) Head in the opposite direction, to the left, and continue to the crossroads. Take the path furthest to the right, which runs alongside the field fence, to reach the Bonneuil fountain.

(12) Continue along this path, which leads to the heart of the village. Take Rue des Fossés on the right, then 50 metres further on, turn left to reach the town hall.

(13) Take the main street of the village on the left to reach Place du Champ de Foire (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 315 ft - Place du Champ de Foire. Near the - Lizonne (rivière)
  2. 1 : mi 0.67 - alt. 305 ft - La Rochebeaucourt Cemetery
  3. 2 : mi 1.11 - alt. 433 ft - Église Saint-Martin (La Rochebeaucourt-et-Argentine)
  4. 3 : mi 1.24 - alt. 325 ft - Former Angoulême - Marmande railway line
  5. 4 : mi 1.8 - alt. 371 ft - Former gatekeeper's house
  6. 5 : mi 2.55 - alt. 433 ft - Railway bridge - Fontaine - lavoir de Boudoire
  7. 6 : mi 2.87 - alt. 486 ft - Airfield barrier
  8. 7 : mi 3.45 - alt. 443 ft - Bois des Broussettes
  9. 8 : mi 3.87 - alt. 495 ft - Route des Carrières
  10. 9 : mi 4.54 - alt. 531 ft - Beauchaud hamlet
  11. 10 : mi 5.29 - alt. 489 ft - Route des Gravelles
  12. 11 : mi 6.01 - alt. 328 ft - Bouquerie fountain
  13. 12 : mi 6.21 - alt. 308 ft - Bonneuil fountain
  14. 13 : mi 6.84 - alt. 322 ft - La Rochebeaucourt Town Hall - Église Saint-Théodore (la Rochebeaucourt)
  15. S/E : mi 6.95 - alt. 315 ft - Place du Champ de Foire

Notes

Place du Champ de Foire: car park, tables and toilets.
Non-potable spring water at several points along the route.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Nawacks
Nawacks

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I confirm that it is impossible to follow the route between points 7 and 8. After passing through an unmaintained section, you come to a wall and have to climb a steep slope through some brambles (note: a previous hiker even left their cap behind ).
Apart from this point, it is a superb wooded hike.

Machine-translated

PRL
PRL

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb route
Yellow signposts on fairly new posts, making it easier to find your way
Magnificent wash houses
Generally quite shaded

Machine-translated

MaxMart
MaxMart

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

There was a significant problem between points 7 and 8: we had to deviate to avoid the aerodrome, but there was no more track, and in the middle we had to climb onto a road, but it was too high and there was no track. We managed to get there by coming back from the woods and climbing up the edge of the road on all fours, even though there is a track on the left just before the quarry road, which is not on your map. We met someone who organises hikes in the area around La Rochebeaumont, and he confirmed that the track in question is not on your map.
Other than that, everything was fine.

Maxime and Martine

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.