Coucouron circular

When it gets too hot in southern Ardèche, hiking in fine weather on the Ardèche plateau can be a good idea. This circular loop starting from a local centre mostly follows farm tracks or small roads, with beautiful views of the volcanic knolls in places.

Details

2132022
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.35 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 320 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 321 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,274 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,106 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park near the roundabout on the Coucouron fire station square.

(S/E) Cross the square towards the south to reach Rue Philippot, which passes to the left of a sports field, then a cheese dairy (goat's milk) (yellow and white markings). After a waste collection centre, leave the street for a path on the right that leads to a T-junction.

(1) The route joins theGR® de Pays Tour de la Montagne Ardéchoise (red and yellow markings). Take this path on the left. Cross the D16 and continue straight on along the small road to the hamlet of Montlaur.

(2) Towards the end of the hamlet, continue to follow theGR® de Pays, which takes the street on the left and then continues eastwards along a wide path. Short sections of roads, paths and then trails lead to Moulin Courbet.

(3) Continue along the small road that leads to Villeneuve.

(4) Cross the village via the street that climbs up to the D110, follow it to the right, then take the first street on the left, uphill.

(5) When you reach the forest on the plateau, take the path on the left, leaving theGR® de Pays (look for yellow and white markings). You will arrive at a crossroads with several routes and the D16.

(6) Take the small road furthest to the right, cross Le Monteil, then at Le Pièbre take the D16 briefly on the left, then follow the small road on the right. At another crossroads, take the path opposite which descends in a hairpin bend to an old bridge over the Langougnole (already encountered at Moulin Courbet).

(7) Climb back up to the hamlet of Maison Seule. Take the road on the right.

(8) Turn right again at the crossroads and follow the forest road to the next crossroads.

(9) Turn left and gradually leave the forest for an agricultural area. Keep to the left heading south, pass the Croix de la Téoule, return to Coucouron and, following the village streets in the same general direction, return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,159 m - Place des Pompiers
  2. 1 : km 1.2 - alt. 1,198 m - Crossroads with the GR de Pays
  3. 2 : km 1.99 - alt. 1,244 m - Montlaur
  4. 3 : km 5.75 - alt. 1,133 m - Courbet Mill
  5. 4 : km 6.9 - alt. 1,171 m - Villeneuve
  6. 5 : km 7.37 - alt. 1,216 m - Fork to the left
  7. 6 : km 8.58 - alt. 1,163 m - D16
  8. 7 : km 10.6 - alt. 1,106 m - Bridge over the - Langougnole (cours d'eau) - Affluent de la Loire
  9. 8 : km 11.66 - alt. 1,171 m - Maison Seule
  10. 9 : km 12.71 - alt. 1,193 m - Forest road
  11. S/E : km 14.34 - alt. 1,159 m - Place des Pompiers

Notes

The terrain is easy, but in some places it is stony or wet, so good hiking boots are always preferable.

All shops are open in Coucouron during business hours, but there is little else elsewhere...

There are many possible variations to this route, which are easy to spot on the map, either to extend it (passing by the lake) or to shorten it (it is possible to cut across at various points, depending on your interests).

Worth a visit

At points along the route offering a wide view to the north-east, you can see the various nearby volcanic knolls: Mont Mézenc and Mont Gerbier de Joncs (the best known), but also Le Sépoux and Suc de Montfol, for example.
After the (2) and the hamlet of Montlaur, on the straight stretch, at an intersection and on the right-hand side of the path, an orientation table allows you to identify all the peaks in this chain of knolls.

At Moulin Courbet, in addition to the nearby facilities, old water supply lines can still be seen to the east.

In Villeneuve, there is a magnificent Renaissance-style building.

Several wash houses are marked on the IGN map.

The agricultural landscape is well worth exploring. Winters can be harsh.

Cheese dairies (goat, sheep, cow) nearby.

In summer, when the weather is fine, you can swim in the nearby lake.

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

4.6 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 6635999

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

It is essential to follow Visorando's directions, otherwise you will get lost. A superb, varied walk.

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JLParroutel
JLParroutel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2025
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 walk with very clear views, slightly marred by a thick haze (smoke from Canada at high altitude).

The path down to point 7 (old bridge over the Langougnole) is very steep and has been badly eroded by recent storms (and motorbikes?). We took great care with our ankles.

The tracks on either side of the Maison Seule farm were cut by deep ruts filled with muddy water on the day we passed through (there had been a storm the day before). We had to climb the embankments several times to get around them. To be politically correct, we'll say that the farmer has a tractor that's too heavy.

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boninmi
boninmi

Hello ALEX84100,

Signposting is not the responsibility of Visorando, but more often than not of the local authority.
Hence the importance of a description.

Kind regards.

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ALEX84100
ALEX84100

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike with superb views, not monotonous.

Apart from the section leading to the farm, the markers (yellow and white) are rather old and could do with being repainted. It would be good to add some more in a few places.
An easy and pleasant route, even in hot weather.
Thank you for this hiking suggestion.

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Kwiss07
Kwiss07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

No particular difficulty for this circular, beautiful views and little elevation gain. Thank you for this suggestion.

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Didier C.
Didier C.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A fairly easy route to follow. The paths are not chaotic. There are clear views of the surrounding peaks: Mezenc, Gerbien de Jonc...
Sixty metres after point 7, I made a mistake because the app's map did not show all the paths. So you have to take the path that goes uphill and not the easy one that goes straight ahead. :-)
Thank you for suggesting this circular.

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GillesRenée
GillesRenée

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2023
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 with stunning views.
We encountered foxes and deer along the way. Perfect.

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bddp
bddp

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, a little less wooded than the ones we usually do, with paths often winding along meadows, but very pleasant nonetheless, with some beautiful views. We were lucky enough to see quite a few animals (hares, deer, foxes).

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leontia
leontia

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Unfortunately, this hike was done in overcast and foggy weather, so I cannot judge the scenery.
The route is not particularly difficult
to be repeated on a sunny day.

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ti65teuf23
ti65teuf23

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

:A very pleasant route, with beautiful views of the Estables and Béage mountains, lots of flowers; suitable for families as it is not difficult.

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randoaverose
randoaverose

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant circular, no particular difficulties, superb views, thanks to the farmers and breeders for these beautiful agricultural landscapes.
This was our first time using Visorando and it was perfect from start to finish.
Well done and see you soon.

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Raoul d' autuche
Raoul d' autuche

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

You can start from the lake and follow the GR trail to point 1, where you will find the downloaded Coucouron Circular route. Towards the end, follow the Villeverte trail (yellow and white) instead of returning to Coucouron + 4.5 kilometres to arrive at the lake on the dam side at the end of the walk. Excellent swimming to recover if the weather permits.

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