The Dordogne valley at the foot of Servières-le-Château

A beautiful hike on a sunny slope of the Dordogne valley, where the fast-flowing waters of the Glane river run, dominated by the village of Servières-le-Château, renowned for its architectural heritage.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.42 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,253 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,237 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,677 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 666 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Starting from the village of Glény

(S/E) From the old school, head towards the chapel then take the first street on the left towards Servières-le-Château.

Yellow markings

(1) At the crossroads, take the road heading north uphill. Continue along the grassy path past a house, just before the lane bends to the right.

Yellow-red markings (GRP®® de la Xaintrie Blanche)

(2) At the fork, ignore the path to the left and continue straight ahead. The route descends towards the Ruisseau des Fages then climbs back up towards the Notre-Dame du Roc Chapel, which you will go round to the left, runs alongside the Glane before crossing it, and leads to the village of Servières-le-Château via a grassy path. Walk past the church and head towards the town hall.

(3) Just before the town hall, turn right onto Rue du Touron, towards the Route du Roc d’Astier.

(4) Leave the tarmac shortly after the sewage treatment plant by turning right onto a wide lane lined with a tall hedge of conifers. Ignore the turn-off to the left and continue straight on downhill. Turn left at the crossroads as you approach the Moulin de Goulat. The path descends towards the Chemin du Goulat, a tarmac road which you take to the right. As soon as you cross the Ruisseau du Pontanel on leaving the hamlet of Moulin de Goulat, turn right onto the path. This leads to a narrow lane which you take to the left as you approach the hamlet of Le Coudert. Turn right at the junction. Cross the Ruisseau des Fagès, ignoring the paths branching off to the right.

(5) Keep to the right at the Fork in the road about fifty metres after crossing the Ruisseau des Fagès. Pass the Grafouillade chapel after a right-hand bend. The lane is followed by a grassy path. Ignore the first turn-off to the right. Take a sharp left, then a right as you approach the Ravin des Trénières.

Yellow markings

(6) Leave theGRP®® as soon as you have crossed the Ravin des Trénières, continuing straight on at the junction. The path makes a wide bend to the right. Stay on the path that descends towards the Ravin des Trénières, turning right at the fork, then left as soon as you have passed the ravine. The path first runs alongside the stream, then veers away from it to wind down towards the Croix Traucade.

(7) Turn right immediately after passing the ruin (former dwelling) then left just after the Glane to reach Glény via the lane that follows on from the path.

(1) At the junction, turn left to return to the starting point (S/E) if the walk begins in Glény, or right onto the road heading northwards uphill if the walk begins in Servières-le-Château.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 666 ft - Former school (Glény). Valley of the - Dordogne (fleuve)
  2. 1 : mi 0.08 - alt. 696 ft - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : mi 0.39 - alt. 896 ft - Go straight on at the junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.44 - alt. 1,565 ft - To the right: Roc d'Astier Route
  5. 4 : mi 1.81 - alt. 1,585 ft - Turn right onto a wide path (tall conifer hedge)
  6. 5 : mi 2.77 - alt. 1,657 ft - Turn right at the fork in the road
  7. 6 : mi 3.28 - alt. 1,506 ft - Go straight on at the junction
  8. 7 : mi 4.13 - alt. 705 ft - Turn right after the ruin
  9. S/E : mi 4.42 - alt. 699 ft - Former school (Glény)

Notes

The circular route starts from Glény so that the climb takes place during the first half of the walk. However, this small village has only a few parking spaces, near the old school. The route can just as easily be started from Servières-le-Château, which has a large car park in front of the church. In this case, the starting point is at (3).

The route between (6) and (7) is not shown on the IGN map.

Worth a visit

You can admire the various churches and chapels along the walk:
- Servières-le-Château Church,
- Notre Dame du Roc Chapel,
- Glény Chapel,
- Chapel at La Grafouillade,
as well as numerous buildings typical of the region, with granite walls and slate roofs.

The forest covering the slopes of the Dordogne valley is criss-crossed by the fast-flowing waters of the Glane and by small streams that you will need to cross, creating a very varied landscape.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
saint victor
saint victor

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2025
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. However, be careful if it rains as it can be slippery. Thank you for this beautiful route

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lamier
lamier

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route, mostly shaded, with views, villages, hamlets and chapels to see. Good walking shoes and a reasonable level of fitness are recommended. Highly recommended...

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User 13021245

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike! Be careful, it's quite steep at the beginning for about 20 minutes, and at the end, the descent is quite slippery (I even fell...), but the chapel is really worth it, it's beautiful. We did the hike in 2.5 hours.

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User 4382216

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike with magnificent views of the valley

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Danic
Danic

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, shaded walk for a morning.

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Kim Christophe
Kim Christophe

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little stroll in the shade

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moralda
moralda

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent, shaded hike that allowed us to discover a beautiful chapel in the middle of the forest.
The path is very well marked.

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STEF63
STEF63

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike that allowed us to discover a chapel in the middle of the forest, which was superb. We will happily do it again in the spring.
The path is very well marked.

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Jean-Louis Pinault
Jean-Louis Pinault

Thank you for your comments. Indeed, the average speed set by Visorando based on distance and elevation is 3.5 km/h.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Louis

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jean3745
jean3745

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The time indicated is exaggerated: if you count the stops, two hours of walking is sufficient for this route.

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Jean-Louis Pinault
Jean-Louis Pinault

Thank you for sharing the riches of the Dordogne Valley.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Louis

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SCharron
SCharron

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk...
Taken on a scorching hot morning.
Departure at 9 a.m., arrival at 12 p.m., mostly in the woods or near a stream... Perfect!
The climb is gradual, the descent a little harder...
I highly recommend it, very enjoyable!

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Jean-Louis Pinault
Jean-Louis Pinault
• Edited:

Thank you for your detailed comments on the hike.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Louis

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oliviervincent
oliviervincent
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

For a reunion with friends between Cantal and Dordogne, we met up in Servières to go on this walk.
Halfway between a walk and a hike, we found a fairly technical trail that was well marked.
The explanations are excellent. We set off from Servières.
There are some very nice viewpoints and the terrain means that the 7 km don't go by too quickly.
A lovely little surprise. The trail is shaded and can be done during the day.
We crossed a small stream twice.
We finished with a picnic and a swim at Lake Feyt, a 5-minute drive away.
A perfect day.
Regards.

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