From Touvre to Braconne

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From the top of the hills, you will see the village of Touvre, its valley and the Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine. The start and finish are at the source of the Touvre, the second largest resurgence in France. The route will take you through the Braconne forest and end on theGR®4.

Details

n°5371050
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.33 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 715 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 692 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 427 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 161 ft
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Photos

The Touvre near the Springs
Peusec Quarry
Forest trail
Spring at the Logis de La Lèche

Description of the walk

Park in the Sources de la Touvre car park.

(S/E) Head right towards Touvre. Reach the railway line and the level crossing.

(1) Cross it and turn right onto the road towards the drinking water station. Join Rue des Cailloux.

(2) Take this road on the left, which is also markedGR®36in red and white, until you reach Route de la Sablière. At this crossroads, continue straight ahead on theGR® to reach the Chemin de Mongaudier crossroads.

(3) Leave theGR® here and turn left down Chemin de Mongaudier. In the woods, you will come to a hairpin bend.

(4) Keep right and continue along the path on the right to climb back up into the Bois des Genêts woods and reach a junction with the GR®.

(5) Turn left and follow theGR® markings. You will reach the hamlet of Petit Grelet.

(6) Cross the road carefully, leave theGR® again and take the path opposite, crossing the Ruisseau de Rochejoubert stream. Continue until you reach a new road at the hamlet of Les Champs.

(7) Take the Chemin des Ardilliers opposite to reach the junction with the D410 road.

(8) Cross this road carefully and turn right towards the forest path. Pass the hamlet of Peu Sec to reach the edge of the forest.

(9) Continue along the small path that winds through the forest, ignoring the markings for other paths. You will reach a crossroads with a wider path.

(10) Take it to the left. At the edge of the forest, you will reach the hamlet of Trotte-Renard. Cross it via Chemin de Bois Rond, and before the end of this path, you will reach a crossroads.

(11) Take this path on the left, stay on it and, after a series of three 90° turns (right-left-right), you will reach the village of Les Varennes via Chemin des Écureuils.

(12) Turn right onto the small road that climbs up the hill. In the Les Gauchons neighbourhood, you will reach the railway line and a level crossing.

(13) Cross the level crossing and turn right onto Chemin des Chaumes. Continue straight ahead on this path until you reach theGR®4crossroads.

(14) Turn left onto theGR® trail, following the red and white markings. Descend to reach the entrance to Touvre and quickly find the initial crossroads you passed on the way there.

(1) Follow the same route as on the way out to return to the Sources de la Touvre car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 197 ft - Sources de la Touvre car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.19 - alt. 197 ft - Crossroads of the circular. Towards - Touvre (rivière)
  3. 2 : mi 0.48 - alt. 161 ft - GR junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.15 - alt. 299 ft - Chemin de Mongaudier
  5. 4 : mi 1.84 - alt. 226 ft - Hairpin bend
  6. 5 : mi 2.61 - alt. 308 ft - GR junction
  7. 6 : mi 2.99 - alt. 262 ft - Hamlet of Petit Grelet
  8. 7 : mi 3.37 - alt. 302 ft - Hameau des Champs
  9. 8 : mi 3.93 - alt. 197 ft - D410 crossroads, after the - Échelle (ruisseau) - Affluent de la Touvre
  10. 9 : mi 4.5 - alt. 240 ft - Edge of the forest
  11. 10 : mi 5.23 - alt. 423 ft - Wide path junction
  12. 11 : mi 6.04 - alt. 302 ft - Trotte Renard
  13. 12 : mi 6.71 - alt. 190 ft - Les Varennes
  14. 13 : mi 6.95 - alt. 223 ft - Les Gauchons
  15. 14 : mi 7.4 - alt. 397 ft - GR junction
  16. S/E : mi 8.33 - alt. 197 ft - Sources de la Touvre car park

Worth a visit

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 9 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
cg16
cg16

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike. Thank you for this beautiful route. Almost no tarmac.
The 4 hours indicated seem a little overestimated. 2½ to 3 hours would be more reasonable (we did it in 2 hours 10 minutes without breaks, walking at a good pace). However, the elevation gain is a little underestimated; it is around 270 metres.

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PAPY SUNN DE BRIE
PAPY SUNN DE BRIE

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike that I completed in 2 hours and 40 minutes. The paths are very well maintained. Thank you for this lovely walk. However, I don't understand your elevation gain of 190 metres. As far as I'm concerned, I had 272 metres on my return!

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freboeuf
freboeuf

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant and easy hike, of a manageable length (13.5 km), suitable for everyone.

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matmarlulu
matmarlulu

Hello, many of the routes in Charente are hilly. I recommend Montbronnais and South Charente (Plassac, Rouffiac, etc.). Best regards.

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Marie-Anne Bétermier
Marie-Anne Bétermier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk. Varied and somewhat hilly, which is quite rare in Charente; very welcome for a hiker who loves the Condroz hills (yes, I'm Belgian, from south of the Sambre and Meuse valley).
If you have any other routes like this, don't hesitate to let me know, I'm interested!

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Neutenq
Neutenq

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A beautiful and pleasant hike in the Echelle Valley.

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oualent
oualent
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Trail run with my dog. Hilly and varied, the route is pleasant. Beautiful views. Note that there is a nice motorhome area at the start of the route. The section next to the quarries offers views of beautiful artificial lakes. It's a shame that it's no longer possible to visit the underground springs of the Touvre at the start. Everything is now closed off by gates.

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matmarlulu
matmarlulu

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

This route is varied and enjoyable. Good description and accurate mapping. Thank you for this suggestion.

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Mima 16
Mima 16

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful and peaceful spring hike

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EtienneQR
EtienneQR

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The hike was varied: fields, forests, streams, meadows, a few hamlets and slightly hilly.
The weather was mild. A pleasant time was had by all.

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Other walks in the area

Walking The resurgences and the source of the Touvre

Visorando Member
↔1.83 mi ↗+112 ft ↘-105 ft ◔0h 55 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Touvre (Charente)
This very short hike allows you to discover the extent of the pools that form the sources of the Touvre, fed by several resurgences. This walk also takes you to the Lèche wash house, where one of the resurgences can be seen near an old Roman bridge.

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From the top of the surrounding hills, you can see the village of Touvre and the Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, at the foot of which the Touvre springs forth, the second largest resurgence in France.

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Walking Anguienne Fountains Route

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Cliffs, boulders and old quarries frame this lush valley with its waterlogged soil and rich heritage, which you can discover by following the course of the Anguienne and from the top of the cliffs.

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Just 10 minutes from Angoulême, the Forest of Dirac offers welcome shade and sunken paths lined with low walls or wide forest lanes. Take advantage of this beautiful immersion in nature to discover its flora and fauna. In spring, you can see the spectacular flowering of the asphodel.

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