Estrablin - Pont-Évêque - Septème

This walk alternates between wide-open views of the surrounding valleys and distant mountain ranges (Monts du Lyonnais, Pilat, Alps) and pretty, fairly hilly sections in the forest.
This hike can be shortened at various points, see the box "During the hike or nearby".

Details

1007528
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.79 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 276 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 277 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 351 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 220 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The route starts in the village of Estrablin.
To get to the start: at the crossroads in the centre of the village of Estrablin, take the road up to the church, leave the village and continue along the same road for 1.5 km. When the road bends to the left and then to the right, stop between the two bends to park on the left-hand side of the road (there is space for several vehicles).

(S/E) Continue along the road for about ten metres and turn left onto a small paved dead-end road. The road quickly turns into a grassy path, which you should follow. At the end of the path, when you reach the road, turn right and climb up to the junction with the Route des Ecuyers at the top of the hill.

(1) Continue straight ahead on the road called Chemin du Château de l'Aye. At the end of this road, you will reach a hamlet of a few houses surrounded by tall fir trees. Note the beautiful old house on the right.

(2) At the end of the road, continue along the wide path on the left, which descends. Stay on the main path (straight ahead), which is sometimes quite steep.

As you reach the bottom, the path narrows and a rut has formed due to runoff. At the bottom, turn right towards a beautiful clump of bamboo. About twenty metres after the bamboo, take the wide path on the right that climbs slightly. At the end of the path, you will reach a small tarmac road. Take this road on the left. After 350 to 400 metres, pass a crossroads at a place called Malatëte. Continue on the road opposite, which curves slightly and then climbs quite steeply for about a hundred metres.

(3) At the top of this small steep hill, continue straight ahead, passing the access to a place called Le Palais and continuing along the main road on the right. Continue for 350 metres.
When the road turns sharply left (after a 50 km/h speed limit sign), take the grassy path that continues straight ahead, called Chemin de Saint Étienne de Subtuer. At the end, the path turns into a small tarmac road with houses on the left.

After 80 metres, the road turns left, then 30 metres further on, it joins another slightly larger road, Rue des Petits Potaches.
Turn right onto it towards Septème and follow it to the second crossroads.

(4) Turn right onto Chemin des Chevreuils. Immediately, the road turns into a wide, uphill path, bordered on the right by tuffeau outcrops. Walk past the houses of La Collonière and continue uphill, keeping to the main path in the forest. Towards the top, the path becomes almost flat and a little narrower, between the edge of the woods on the right and pastures on the left, for about 250 metres, then climbs one last time. At the end of the path, join a wide forest path.

(5) Take it to the right. Stay on this path, ignoring all the turnings to the right and left, and after a steep descent you will reach a crossroads at the power line on the edge of a clearing

(6) Turn onto the path on the far left (not the one for the archery target), which climbs gently at first, then more steeply. 500 metres after the start of the climb, you will reach a crossroads where the path splits in two.

(7) Turn right onto the yellow-markedPR® path towards Septème, Moidieu-Détourbe and Chapulet. The path descends with a central rut, then, after an almost flat section, descends steeply. It splits into several parts, all of which rejoin further down. The path furthest to the right is the least difficult. At the bottom of the path, cross a dry ditch (in normal conditions). The path climbs up opposite, quite steeply at first, through pleasant undergrowth, then joins a small road.

(8) Turn left and follow it for about 100 metres. Then turn right onto the small road called Chemin de Damary. After 150 metres, at a place called Damary, take the grassy path on the left that goes straight towards the forest. Just before entering the forest, you will see a beautiful dead tree on the left.

(9) After 350 metres in the forest, turn right at the first path at a right angle, at a large tree marked Oytier in orange paint. Follow this path to the edge of the woods. Join a small road at the edge and follow it to the right for 250 metres.

(10) Take the wide path on the left. Follow it until you reach a small tarmac road leading to the houses of Gonnon. Turn left to begin the descent. Continue straight ahead along this small tarmac road, which offers beautiful views of the valley opposite. After 1,400 metres, the road turns into a path. Follow it for 500 metres. When you reach a small road, Chemin de la Pinaye, take it slightly to the right to descend. At the bottom of Chemin de la Pinaye, you will arrive at Route du Badoit.

(11) Turn right onto this road and, just after the gate of house number 517, turn left onto the grassy path that climbs slightly. Follow this path until you reach the road, Chemin de la Bardinière. Turn right, pass Les Matives and you will soon reach the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 293 m - Chemin de la Bardinière
  2. 1 : km 1 - alt. 321 m - Route des Ecuyers
  3. 2 : km 1.41 - alt. 324 m - Left path
  4. 3 : km 2.94 - alt. 239 m - Chemin du Devey
  5. 4 : km 4.27 - alt. 228 m - Rue des Petits Potaches
  6. 5 : km 5.15 - alt. 311 m - Forest path
  7. 6 : km 5.95 - alt. 271 m - Edge of the woods at the bottom of the steep descent
  8. 7 : km 6.42 - alt. 296 m - PR junction
  9. 8 : km 7.37 - alt. 305 m - Route de la Vialière
  10. 9 : km 8.3 - alt. 347 m - Junction, on the right
  11. 10 : km 8.91 - alt. 346 m - Leave the Route des Écuyers, path on the left
  12. 11 : km 11.68 - alt. 239 m - Route du Badoit
  13. S/E : km 12.79 - alt. 293 m - Chemin de la Bardinière

Notes

Wear good walking shoes (or good trainers) because of the fairly steep sections, both uphill and downhill, which can be slippery in wet weather.
There are no water points along the route. The nearest water point is at the start of Route de la Vialière, near a forest hut in the Chapulet woods.

Worth a visit

There are two possible shortcuts during the hike (these shortcuts can be useful for managing a mixed group during a group hike, for example):

First shortcut:

(After) 5 (Take the first path on the left, which descends slightly and after 150m, leads directly to) 7::. Turn left onto the short hiking trail towards Septème, Moidieu-Détourbe, Chapulet.
This shortcut avoids a fairly steep descent and an ascent (which is quite pleasant), saving you about 850 m.

Second shortcut:

(3) At the top of the short hill on the road (Chemin du Palais), take the small road on the right called Chemin du Devey. You will arrive at a farm. There, take the grassy path on the left that leads straight to the forest.
You will arrive at the edge of the woods, in a sort of clearing (6). Take the path on the right that climbs slightly.
This shortcut joins the (7) and cuts off a little over 2 km, as well as a good (but beautiful) climb and a slightly steep descent.

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 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
User 27586048

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

The path does not pass through Septeme Castle and was of moderate interest
The last kilometre was excruciating because it was at the bottom of a ravine on an unfrequented path overgrown with brambles and nettles
We had to climb the embankment and make our way through a hedge of blackthorn

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Mamiyoda
Mamiyoda

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The only negative point is the location of the departure point. It was impossible to find parking.

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gilbert.agnes@orange.fr
gilbert.agnes@orange.fr

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

sometimes you should say when you're entering or leaving the marker, but apart from that, it's not bad

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Lerenard
Lerenard

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Good hike, pleasant, few cars on the route, I enjoyed it

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Nad 69
Nad 69

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike in good weather. Done on 18 March, with the ground covered in periwinkle and white Sylvie anemones. However, in the early afternoon, there were lots of planes flying overhead, so we were definitely in a flight path. So that was a slight downside to the hike.

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jagger
jagger

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Please note that the end of the trail after point 11 is impassable in shorts (brambles, nettles, etc.). What's more, the exit is difficult to find!
Mike.

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YBoissel
YBoissel

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy walk, close to Vienna but surrounded by nature, through woods and meadows. A few tarmac roads, very little traffic.

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Viennois63
Viennois63

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route with varied landscapes. I did it in addition to the Septème/Bois de Chapulay route, starting at the castle and joining up at point 9. A beautiful day's walk!

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masdelaraz38
masdelaraz38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The arrival/departure point was not easy to find. Apart from this minor hiccup, the directions are clear and precise. The route alternates between woodland and sunny meadows. The encounter with the "dead wood" was a marvel. A very pleasant family walk offering magnificent unobstructed views and splendid buildings.
Thank you to the author.

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Gerard.REYNAUD
Gerard.REYNAUD

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Detour via 6 is unnecessary; take the detour instead.
The path between 9 and 10 is unclear and difficult after snow damage

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brigitte38
brigitte38

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 27, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Easy hike, completed in November 2019. Beautiful scenery, but a lot of tarmac. However, in wet weather, this means you don't get too dirty.

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RAMOND BERNARD
RAMOND BERNARD

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

No problem finding your way, just follow the directions. A lovely walk with lots of flowers at this time of year.

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dani14
dani14

unused

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dani14
dani14

Not yet completed

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alcejuje
alcejuje

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful and easy hike that we did in early February at -2 degrees, so we didn't meet many people :-).
Varied landscapes and far from any houses. Impossible to get lost with the app. Perfect.
Thank you

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