The Moulins circular in Vézac

You are in the Valley of the Five Castles, and the route offers splendid views. Starting at the Ruisseau du Treuil stream, you will skirt the Massif de la Bonnat, where oak, hornbeam and boxwood trees flourish, and discover fountains, wash houses and mills.

Details

53986441
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.82 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 192 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 192 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 202 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 70 m

Description of the walk

Park in the car park of the town hall and school, Place Régis Magnol.

(S/E) Leave the car park on the right and turn left into Rue Soundedouye-Lacoste. Pass Allée Abel Laviale on your right, which leads to the church. At the cross, turn right into Impasse de la Maison Forte. Take the path that goes around the Soulvignac farm and follow the railway line along Chemin des Longes. At Grépoul, turn right to cross the bridge. Continue for 50 metres to the right into Impasse du Temps Libre.

(1) Continue left along Rue Robert Travers. Cross the Ruisseau du Pontou stream, then a secondary branch and finally the hamlet of La Prade. Opposite is the Moulin du Treuil mill, to the left Beynac and its fortress stand proudly on the edge of the cliff, and to the right you can see the Cap de Lion cliff.

(2) At Moulin du Treuil, turn right into Impasse Jean Ferrat. Please note: another route, No. 12, branches off to the left. Pass the petrified waterfall of the Ruisseau du Treuil and take the path on the left. Heading north, it follows the Ruisseau du Treuil. Pass the Fontaine aux Oiseaux and ignore the forest track on the left, turning right instead. Follow the edge of the woods on the left and a vast meadow on the right.

(3) Continue for 200 metres and, at the crossroads, turn diagonally right to climb towards Capfour. From there, the path descends gently to arrive in front of some houses.

(4) Turn left. Cross the Ruisseau du Treuil stream again, then pass under the railway line. Before reaching the main road, Avenue Simone Veil, note the Moulin de l'Évêque mill on your left. Cross with great care as there is poor visibility on the left and walk along the main road on the right for a few dozen metres.

(5) Turn left onto the small road and climb towards Mège. The road makes a sharp left turn and crosses Mège le Haut. Continue along this small road, which becomes a path after the houses. It continues to climb through an oak forest, then turns right to run alongside dry stone walls.

(6) Follow Impasse Arnaud Beltrame to the right. Continue along Rue André Roque as it descends.

(7) Follow the street as it curves to the right and head towards the Beau Repos silos. At the crossroads in front of the silos, continue to the right and walk alongside the houses in Laviguerie.

(8) Cross Avenue Simone Veil (D57) very carefully and continue straight ahead. Cross the level crossing and immediately turn left onto Rue Robert Fouksman. Note the Moulin de Soulignac mill on your right. Continue to the junction you passed on the way there.

(1) Continue straight ahead for a few metres, then turn left and cross the railway bridge. Turn immediately left and follow the track to Soulvignac. Continue along the path you took at the start of the walk to return to the town hall car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 89 m - Place Régis Magnol - Town hall and school car park
  2. 1 : km 0.82 - alt. 74 m - Start of the circular
  3. 2 : km 1.25 - alt. 75 m - Start of the section shared with route No. 12.
  4. 3 : km 2.82 - alt. 117 m - End of section shared with route No. 12.
  5. 4 : km 4.53 - alt. 86 m - Fourche de Sermus
  6. 5 : km 4.8 - alt. 84 m - Departmental road D 57
  7. 6 : km 6.03 - alt. 202 m - View of the Dordogne Valley
  8. 7 : km 6.92 - alt. 112 m - View of Beynac and Castelnaud - Château de la Malartrie
  9. 8 : km 7.38 - alt. 86 m - Avenue Simone Veil (D57)
  10. S/E : km 8.81 - alt. 89 m - Place Régis Magnol - Town hall and school car park

Notes

The route is fully marked according to the PDIPR (Departmental Plan for Walking and Hiking Routes) marking code, namely:
Round wooden posts topped with a yellow cap for routes and a green cap for connecting routes.
- Below this is a yellow bar indicating the direction to follow.

This route is listed as No. 11 in the booklet "Promenades et randonnées en Sarladais" (Walks and hikes in the Sarladais region).

Worth a visit

The Dordogne served as a natural border during the Hundred Years' War between the French and the English. This is why, at each bend in the river, the two enemies built castles on each bank to monitor access and defend themselves in case of attack. The Valley of the Five Castles takes its name from these sites:
- Castenaud Castle, reputed to be impregnable on its rocky outcrop.
- Beynac Castle, one of the largest strongholds in France.
- Milandes Castle, the former home of Josephine Baker, which she completely restored.
- Puy-Martin Castle, the closest to Sarlat-la-Canéda
- Château de Marqueyssac, renowned for its 22 hectares of gardens and 150,000 hand-pruned box trees.

Don't forget the troglodytic sites: Lascaux, La Roque Gageac, etc., as well as the caves and chasms: Padirac and Proumeyssac.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 3696741

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk in the sunshine, well signposted with well-maintained paths.

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User 2459813

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 03, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

pleasant, even in overcast and cold weather... undoubtedly popular, but difficult to say on 31 December!

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User 7900495

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Shaded over a large area. Full of freshness and water on the first section, with an artist's studio to visit in the middle of the woods. A friendly painter who skilfully masters his subject

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User 4981074

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant and varied hike

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User 22866389

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike in July 2025. Don't hesitate to stop at the mills, where you'll meet passionate and fascinating people. Oil mill and flour mill.
Superb hike in the forest, a bit of road too but it's fine.
A hike not to be missed.

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User 13523253

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant walk

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Celineetfrederic
Celineetfrederic

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk with plenty of shade for a hot day.

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Diaouldu
Diaouldu

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A very pleasant short hike on Sunday 16 February in sunny weather.
A varied route, rich in heritage. No difficulties.
The information sheet is very clear. The only minor issue was with the signposting at Mège (5).
And a little too much road on the descent back to Vézac (7)
but before that, the climb through the mossy woods was magnificent.
I have recommended it to friends.
Diaouldu

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ml
ml

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very interesting route, not only for its mills but also for its beautiful Périgord houses, its views of magnificent châteaux, Beynac, Fayrac, Castelnaud, Marqueyssac, and the superb little church in Vézac, which is easily accessible.

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Mumu52800
Mumu52800

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Well-marked trail

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tommy56
tommy56

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Today's route, in mild weather (around 22°C).
A pleasant walk, but nothing more, as there are few sites to discover.
On the other hand, there was a lot of road walking and some particularly dangerous crossings of main roads. (Watch out for children!)
In addition, the car park at the start is too small (3 cars max).
In short: a shame, as there are some beautiful monuments to be seen on the mountainside, but unfortunately the walk does not pass close by...

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