Comps Church and Col de la Pousterle

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A lovely walk along the hills of the Dieulefit region.

Details

n°39586
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.12 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 672 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 671 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 883 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 385 m
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Photos

Col de la Pousterle
Church of Comps
panoramic views from the Col de Pousterle 26

Description of the walk

Park at the church in Dieulefit.
(S/E) Take the pedestrian street. At Place des Tilleuls, turn right towards Grand Serre. Here, take the red and whiteGR® trail, which is shared with theGRP® Tour du Pays de Dieulefit.
Take the first left, then left again onto the road that climbs uphill. Continue to Le Grand Serre.

(1) Turn right towards Comps. When you reach the houses, follow the red and white markings. Continue until you reach the crossroads at Le Parol.

(2) Turn right towards Comps. Stay on theGR® and, when the path splits into three, take the right-hand path and go through the gate. You will reach Comps.

(3) Go straight up to the church for the view and history of the site.

(4) Descend by the same route to return to the previous crossroads.

(3) Turn right towards the Col de la Pousterle. Leave theGR® here and follow the yellow markings.
At the Serre map, turn left towards the Col de Pousterle. After about 100 metres, the path climbs steeply to reach the Col de la Pousterle.

(5) Continue straight ahead, climbing slightly towards Dieulefit. At the bend, start the very steep descent. You will arrive at the Gournier bridge with the Jabron on your right.

(6) Go up the forest road on the left.
Once you reach the road, continue for about 50 metres and take the path that descends to the left. Follow the stream for 200 metres, cross it and turn right, ignoring the path that climbs to the left.
You will arrive at the Magnan crossroads.

(7) Continue straight ahead towards Dieulefit. You will reach the Grand Serre crossroads.

(1) Turn right and follow the same route as on the way there until you reach the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 386 m - Car park at Dieulefit church
  2. 1 : km 0.75 - alt. 450 m - Grand Serre
  3. 2 : km 1.99 - alt. 541 m - Le Parol
  4. 3 : km 4.78 - alt. 628 m - Comps
  5. 4 : km 4.97 - alt. 652 m - Church of Comps
  6. 5 : km 6.66 - alt. 838 m - Col de la Pousterle (851m)
  7. 6 : km 8.54 - alt. 432 m - Gournier bridge. On the right, the - Jabron (rivière) - Affluent du Rhône
  8. 7 : km 9.51 - alt. 484 m - Magnan crossroads
  9. S/E : km 11.12 - alt. 385 m - Car park at Dieulefit church

Notes

No difficulties apart from the very steep 1-kilometre climb from Plan de Serre to the Col de la Pousterle.
No water sources along the route.

Worth a visit

Dieulefit.
Comps Church and the honey farm at the foot of the hill.
The old village of Le Poët Laval.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 33 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Clacsap
Clacsap
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route. The first part, towards Comps Church, is easy. Things get more complicated on the way back: between points 4 and 5, as already mentioned, do not follow the GPS route, which has become impassable, but rather the yellow PR markings.
The climb up the Col de la Pousterle is very steep and quite long, but it is accessible to anyone with a minimum of experience. The view at the top is well worth the effort.
The descent, on the other hand, is very physically demanding: 1.3 km with a constant gradient of over 30% on unstable scree, sometimes covered with leaves. This section alone makes the hike difficult.
Apart from this section, which is the least pleasant part of the circuit, it is a truly beautiful route, offering an impressive variety of landscapes. Thank you for this route.

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PEYRIN
PEYRIN

Alain.
A beautiful hike, a very beautiful church with stunning views of the grand loop. Good route mapping. Thank you, Visorando.

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BEA38160
BEA38160

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The church in COMPS is worth a visit. The descent from the Col de la Pousterle to Dieulefit is very rough, stony and not much fun at all. However, some pretty sections through the woods and a beautiful view of the pass make it a pleasant walk nonetheless

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catche
catche

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice route... The climb to the Cousperle Pass is easy... The ridge trail is interesting with beautiful views...
The descent is indeed very long and requires a lot of attention.
After the church, we followed the yellow trail all the way.

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Sébastien Castellion
Sébastien Castellion

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

From Dieulefit to Comps, the hiking trails are pleasant. The climb up to the Col de La Pousterle is difficult and the descent is arduous on very stony paths. But it is a very beautiful hike.

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marseille2
marseille2

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The descent from the Col de la Pousterle to Dieulefit is very steep and can therefore be difficult (two walking sticks are very useful).

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PANPI64
PANPI64

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on Sunday, 23 January 2022. Bright sunshine and -4 degrees at the start.
The GPS route is incorrect between points 3 and 5. After leaving the GR9, follow only the yellow PR trail markers, not the GPS route. This route cannot be followed. Work to widen the main trail has altered the original route.
There is a steep climb for 1 km towards the Col de la Pousterle, followed by a steep (30%) and stony descent (2 km).
Good physical condition is required.

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Jean Luc Ravenne
Jean Luc Ravenne

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

It is better to do the 'walk' in the opposite direction (and leave from Serre, towards the bridge).

The only interesting parts of this route are the lower section (a superb forest crossing), the ridge and the long return crossing.
The climb is extremely steep and rocky and offers nothing of interest. As for the descent, it is just as rocky and just as difficult.

The car park indicated on the route is incorrect (aim for the Reformed Church, or better still, the market square/Champ de Mars)
The church is beautiful.

The welcome and information provided by the tourist office are outstanding in every way.
10/10...

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Agnès Marguerite
Agnès Marguerite

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike to the Pousterle Pass. Beautiful scenery, lovely church in Comps, nice climb up to the pass.

Be careful on the long, steep and very stony descent from the pass to the bridge, which is about 2 km with no flat sections.

The return from the bridge to Dieulefit follows a small stream, which is very pleasant.

Thank you for sharing this hike.

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Pbubu
Pbubu

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, reliable route, magnificent chapel, superb views, but best done in the opposite direction, as previous reviews have mentioned.
Thanks, friends, for the useful information.
The climb is steep but the descent is much easier and without too many rocks.

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gpg
gpg

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

From Dieulefit to Comps church, there are three possible routes to take in whichever direction you wish. Whichever route you choose, the views are superb and varied.

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isabelle voituret
isabelle voituret

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

the guidebook is accurate; the climb up Mont-Rachat is pleasant and relatively easy; the chapel at Comp is worth a visit. From Mont-Rachat, the return route is almost a single straight descent through the forest; it is a stony path with a steep gradient, making it very unpleasant. If I do this walk again, I will do it in the opposite direction.

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gfeller
gfeller

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in the opposite direction to the description as recommended (thanks for the advice). I can confirm that the long descent to point 6 must be difficult, whereas the steep climb is not slippery.

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sbacconnier
sbacconnier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike... I followed the advice and took the route clockwise... Very good choice: steep climb but shaded and much easier descent without too many rocks.

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gerelise
gerelise
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

just a bit of hesitation finding the start, as the lime tree square was being renovated and the church square was full...
with the beautiful weather, the view was magnificent, and the climb was easy, but the descent was a bit long when your knees hurt!
bring walking sticks
not to be done in very hot weather

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