Lovely circuit under the Préaux

Easy walk, 2/3 in the shade and 1/3 with beautiful views over the vast Drac valley and surrounding mountains.

Details

45708115
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.96 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 206 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 206 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,173 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,018 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start: Departure is from the Brudour hamlet car park.

(S/E) Start by walking down through the hamlet towards the torrent, then cross the bridge and head uphill (to the right) through a beech forest.

(1) At the junction, turn left onto the path that runs alongside the torrent. Continue until you reach a fork in the road with a hairpin right.

(2) Turn right onto a wider path heading south and continue uphill, quietly and in the shade, to the highest point of this walk. You've done the hard part, now take a breather on the bench and enjoy the view.

(3) Continue towards Les Préaux on a long, pleasant descent. At the "La Goutoune" signpost, head for Col des Festreaux.

(4) At the pass, cross carefully the road and continue on the path opposite. This is a grazing area, so be sure to close the gate behind you. The path climbs a little, then enters a fairly dense beech forest, then descends steadily. Reach the crossroads with the "L'Aubérie" sign at the end of a steep descent.

(5) Fork right, direction "Les Reculas"; avoid the forks marked with crosses, and quickly reach this hamlet (where there is a spring and a fountain). From here, turn left onto the main road and follow it downhill for approx. 400 m.

(6) (you can also continue along the road, and reach Le Brudour on asphalt: it's the same distance with one less steep climb, but without the shade of the trees).
Following the suggested route, turn right at the signpost to "Les Préaux - 5.1 km" and climb the path, which is a little steep at first (again avoiding the cross-marked junctions), until you reach the initial junction.

(1) Turn left and return to the Brudour car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,056 m - Le Brudour hamlet
  2. 1 : km 0.24 - alt. 1,057 m - Crossing the loop
  3. 2 : km 0.72 - alt. 1,109 m - Hairpin junction
  4. 3 : km 1.77 - alt. 1,172 m - Crossing with post (Blachette)
  5. 4 : km 3.07 - alt. 1,105 m - Col des Festreaux
  6. 5 : km 4.73 - alt. 1,020 m - Crossing with post (L'Aubérie)
  7. 6 : km 6.27 - alt. 1,025 m - Signpost (Courdague?)
  8. S/E : km 6.96 - alt. 1,056 m - Le Brudour hamlet

Notes

Start & Parking: Departure is from the Brudour hamlet car park.

Note: Can be done either direction, most of the climb will be in the shade anyway.
The spring at the hamlet of Reculas is nice and cool.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 19074597

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It took us a while to find the starting point in the village. By listening to the Tore, we finally got going in the right direction. A beautiful hike in sheltered conditions, with no sun but rain (and thunderstorms). Superb views of the mountains and countryside. We got a little lost coming out of the woods and had trouble finding the right direction (perhaps because of the rain).

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Wanderer du Gard
Wanderer du Gard ★
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A lovely easy hike for all the family. I did it in the opposite direction, without any problems. Be careful between points 4 and 5, especially if you're hiking with a dog, as the cattle are very close to the path!

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Pierre-11
Pierre-11

Top 👍

Yes, there is a solid pedestrian bridge. I thought I'd taken a photo of it but I didn't.

Plus on the walls of one of the houses between the car park and the bridge, there are some photos and text about the history of the hamlet and its inhabitants.

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lemarcheur65
lemarcheur65 ★

Hello jaz69
Thank you for your response

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jaz69
jaz69
• Edited:

Thank you Pierre-11 for the suggestion - modified route starting from the hamlet of Burdour (I didn't know there was a bridge)

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lemarcheur65
lemarcheur65 ★

Hello Pierre-11
Message sent to the author to change the start/finish point.

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Pierre-11
Pierre-11
• Edited:

It's a nice walk with some beautiful views. However, you should not go to the recommended starting point as it is impossible to park without getting in the way.

You need to set off from the hamlet of Brudour (between markers 1 & 2) where a car park is available. From there, cross the stream on the bridge and return to the hiking route.

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Le champsaurin
Le champsaurin

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This hike is best done in early summer, when the flowers are abundant. A real botanical trail.

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