The loop of the Royal Road from Rochecolombe

This history-rich circuit starts at the foot of the old village of Rochecolombe, which you will discover on your return, before reaching Sauveplantade and its Romanesque church and continuing along a section of the Royal Road that linked Villeneuve-de-Berg to Vallon-Pont-d'Arc.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.03 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 527 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 522 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 418 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 190 m

Photos

Description of the walk

To reach the car park below the old village, enter Rochecolombe. At the Info-Rando sign, head towards the cemetery, continue past the cemetery towards Sauveplantade. 100m after crossing the bridge over the stream, enter the car park.

(S/E) Turn your back to the tarmac road and head into a meadow towards the old village, then join the path that descends towards the stream. After 130m in this direction, at the hiking pole, take the path climbing to the left.
Follow the white and yellow markings all the way up the hill.

(1) At the "Lauzière" signpost, continue straight ahead towards Vogüé-Gare, Sauveplantade. At the next signpost, "Léauze", nearby, continue towards Vogüé-Gare, Sauveplantade, turning left.
After 250 metres, in a left-hand bend, follow the signposted path which continues straight ahead downhill.

(2) 400m further on, watch out for the signpost on the left (do not continue straight ahead).
Follow this path for a little over 400 m before reaching a paved road. Cross it and take the Chemin de la Chadenne opposite. Continue along this path, following the signs. Cross the vineyards in the plain

(3) At the "Chade" mast, keep right towards the first houses of Sauveplantade. Follow the paved road to the right, then turn left at the fork to reach the centre of the village.

(4) Pass the Romanesque church (which can be visited and has information panels) and its cemetery. 50 metres further on, take the road on the right which crosses the stream over a bridge.
At the next crossroads, at the "Sauveplantade" hiking signpost, turn right towards Le Pradet.

(5) At the "Pradet" signpost, turn right towards Rochecolombe and Lauzière. At the end of the hamlet, follow the white and yellow signposted path on the left through the heath.
The path becomes a trail and climbs quite steeply under the Serre de la Fourche.

(6) Be sure to follow the signs on the right under the serre when the trees thin out and the trail becomes less steep. The trail becomes a path again with a beautiful view of the valleys on either side.

(7) At the "Palas" mast, turn left towards Villeneuve-de-Berg, Clos de Vernet, on the marked forest path.
Follow the signs to Clos de Vernet and join the Route Royale, a wide dirt track.

(8) At the "Clos de Vernet" signpost, turn right towards Saint-Maurice d'Ibie, Tête de Crespi.

(9) At the "Tête de Crespi" signpost, continue straight ahead on the Route Royale for 500 metres to reach the Montagu crossroads.

(10) At the "Montagu" signpost with an information panel about the Voie Royale and a street sign for the commune of Rochecolombe, turn right and take the road that descends towards Leyris. Follow the white and yellow signs along the road, which offers beautiful views.

(11) Be careful to take the left-hand road, which is signposted, even though the path seems to go straight ahead. Follow these signs until you reach the entrance to the hamlet of Leyris.

(12) At the "Les Clos" mast, turn right towards Rochecolombe.

(13) After 600m on the road, the signposted path descends to the left and runs alongside a stream, which is usually dry.
Cross the stream via a cement crossing and continue along the path opposite towards the village of Rochecolombe. Pass the hiking information sign on a small square at the crossroads.

(14) After the sign, take the paved road on the right that climbs up below the church of Rochecolombe
Follow the white and yellow markings uphill until you reach the ruins of the old village and continue to the platform of the feudal castle (remains of the keep next to the Saint-Barthélémy Chapel).

(15) Then descend towards the carefully restored houses and then towards the river, which you will cross via a bridge before rejoining the starting path (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 198 m - Car park at the foot of the old village
  2. 1 : km 0.95 - alt. 336 m - "Lauzière" hiking pole
  3. 2 : km 1.64 - alt. 258 m - Fork in the road, left
  4. 3 : km 3.23 - alt. 196 m - "Chade" hiking pole, on the right
  5. 4 : km 3.64 - alt. 197 m - Romanesque church
  6. 5 : km 4.2 - alt. 211 m - "Pradet" hiking pole, on the right
  7. 6 : km 5.71 - alt. 334 m - Fork in the road, turn right
  8. 7 : km 6.4 - alt. 373 m - Hiking pole "Le Palas", on the left
  9. 8 : km 7.87 - alt. 417 m - "Clos de Vernet" hiking pole, on the right
  10. 9 : km 10.6 - alt. 386 m - "Tête de Crespi" mast, straight ahead
  11. 10 : km 11.1 - alt. 384 m - Montagu hiking pole, on the right
  12. 11 : km 12.2 - alt. 338 m - Côte 337, road on the left
  13. 12 : km 14.13 - alt. 300 m - Hiking pole "Les Clos", on the right
  14. 13 : km 14.74 - alt. 310 m - Follow the marked path on the left
  15. 14 : km 16.12 - alt. 190 m - "Info Rando" sign
  16. 15 : km 16.62 - alt. 265 m - Keep
  17. S/E : km 17.03 - alt. 198 m - Car park at the foot of the old village

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 22 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
chantalrando
chantalrando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The village and surroundings of Rochecolombe are very interesting, but much of the route is along paths lined with vegetation that blocks the view, making the hike rather monotonous.

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Joël Cheynis
Joël Cheynis

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike on rocky paths. The beautiful village of Rochecolombe is worth visiting

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Pierrelattine
Pierrelattine
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very popular hike at this time of year: freezing temperatures at the start of the trail, but sunny weather and unobstructed views.
Please note that there is construction work going on around the Barthélémy chapel, so access is currently prohibited.
However, you can still admire the waterfall rock (dry) from above.
Retrace your steps to point 14 and take the street to the left of the church in Rochecolombe, which will take you to the entrance to the path for visiting the old village.

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saturninos
saturninos

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk but not to be done in summer (too hot)
Nice views, pretty walls in the countryside

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phil26d
phil26d

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very pleasant hike. Not recommended in hot weather.

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sblanquet
sblanquet

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

An interesting hike passing through Rochecolombe. The route is easy and the hike is relaxing and enjoyable.

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Manel07
Manel07
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Short version around Sauveplantade, 1 hour 45 minutes. When leaving the village, go back up 4-3-1 and then join 7 via the PR (forest road from 3 to 7, beautiful views). The return route 7-6-5 back to the village descends via the fairly steep path described in other comments. It's fantastic in May, with all the flowers!

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Manel07
Manel07
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Short version around Rochecolombe, 1 hour 30 minutes: climb towards point 1 and just before you get there, turn right towards Rochecolombe (yellow-white PR). The crossing of the plateau is pleasant, and the descent to the stream and the return to the top of the old village offer beautiful views of the cliffs and the waterfall (when dry...).

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nfulget
nfulget

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

An interesting hike for the winter months! The pretty village of Rochecolombe.

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Lucien.chatelain
Lucien.chatelain

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hike completed on 4/12/2019
no problems with the description or signposting!
from point 7, the path is long and uninteresting.

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patrick furminieux
patrick furminieux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

a very beautiful hike, almost regal thanks to the extremely passable path, with beautiful views and autumn colours to finish off the tour of the feudal village of Rochecolombe with its chapel.
white and yellow markers throughout the entire circuit.

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jacques.nys
jacques.nys

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We enjoyed a beautiful hike from point (14) to point (7) in beautiful weather, then took a more direct route back to avoid the heat, the long distance and (too many) stony paths.
A superb feudal village clinging to the side of a rock! Well worth a detour.
The setting and church in Sauveplantade are also lovely.
We encountered some aggressive dogs on the way out of Sauveplantade: not a sign of the brave owner
There were a few (3) very steep climbs on the section we covered.
The rating 'very good' for interest obviously only applies to the part we covered.

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mesrandosard
mesrandosard

Hike to point 9 and back to the old village. A very beautiful walk with varied landscapes and superb views. The weather was exceptional for the season and visibility was very clear, a real treat.

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BOURENE
BOURENE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We really enjoyed this varied ride with a few steep hills but no problems and some beautiful views, especially along the balcony sections. However, we found the royal road a bit tedious, so we shortened it with an alternative route that we suggest: at elevation 163 on the royal road, turn right towards Les Tribles (be careful, there are three paths; take the middle one and follow it to the bottom of the valley, elevation 281, turn left until you come to the PR, which you take to the right towards some beautiful cliffs that you follow as closely as possible; the PR will take you back to Rochecolombe with superb views of the old village from above and the exit of the valley with its water sources. This shortens the walk a little to 13 km with an elevation gain of 450 m.

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ganinette
ganinette

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

I found the first 8 kilometres quite difficult with a steep climb, but after that it was fine except towards the end when you had to
climb up to the keep.
Otherwise, the route itself is rather dull, with no views for the most part, as it's mostly in oak woods.
Otherwise, the route is reliable for me; I have a Garmin eTrex 30x GPS.

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