The Pilgrim 2

de fr

Offering a magnificent overview of the landscapes of the Causses du Quercy Regional Natural Park around Rocamadour, this hike takes you into a breathtaking site at the heart of a thousand-year-old pilgrimage dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a major Christian site since the Middle Ages and classified as a Grand Site d'Exception in the Midi-Pyrénées region.
This hike partly follows the previously published hike 1: see link in Practical Information. It is slightly shorter and has a lower elevation gain.

Details

n°777912
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.92 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 787 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 787 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 873 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 397 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Rocamadour (46500)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 44.79986° / E 1.6162°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2136ET, 2137E, 2137O
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Photos

View of the Alzou valley
Notre Dame d'Ovalie Chapel
End of the Way of the Cross
The Miraculous Chapel

Description of the walk

Departure from the Château de Rocamadour car park.

(S/E) At the far end of the car park, take the path heading south for about 100 metres and then continue west.

(1) About 50 metres after an old transformer, do not continue along the path, but take the trail that descends to the left (signposted "Sanctuaires"). At the next fork, turn right and stay on the hillside (do not go down towards the valley). Then head west, overlooking the Alzou Canyon. Do not forget to close the sheep gate at the Hermit's house. After 1.3 km, close the second sheep gate.

(2) Cross the D673 road and continue straight ahead through the Rocamadour vineyards. The origins of this vineyard date back to the Roman era, when our hillsides already offered favourable conditions for the production of high-quality wine that was renowned beyond the region's borders. Continue to the hamlet of La Fage. Cross it and continue straight on along the path that descends towards the valley.

(3) 400 metres from La Fage, take the first path on the left. Descend to the D673 road, cross it and find the path on the left that continues downhill. Join the Alzou stream

(4) Do not turn right, but take the path on the left to the ford. Cross the stream (which is dry for 10 months of the year) and continue straight ahead towards the south. This path, in the undergrowth, runs alongside small green meadows before climbing up the arid pass of "La Croix de Crouzol"

(5). La Croix de Crouzol is a calvary decorated with a spire and a shell, signs that you are on the right path to Le Puy-en-Velay, Rocamadour and Santiago de Compostela. Head straight ahead and descend once more towards the Alzou valley. Cross the stream via the bridge 500 metres further on. Continue along this same path until you reach the tarmac road.

(6) At the crossroads, take the small road that climbs to the left to reach the first fortified gate of the Marian City 600 m higher up.

(7) Continue for another 150 metres and enter through the Grande Porte des Sanctuaires.
Here, make way for religion, remembrance and culture.
Leave the forecourt via the pedestrian tunnel lined with hundreds of ex-votos bearing witness to the various graces received in this sanctuary. Head back up to the castle car park via the Way of the Cross, which winds its way up to your left (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 850 ft - Castle car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.16 - alt. 817 ft - Goat path on the left
  3. 2 : mi 0.82 - alt. 846 ft - Rocamadour vineyard
  4. 3 : mi 1.59 - alt. 774 ft - On the left
  5. 4 : mi 2.15 - alt. 407 ft - To the left. Vallée de l' - Alzou (rivière)
  6. 5 : mi 2.87 - alt. 541 ft - Calvaire - Croix du Crouzol (Rocamadour)
  7. 6 : mi 4.16 - alt. 443 ft - On the left
  8. 7 : mi 4.68 - alt. 633 ft - Basilique Saint-Sauveur (Rocamadour)
  9. S/E : mi 4.92 - alt. 850 ft - Castle car park

Notes

A hike of less than 3 hours, suitable for everyone. However, please take the minimum hiking equipment with you: good shoes, drinks (there are no drinking water sources), cereal bars and dried fruit, poncho, hat, etc.
Map, binoculars, compass.
First aid kit.
The pilgrim's hike 1

Worth a visit

Rocamadour is a major tourist attraction and an important Christian pilgrimage site.
Nearby are the Lacave caves, the Gouffre de Padirac, and Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, a medieval village located about 50 kilometres further south.
Closer by and more appealing to food lovers (1 km) is the Ferme des Campagnes. Here you will find farm produce: foie gras, confits, smoked duck breast, ready meals and, above all, Pays du Lot Rouge and Rosé wines, produced entirely in Rocamadour.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 27 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
mikadaube
mikadaube

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Make sure you take the goat track on the left. It’s easy to miss. The stream was dry and the walk back to Rocamadour wasn’t great (the road was in full sun). Not the most scenic walk in the area.

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LesDeuxLoulous
LesDeuxLoulous

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Starting at Rocamadour Castle, we began with the Causses du Quercy... magnificent... and ended with the village... spectacular. No major difficulties. Done with two dogs weighing 10 and 20 kg.
We made one change right at the end so that we could see the whole village: arriving through the first gate, we went to visit the sanctuaries first (climb the grand staircase on your left), then took the rampart walk to the right to find ourselves in front of the grand staircase, which this time leads down to the high street. At the end of this street there is a second entrance gate to the town and, on your left, some hidden steps (in front of the Quercygnac); you must climb these. This will take you to the Esplanade Monseigneur Grimadias, from where you can follow the Way of the Cross up to the castle.

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User 21356095

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

On 7 December 2025, we were alone, it was a very beautiful route, just the surprise of crossing the river, which was not dry.

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zazou44
zazou44

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very pretty paths, a wide variety of landscapes and beautiful views.

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herguedevouille
herguedevouille

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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Fred Chaumont
Fred Chaumont

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did the Pilgrim 1 a few years ago...
The second one is also good
Beautiful scenery
Pleasant hike
Superb weather in September...

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fonsegrives
fonsegrives

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

to cross the small stream, we had to take off our shoes

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agfa
agfa

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nothing to report

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noussette
noussette

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Nice walk around Rocamadour, but not particularly interesting, lots of undergrowth and pretty paths like everywhere else, no special views or local attractions, which is a shame...

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Celineetfrederic
Celineetfrederic

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We enjoyed this walk, which is a lighter version of the pilgrim's hike 1.
At the Crouzol cross, I would have said "Turn left" on the path rather than "Go straight ahead", but otherwise there were no particular problems.
Thank you for sharing

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michel12081956
michel12081956

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike, GPS is essential for navigation.

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François_Valence
François_Valence

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely loop passing through Rocamadour. Bonus: when it's dry, you can walk part of the way along the bed of the Alzou river.

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Petrouchka
Petrouchka

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We were enchanted by this journey, which offers magnificent and breathtaking views of the Rocamadour valley. The wide variety of paths makes for a pleasant walk despite the dry Alzou river.

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schwendener
schwendener

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with beautiful views of the Alzou Valley.
It's a shame that the stream is dry.
This route could be classified as moderately difficult rather than easy due to the steep climb at the end.
The descent towards the Alzou is also quite steep.

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Rando-St-Marc
Rando-St-Marc

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful walk with good signposting. No problems with orientation.
The starting point requires a little searching
The route currently indicated in Rocamadour has been modified due to traffic restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus

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