The Tower of Ville and the Dolmens of Serre Bastel

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This short hike offers beautiful views of the Ardèche plain, from Saint-Sernin to Aubenas. As a bonus, you can search for the remains of dolmens on the Serre Bastel, a treasure hunt that will delight children. On the way back, the trail passes by the Tour de Ville, the remains of a ruined castle that has unfortunately been abandoned.

Details

n°407677
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.74 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 143 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 146 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 329 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 185 m
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Photos

Return at nightfall
karstic cave
serre Bastel dolmen
Saint-Sernin

Description of the walk

The car park is on the right of the N102.

(S/E) Leave the car park via the road that descends towards the hamlet, then turn left onto a road parallel to the N102.

(1) At the dead end sign, take a path on the right. Cross the Combe Chaude stream.

(2) Continue straight ahead (south-southwest) on the path that climbs along the Tour stream.

(3) When you reach the plateau, turn right (south) at the first crossroads.

(4) Ignore a path on the right and continue south-southwest on the path overlooking the Ardèche and the Saint-Sernin plain.

(5) Continue straight ahead (south) for another 250 metres or so.

(6) On a small hill before a right-hand bend, look for a small karstic cave on the left of the road. Leave the road and turn left towards the ridge. There is no path, but you can get through without scratching your legs too much by going around the bushes. Start off heading slightly south to find the first collapsed dolmen. Then head north, zigzagging between the bushes and staying as close to the ridge as possible to discover three more dolmens.

(7) Leave the ridge and head left to quickly find the path you took on the way there.

(5) Follow this path to the right (north).

(4) Take the path on the left that you left on the way there. On the IGN map, this path is only marked for about 100 metres, but it continues along a well-marked trail.

(8) Pass to the right of the ruins of the Tour de Ville and continue down the ridge of the Serre de Ville. After a steep descent, the path ends at a fence.

(9) Turn right and follow the fence along a path that is initially level and then descends towards the Tour stream. Cross the stream to rejoin the path you took on the way there. Take this path on the left.

(1) Follow the road to the left to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 192 m - Car park on the right of the N102
  2. 1 : km 0.47 - alt. 195 m - Start of the trail
  3. 2 : km 0.7 - alt. 202 m - North junction of the large loop
  4. 3 : km 2.04 - alt. 321 m - Path, on the right
  5. 4 : km 2.25 - alt. 327 m - Southern junction of the large loop
  6. 5 : km 2.74 - alt. 313 m - Crossroads of the small loop
  7. 6 : km 3.02 - alt. 314 m - Small karstic cave
  8. 7 : km 3.43 - alt. 319 m - Fork in the road
  9. 8 : km 5.3 - alt. 272 m - The Tower of Ville
  10. 9 : km 5.76 - alt. 216 m - Fence
  11. S/E : km 6.74 - alt. 191 m - Car park on the right of the N102

Notes

Update - May 2024: Part of this hike crosses an area that was burned in the July 2022 fire. Nature has reclaimed its rights and the grass has grown back, but a few charred tree trunks remain.

The hamlet of Ville is part of the commune of Aubenas but is located on the other bank of the Ardèche. Coming from Aubenas towards Montélimar, the car park is on the right of the N102 in the last bend before the climb.

Worth a visit

The southern Ardèche is one of the regions with the highest concentration of dolmens. Unfortunately, due to vandalism and bad weather, many have been destroyed and are now little more than scrub.
A dozen have been recorded on the Serre Bastel. The section of the ridge described in the route allows you to discover at least four. These vestiges of the past are fragile, so please respect them. For more details on the dolmens, see this document

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 28 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
almati07
almati07

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A short afternoon stroll in an area where nature has recovered well since the fire four years ago.

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User 17785910

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike across the plains of Ardèche, the second part offers magnificent panoramic views

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Xav26D
Xav26D

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk with beautiful views.
From point 6 to point 7, there is no clearly defined path, so a GPS device is very useful.

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mancusoagnes
mancusoagnes

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

we got lost in the vast area around the cross near the village on the edge of the N102, but quickly found the route again. It was a long but steady climb up to the plateau, followed by wide open views. We only found one dolmen, which was in ruins! The descent to the tower was easy. A nice walk

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ancoline
ancoline

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Easy route with beautiful views, no problems finding your way thanks to the detailed description. We didn't look for the dolmens...

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Celine07
Celine07

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful walk, impossible to find the dolmens. The trail is well marked, I recommend following it from the karstic cave as there are no signposts.
The second part of the walk is nicer.
Nice views of Aubenas

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Claude R3.
Claude R3.

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An interesting route that is not very busy and unmarked. The dolmens are difficult to find and in very poor condition.

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Mich0726
Mich0726

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk that is also interesting. Don't go the day after it rains, otherwise you won't be able to get through the valley due to flooding. It's best to visit during seasons when there isn't too much vegetation if you want to look for dolmens.

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Caroletpascal
Caroletpascal

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The journey began with a lot of road noise. Beautiful view on the way back from the plateau and descent towards the Town Tower.

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Dom de chaudabri
Dom de chaudabri

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful route. Very green at the moment following the fire, allowing you to discover ancient structures (dolmens, clapas walls) that were once hidden by vegetation.

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chtiardechoise
chtiardechoise

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

it was a beautiful route, but unfortunately, due to the fire, the vegetation was gone. Thank you to the Visorandonneur for this route. We will do it again next spring

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al-photographie
al-photographie

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route with beautiful views, but unfortunately the dolmens have been destroyed and the section between points 4 and 5 is non-existent. You have to retrace your steps or go through the bush (which isn't too dense after the fire in July 2022, but still).
However, I never use the description (but I can't not respond to the questionnaire) because I always use the app.

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becan
becan

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A good climb, then the view, searching for the karstic cave and dolmens, a lovely afternoon with the group for the "blue week"

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Abbegillet
Abbegillet

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Once you reach the plateau, the view of the valley and Aubenas is stunning. Unfortunately, we didn't pay attention and did this hike in August 2022, one month after the fires that ravaged the region. At least 90% of the trail was burned. Avoid for now (summer 2022) unless you're interested in desolate landscapes.
Nevertheless, even after the devastation of the fire, the route remains very easy to follow and the view is magnificent. Let's hope that everything grows back in the spring!

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Garste
Garste

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice walk with beautiful views, but we only saw piles of rocks and couldn't find a single dolmen worthy of the name

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