From Pibrac to L’Isle Jourdain via the GR® 653

Car park at Pibrac station.

(S) Leave the Impasse de la Gare and turn left onto Rue de la Gare, then head up towards the Esplanade des Églises, staying on the pavement on the left-hand side of the road.

(1) After the castle, cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and head up towards the Esplanade des Églises. Walk behind the town hall and turn left onto the Ancien Chemin de Brax. The route is very well signposted with small signs showing a scallop shell on a blue background. Turn right onto Rue du Pas du Courbet and cross the railway line, taking care of oncoming trains. Follow the signs indicating to go straight on to pass by the Fontaine de Sainte-Geneviève.

(2) Continue to Chemin de la Fontaine.
On a short round trip, slightly to the right, you’ll find the fountain with a viewpoint overlooking the Parc des Tambourettes.
Continue along Chemin de la Fontaine, with your back to the fountain, then onto Chemin des Ânes. After a bend to the left, there is a T-junction.

(3) “The Chemin de Saint-Jacques goes straight ahead”, but you must turn right to follow the GR^®.

(4) After about 400 m, carry straight on^along the^GR® alternative route^. As you come out of the woods, head straight ahead to take the footpath, which becomes a road. Continue to the next T-junction.

(5) Turn right onto the Chemin du Gayné and follow it to the end of the road.

(6) At the junction (with a disused farm opposite), turn left onto the Route de Sainte-Germaine. Follow this road until you enter the Forêt de Bouconne.

(7) In the forest, turn left, then left again, and follow the path, keeping to the red and white^GR® markings^.

(8) Cross the D24 with care and continue straight ahead. Follow this path to the edge of the riding club. The well-marked route follows a branch of the GR^®.

(9) Turn right and head back up to the central track, walking alongside the railway line.
Turn left and cross the railway line at the old station, taking care to look both ways. Continue along the central track and take the^first wide path on the left, then the next one on the right, and then carry on straight ahead until you reach the^fourth wide path.
Then turn left, then immediately right onto the sandy path. The path goes uphill, then downhill, and comes out onto the Route de Léguevin (Avenue de Bouconne).

(10) Cross the road carefully and head straight ahead. Follow the path and, when it ends, turn right and head back up to the central track. This section forms part of the^GR® and the Way of St James coming from Léguevin.

(11) Turn left and follow the central track. Pass the car park at the Maison Forestière de Saint-Louis and continue to the right, then slightly to the left. Do not take the historic path which joins the tarmac road. Follow this path until you reach the edge of the forest.

(12) At the junction with the Route de Mérenvielle (D531), carry on straight ahead onto the Chemin de Moufielle. Take care. The road descends continuously.

(13) At the start of the climb, after the house on the right, leave the road and take the path on the left. Follow this path, which climbs steeply before descending gently and ending at a road. Walk down the Chemin des Ninets to the roundabout on the Route de Ségoufielle.

(14) Turn left towards L’Isle-Jourdain, walking along the pavement. After 200 m, cross at the pedestrian crossing and enter the station car park; continue on to the station, the end of the walk (E).

The Sainte-Germaine Fountain in Pibrac provides drinking water.
Given the length of the walk, plan to take a packed lunch; you can stop at the car park of the Maison Forestière Saint-Louis in Pujaudran, where there are permanent tables and benches, visible from the central path.
Ideally, you should have someone driving to drop you off at Pibrac station and pick you up at L’Isle-Jourdain station. They can also bring you your packed lunch at midday.
Remember to stay well hydrated during the walk and take a 10-minute break every 2 hours.

Pibrac Castle, and especially its gardens, are well worth a visit.
The Basilica of Sainte-Germaine has never been consecrated, so there are very few services held there and it is usually closed, but you can visit it by asking for the keys at the presbytery; the interior is very light and airy.
The Sainte-Germaine Fountain offers a lovely view of the Tambourrettes Garden.
Don’t miss the community gardens just past the fountain.
By taking a variant of^{the GR® route}, you can walk past the house where Sainte-Germaine lived.
In the Forest of Bouconne, if you stay on the central path, you’ll pass the Forain-François-Verdier memorial.