Through forests and vineyards, starting from the Col de Viarès

A pleasant circular walk with magnificent views of the Pre-Alps and the Rhône Valley.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.88 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 200 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 195 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 350 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 221 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Col de Viarès car park, on the left-hand side of the road.

(S/E) Cross the road and head south-west along the path through the vineyards. Continue to the junction with a dirt track.

(1) Turn left onto the path and follow it, ignoring all turnings to the left or right, until you reach the junction marked by the ‘La Montagne’ signpost.

(2) Turn left onto theGR®4, marked in red and white. Walk through the vineyards, then enter the woods and reach the junction at Saint-Didier Chapel.

(3) Turn right to reach the chapel. Return to the crossroads and take theGR®4on the right. Reach Sophie’s hut.

(4) Leave theGR® here and turn right onto the path through the vineyards. This is the Discovery Trail, offering views of the region’s panoramas and vineyards. Then enter Rasteau.

(5) Turn left up the Pied Bresson hill, passing by the cemetery. Then turn right onto the path that descends through the vineyards. Continue along this route, which also forms part of the Botanical Trail. You’ll reach a hairpin bend.

(6) Leave the tarmac road here via the hairpin bend to the right. At the next junction, take the path on the left which climbs alongside the vineyards, then at the crossroads, take the dirt track leading off to the left.

(7) Follow the Botanical Trail to the right, heading north-north-west, up a fairly steep slope. At the junction, after the picnic area, take the path leading off to the right, returning to the crossroads where the Discovery and Botanical trails meet.

(8) Turn left onto the Botanical Trail and, through the vineyards, return to the Col de Viares car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 336 m - Car park - Col de Viares (337m)
  2. 1 : km 0.41 - alt. 336 m - Junction
  3. 2 : km 1.75 - alt. 325 m - La Montagne signpost
  4. 3 : km 3.4 - alt. 280 m - Crossroads at Saint-Didier Chapel
  5. 4 : km 4.18 - alt. 256 m - Sophie’s Hut
  6. 5 : km 5.72 - alt. 235 m - Ascent of Pied Bresson
  7. 6 : km 7.87 - alt. 277 m - Hairpin bend to the right
  8. 7 : km 9.61 - alt. 317 m - Botanical trail
  9. 8 : km 10.14 - alt. 350 m - Crossroads of the botanical and discovery trails
  10. S/E : km 10.88 - alt. 337 m - Col de Viares car park

Notes

A hike of moderate difficulty (a few steep climbs) on wide paths that allow you to enjoy the scenery. Take water and wear good walking shoes in case of bad weather.

Worth a visit

Botanical trails to discover the trees and a vineyard discovery trail. A very beautiful 17th-century chapel along the route.
(5) A visit to Old Rasteau is recommended. See Rasteau Tourist Office

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.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
.domino
.domino

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant and scenic walk through the Rasteau vineyards

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FeedoRando
FeedoRando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

We were in the mood for a long, lovely walk. We certainly got what we were after. The duration is as advertised, and the difficulty is very low.
The scenery and views are fabulous. The paths are pleasant and varied. No trouble at all following the route on the website. Too much tarmac for my liking. Thanks to whoever organised this walk.

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flavat
flavat

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The directions over the phone were a great help in finding our way to a place that wasn’t clearly described in the guide.

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Ouh là là
Ouh là là

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

First of all, a major challenge: finding the starting point. The Col de Viarès isn’t marked on the road map, isn’t listed on Google Maps’ GPS, and isn’t signposted on the ground. What’s more, it seems the GPS coordinates don’t quite match what was shown on my phone.
You realise you’ve passed it when you find yourself heading steeply down towards Rasteau and there’s no other high point before reaching the village.

After that, it’s an unmarked hike, so you have to rely on the mileage indicated in the ‘Waypoints’ section. I didn’t have the right equipment with me to gauge the distance covered; we very certainly went wrong at point 1 as we never found point 2, with its ‘La Montagne’ marker.

So we ended up doing a different walk, also “through forests and vineyards”, which is why I’ve marked “not used” in two of the boxes above.

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CHABABA
CHABABA

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

There were four of us on this walk; I followed the route using GPS for safety’s sake.

The route is very pleasant, with lovely views of the Dentelles and Mont Ventoux.

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michourichard84320
michourichard84320

I didn't go on the hike!

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deprinse
deprinse

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At last, some walks around Rasteau and Cairanne! We did this on a lovely sunny winter’s afternoon; setting off from Rasteau, the views on the way back were magnificent. A point to note when you reach the top of the hill, starting from the Col de Viares car park: the start of the descent is a bit confusing. It’s easier if you stay on the path a little longer (+/- 500m) before turning right to reach the place known as La Montagne Ouest.

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