From the banks of the Dordogne to Château La Rivière

This is a fairly varied route that combines the banks of the Dordogne and the magnificent Château la Rivière, crossing a few vineyards and taking small, quiet roads.

Details

n°1041634

Creation:
29 Mar 2018

Last update:
02 May 2018

Last review:
10 May 2026

Activity: Walking
Distance: 8.47 km
Average duration: 2h 40
Difficulty: Easy
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 74 m
Descent: - 71 m
Highest point: 76 m
Lowest point: 3 m

Country: France
City: Saint-Germain-de-la-Rivière (33240)
Start/End: N 44.945942° / W 0.326977°
IGN map(s): Ref. 1636O
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Description of the walk

Parking at Maison du Pays Fronsadais and Carles restaurant.

(S/E) Start on the east side and walk along the woods between the vineyards and woods until you reach the road.

(1) When you reach the small road, cross it and continue straight ahead until you reach the next lane towards Maison Neuve.

(2) Take the path on the left towards Boscla, then the D670E2.

(3) Turn right to reach the Dordogne River and continue to Caussard. Turn left, pass by the small pond, then turn right onto the gravel path and finally left onto the road towards the cemetery and the church of Saint-Germain.

(4) Cross the D 670 (caution: very busy road). Take Rue des Coteaux on the left behind the war memorial. At the wash house, turn right towards Pipeau, continue uphill, pass Pasquette, and you should see Château La Rivière on your left.

(5) At the crossroads, turn left and a few metres further on, the entrance to the château is on your left.

(6). You can enter, but please be discreet and do not linger, especially if there are groups present. Souvenirs and tastings are available. On your way out, don't miss the superb garden on your left. Before leaving, walk a few metres to your left, go back up and, before taking the path downhill, admire the spring and the small pond on your left. Continue to the exit.

(7) Follow the road to the right

(8) Small road on the right towards Paquet, pretty property on your right, L'Escarderie.

(9) At the Y-junction, turn left to join the D670, which you will cross (be careful, there is heavy and fast traffic). On the other side of the road, there is a staircase for a safe descent. Continue to the right to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 4 m - Parking at Maison de Pays Fronsadais and Resto Carles
1 : km 0.78 - alt. 4 m - Crossing a small road
2 : km 1.51 - alt. 4 m - Small path on the left
3 : km 2.24 - alt. 5 m - Turn right at the T-junction towards Tressac.
4 : km 3.65 - alt. 6 m - Crossing the D670 Rue des Coteaux on the left
5 : km 5.5 - alt. 76 m - Pasquette X on the left
6 : km 6.01 - alt. 58 m - Château La Rivière
7 : km 7.17 - alt. 20 m - Go straight ahead at the T-junction.
8 : km 7.6 - alt. 7 m - Right towards Pasquet
9 : km 8.05 - alt. 8 m - Y-junction on the left towards the car park
S/E : km 8.47 - alt. 5 m - Parking at Maison de Pays Fronsadais and Resto Carles

Notes

We strongly recommend that you either purchase a 1:25,000 map of the area or use the app on a smartphone, which will also allow you to be geolocated at all times so you can track your movements accurately.
The route may cross or follow other marked routes: unless otherwise specified, please ignore them...
Please respect the "Visorando Charter" in every respect.
We often cross private property, which is the only way to continue on such routes.
The use of walking sticks can be very useful and reassuring. In addition to providing stability, they improve the distribution of effort.

Worth a visit

Château La Rivière:
Guided tours available 8 km of cellars Reservations tel: 05 57 55 56 56
Worthy of the greatest châteaux, the majestic entrance gate does justice to the property.
Visitors can see animals roaming free as they walk through the 11-hectare park, which is mainly wooded with oak, plane, laurel, chestnut and hazelnut trees. Part of the park has been deliberately left in its natural state to ensure peace and quiet for all.
After passing under the porch with its two solid wooden doors, visitors discover the château's main courtyard. It forms a square with a fountain in the centre. The wave-shaped paving stones are reminiscent of the meandering Dordogne river.
From the terrace, 50 metres above sea level, the view takes in a large part of the Entre-deux-Mers region. The eye follows the Dordogne to the point where it meets the Garonne to form the Gironde. In the distance, the horizontal line of the Médoc plains barely stands out against the sky. Further north, wooded hillsides and valleys stretch out to the Château.
On hot, sunny days, it is pleasant to sit in the shade on a bench under the wisteria pagoda and admire the architecture of the château.
The curse of the Château: in 2014, a Chinese billionaire had just acquired this prestigious estate. He died with his son in the crash of the seller's helicopter. Just like the previous owner.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5

Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5

Route interest
4.3 / 5

User 3655335

10 May 2026 at 22:32 7200 • Edited: 10 May 2026 at 22:32 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this route today as a family, with our 11-year-old pre-teen 😆 – a really lovely route, taking us through the grounds of Château La Rivière, a magnificent spot.

No difficulty at all using the guidance provided by the app.

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isèrevercors

05 May 2024 at 08:26 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello, we redid this route using a mix of Visorando and Parcours des Kiwis, which worked very well. This avoids running into the grumpy man at the port and means less road through fields. Lots of greenery, of course, with the rain. But superb views (the Kiwis, the blue and white markers). We were lucky, no rain
during this hike, yay!

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vtramut

15 Feb 2023 at 11:15 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The section along the water's edge and through the castle grounds are what make this circular route so appealing, because without them, the proximity of the road and the constant noise of traffic would prevent you from really feeling like you're in nature.

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!ELMAEM!

12 Jul 2022 at 07:37 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
I'm taking a few minutes to tell you that this walk is very pleasant, with no problems thanks to the detailed description. We set off from the village of LA RIVIERE, but following the description, there were no problems. We took the opportunity to visit the cellars of Château la Rivière (without tasting) .

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henri57

06 Sep 2019 at 20:14 7200

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to give your opinion.

When walking along the lake, it is not easy to find the starting point at this level because there are no markings on the ground. You have to pay close attention.

In this case, I recommend using the Visorando GPS app. It's free and makes hiking much easier.

My wife and I use Visorando frequently and it's a really great site, congratulations!

Thank you very much, it warms our hearts.

Best regards

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PACPAC

06 Sep 2019 at 19:56 7200

Good evening,

We set off from the car park (near the tourist office) and when walking along the lake, it is not easy to find the starting point at this point, as there are no markings on the ground. You have to pay close attention.
Then I think we walk along too many roads, and this should be mentioned in the hike description. The point of a hike is to walk along paths, trails and forest edges.
I think the village is of little interest (lots of poorly finished buildings, like a housing estate).
For us, a hike is above all a route that allows you to discover interesting landscapes, not to walk in circular routes, half of which are on roads.
On the heights of Fronsac, on the other hand, although the landscape is magnificent, this section is unfortunately too short.
My wife and I use Visorando frequently and it's a really great site, congratulations!

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Netra

05 Sep 2019 at 21:11 7200

Hello PACPAC, and thank you for your feedback.

The Dordogne was not very visible, the village was uninteresting, the dogs were aggressive... We understand why you rated the hike as only average.

But what justifies the description of the hike as disappointing?

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PACPAC

05 Sep 2019 at 20:14 7200

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The Dordogne is not very visible, the village is not particularly interesting (except for the church), but the vineyard area near Château la Rivière is very beautiful.
Encounter during a walk with dogs left to roam free on the banks of the Dordogne; the dogs were very aggressive.
Visit the castle area, the rest is really optional.

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didouwalk

01 Apr 2019 at 12:17 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello
We were lucky enough to meet (before point 2) Mr Cerf and his wife, who were taking a break... very nice people...
After point 3... Caussard farm, private property, watch out for the dog... which is easy to avoid by taking the last path through the vineyards... which brings you back to the route.
Point 5: the castle gate was closed... we climbed over (or under) the barrier (electricity pole) without difficulty and continued on to the castle, which was open to all. We were able to visit and leave through the large, splendid main gate (which was open).
Very beautiful hike, rest area by the water, magnificent castle, viewpoints... thank you.

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patrick33330

02 Mar 2019 at 13:32 3600

Thank you for your comment.
After checking, it seems that the gate is open during the week but closed on Sundays, at least during this season.
Unfortunately for us, we visited on a Sunday... Based on your comment, we will try again another day. Thank you again.
Patrick33330

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Bruno33500

02 Mar 2019 at 11:32 3600

We visited on 28 February with the "Château St Germain la rivière" route without any problems. The gate reserved for night-time entry was wide open in the afternoon.
I am sorry for you because the walk through the park and the main courtyard is well worth the detour...
Try again another time!
Bruno 33500

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patrick33330

24 Feb 2019 at 19:21 3600

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The reason I only give "Average" ratings is that we ran into the gate of La Rivière Castle, just after point 5 of the route. The gate was closed (it is marked as night access, with an intercom and magnetic badge reader; you don't really feel welcome if you're just passing through!!!), apparently there's no way around it, and so much of the appeal of the hike disappears. There are still beautiful views of the château itself, but no crossing of the park or access to the terrace and its enticing panorama as described. So, disappointment!
We therefore continued around the castle and its grounds to the east and north, descending to point 9 of the route via a pleasant path through the woods.
If others have recently done this hike as described and without any problems, I would be interested to understand what we missed in the route.

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mbost

04 Jun 2018 at 10:43 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A pleasant walk, very well described. Thank you.

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Bruno33500

10 May 2018 at 10:58 7200

And thank you for these comments...
Enjoy your hikes in the area, there's so much to discover!
Bruno 33500

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phil33160

07 May 2018 at 08:41 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant route with beautiful scenery.
Thank you for this hike.

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Author

Bruno33500
66 Walks

Visorando Member

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