The church and castle ruins in the Old Village of Soyans

A family walk, starting from the Roubion valley, to discover the old village of Soyans, dominated by the Romanesque church of Saint-Marcel and the castle ruins.
Perched on the edge of the cliff, you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of the Roubion Valley, the Saoû Forest to the north and the Couspeau Mountain to the east.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 2.55 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 162 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 158 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 409 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 282 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Depart from the D136 road between Pont de Barret and Saoû. Park on the right, just before the tunnel, in the direction of Saoû, after the D128 road junction.

(S/E) Take the path that climbs between the road and the tunnel. Follow it for a few metres, then turn left at the junction on the uphill side. The path passes over the road tunnel through a lawn, then continues on the left at the entrance to the woods. Pass the ridge by turning right and join the road. Follow it uphill to reach the village exit.

(1) Turn right, follow Rue de la Calade, pass under the fortified gate and continue along the paved slanting street that leads to Saint-Marcel Church on its rocky spur.
Go around the church on the right, along the edge of the cliff, and reach the castle ruins. Follow the path that goes around the bottom of the castle and arrive at the main entrance.

(2) Make a round trip to the top of the ridge to enjoy a beautiful view of the ruins and the Roubion valley.
Back at the main entrance to the castle, continue straight ahead along the path that leads to the exit of the old village.

(1) Take the same road you took on the way there, which descends, join the path and return to the tunnel entrance via the same route (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 282 m - Just before the tunnel on the D136, near the - Roubion (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.81 - alt. 356 m - Old village of Soyans
  3. 2 : km 1.29 - alt. 400 m - Main entrance to the castle ruins
  4. S/E : km 2.55 - alt. 282 m - Tunnel entrance, west side

Notes

Following your comments, the route was modified on 20 June 2018 to avoid the small path blocked by a rope.

The castle ruins are closed to the public for safety reasons (municipal decree). As a result, we simply walk around them.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 20 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 18584034

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

What a beautiful and easy walk!
Beautiful views, beautiful colours, several points of interest: castle, church, old village.
A wonderful discovery!

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SophieV
SophieV

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, easy to follow thanks to the clear explanations provided. Beautiful view from between the church and the castle ruins.

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Xav26D
Xav26D

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk. Definitely worth doing as this route is very interesting (church, castle, superb views, etc.)
If you have lively children with you, take care near the cliff by the church.
At point 2, you can reach the village car park by taking the ridge path or the path that passes by the climbing site.

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jpvls
jpvls

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant family walk.
For such a short route, there are many beautiful views to enjoy:
st Marcel Church and the magnificent castle perched on a rocky outcrop, a stunning panorama
of the Roubion valley, which is best visited at the end of June to see and smell the lavender...
...Not to mention the magnificent village of Soyans. And to top it all off, we were able to cool off in the
Roubion river, which flows just below the car park.
Thank you for sharing this with us

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Jessichou
Jessichou

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice family hike, we did it with our children (aged 5 and 10). Lovely views. Routes not very well signposted (only from the car park)

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saint victor
saint victor

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short route that allows you to visit this small village. No difficulty.

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randoSL
randoSL

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Done on 22/12/2022
Nice, especially with children: short, not difficult, with the castle at the end.
The river below extends the outing.
In the woods, take the path that goes down to the left to reach the road (at the start on the right, the authorities have put up a "barrier" made of cut wood).

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Denis26
Denis26 ★

I am very sorry for this disappointment. Last February, it still seemed feasible.
I'll go and take a look sometime.

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Yves MAGNOLON
Yves MAGNOLON

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

No markings along the entire route this Sunday, 30 May 2021! The trail has not been weeded for a long time! Probable reasons: the pandemic?

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parastat
parastat

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Pleasant and easy

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Tristan Corbel
Tristan Corbel
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful views, an old village to explore and an easy hike – definitely worth doing!
We took a slight detour on the way back to avoid retracing our steps, but this meant walking along the road!

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ludosim26
ludosim26

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great hike, very easy, even with two children aged 5 and 7. Arriving in the old village of Soyans is a wonderful reward!
We did the hike in rainy weather, but there was no real risk of slipping.

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cbf
cbf

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 05, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

quite short and with magnificent views: not to be missed

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fannette
fannette

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A short hike accessible to all, through the woods, offering beautiful views of the meandering Roubion river, the forest and Couspeau mountain at the end.
After the hike, we recommend cooling off in the waters of the Roubion, right at the start of the circuit.

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Denis26
Denis26 ★

Following your comments, I have just changed the route to avoid the small path blocked by a rope.

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