Du château de Montlaur au Ruisseau du Braou

Du charmant petit hameau de Montlaur, on chemine parmi le vignoble et les oliveraies entrecoupés de bosquets. Depuis la crête de Coste Bertine, la vue s'étend au Sud vers le littoral et jusqu'au Ventoux à l'Est. On termine par la visite des ruines de ce fantastique château.

Details

4392752
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.24 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 67 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 67 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 144 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 63 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Montaud (34160)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.752838° / E 3.97087°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2842OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the square in the hamlet of Montlaur.

(S/E) Head north towards the castle. Do not go through the gate.

(1) When you reach the last house with a tower, take the lane on the right between the two houses. It continues as a wide path. At the first intersection, take the road on the right that goes downhill. At the next crossroads, turn slightly left (east-northeast) and cross a vineyard.

(2) At the next crossroads, go straight ahead onto a small road. At the next crossroads (elevation 91), continue straight ahead and descend between the vineyards. Ignore the paths on the right and left. Turn left with the road, ignore a turn-off on the right and continue to a crossroads.

(3) Leave the tarmac and take a dirt track that is almost opposite and crosses a vineyard, then a pine grove and finally runs alongside an olive grove. At the intersection, turn left and follow the stream (the Braou).
(4) When you reach the crossroads that descends to the Braou ford, take the path that climbs to the left,
follow it for 200 metres and, higher up at the intersection, turn right onto the path that climbs up to the ridge. At the top, turn left and continue along the ridge path

(5) Follow a dry stone boundary. From a large pine tree, the path is clear. It leads to the foot of the castle (please note that the castle is private property, so stay on the path).

(6) Go around the ruins on the right without entering (risk of falling rocks). Return via the trellis that descends to the gate and rejoin the square (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 130 m - Place du hameau
  2. 1 : km 0.06 - alt. 134 m - Alley
  3. 2 : km 0.73 - alt. 96 m - Crossroads
  4. 3 : km 2.1 - alt. 77 m - The Heath
  5. 4 : km 2.77 - alt. 67 m - Braou stream
  6. 5 : km 4.06 - alt. 114 m - Crête de Coste Bertine
  7. 6 : km 4.92 - alt. 144 m - East entrance - Château de Montlaur
  8. S/E : km 5.24 - alt. 130 m - Place du hameau

Notes

Light hiking equipment. No water source except the river outside of summer.

Important: MontlaurCastle is private property and the surrounding area is dangerous. Access to the site is prohibited, as indicated by signs posted at all entrances. For any requests to visit the site, please contact the Montaud Patrimoine association, which manages the site: chateaudemontlaur@gmail.com

Worth a visit

Visite libre du site du château de Montlaur. Attention, ne pas pénétrer à l'intérieur de l'enceinte, risque de chute de pierres.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 20 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
User 2410518

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 16, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the vineyards and past Montlaur Castle, taking in a ridge path on a nearby hill.
We did the route just after heavy rain; some sections were impassable as they were flooded, but it was possible to go round them via a field or a vineyard.
Overall, a very positive experience by the end of the walk.

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User 3272795
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk.
Set amongst vineyards and heath, with gentle hills, this is a simple but very pleasant circular route.
I recommend and enjoy this route.
Thank you for sharing

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J p parre
J p parre

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Possibility of taking other paths through the heath, but these rejoin the main path in any case.
You can picnic on the huge wooden towers left behind after work on the high-voltage line at point No. 5.
A pleasant route that is deserted during the week but probably busy at weekends.

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Celale
Celale
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in early June 2025 in 1 hour and 25 minutes. The castle is really at the very end, just before returning to the car park.

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Kristel
Kristel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk on a sunny November day: beautiful, varied landscapes and stunning views!

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Brigitte 34
Brigitte 34

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant short hike. Done in December after a period of rain, some sections of the trail were very flooded. We were able to get around them by walking along vineyards and olive groves thanks to the handy GPS track.

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Pedibusien
Pedibusien

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very attractive short hike along a varied route through the countryside, often over stony, uneven ground exposed to the sun.
Although in ruins, Montlaur Castle is striking for its monumental appearance and is a particularly pleasant spot for a picnic.
This walk takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes at a leisurely pace. It is ideal for times when the sun is not too strong.

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kris.teyran
kris.teyran

Hello FR-
I'm very surprised that, unlike many other users of this short hike, you weren't able to follow the description and route correctly.
Did you have the route on a map (or a digital image on your mobile phone) with you to help you?
Like many of the walks on Visorando, this one is not signposted. Perhaps that's what caused you problems?
I hope you'll do better next time!
Enjoy your future hikes!

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FR-
FR-
• Edited:

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

magnificent view on a clear day, but very vague explanations, and we had to do it twice to find the route. The location suggests that there are certainly nicer routes starting from the ruins of this castle, which is a magnificent place... In fact, it's easier to understand if you do the walk in reverse. The explanations are very unclear and incomplete

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Newmoon34
Newmoon34

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike done in mixed weather with an average temperature of 8°C.
A pretty trail alternating between holm oak and pine undergrowth and vineyards.
Except at certain points, the view is not particularly clear.
No particular difficulties, but the ground is muddy in places.
The castle and its surroundings are moderately interesting, apart from the purely historical character of the building.

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alainlafon
alainlafon

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

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Nick34
Nick34

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant short hike. No one else around, but the weather was gloomy and it was a weekday. There are many paths branching off, so be careful. I'm not sure if it's allowed to walk through the ruined castle, as there are several private property signs.

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kris.teyran
kris.teyran

Hello touma59
My answer is the same as before: "With regard to signposting, Visorando (through its members) describes walks that are not necessarily signposted, even if they sometimes follow trails marked GR (red and white) or PR (yellow and white) published by the FFRP (French Hiking Federation)
This allows you to discover other paths that are off the beaten track."
I did not mark these white arrows.
Enjoy your walks!

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touma59
touma59

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

Is the direction of travel correct, given that the white direction arrows are drawn in the opposite direction?

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kris.teyran
kris.teyran

Thank you, NathouNath, for your feedback.
Regarding the signposting, I would like to inform you that Visorando (through its members) describes hikes that are not necessarily signposted, even if they sometimes follow trails marked GR (red and white) or PR (yellow and white) by the FFRP (French Hiking Federation)
This allows you to discover other paths off the beaten track.
Enjoy your walks!

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