The Baron and the old village of Roynac

This very shady forest walk offers a new perspective on the Valdaine plain with a few glimpses of the Saoû massif, not to mention the discovery of the old ruined village of Roynac and its belvedere.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.58 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 347 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 341 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 444 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 207 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the car park near the church in the village of Roynac.

(S/E) Take the road towards Col du Devès, Grâne.

(1) Turn right onto Chemin de Berianne and follow this small road. Ignore Chemin de Fangeas on the left and continue to the junction with Chemin de la Rochette on the left. Take this road and join the access to house no. 1090 on the right, just after passing the stream.

(2) Take this road and then turn left onto the small path next to the house. Walk along the lavender field, then a second one, until you reach the start of a path through the woods. Follow it to the ridge.

(3) On the ridge, turn left (markings shared with trails 70, 5 and 32) and continue through the woods until you reach a carriage road. Take this road on the left and follow the bend and the yellow markings. Barriers indicate private roads that should not be used.

(4) At the intersection, turn left. Cross the woods and, at the meadow, go straight ahead. Then keep left at each fork you come to and, at the end of a long straight stretch, you will come out onto a field.

(5) Continue straight ahead to cross the field, following the track, until you reach a tarmac road. Follow it to the left for about 300 metres until you reach a right-hand bend.

(6) At the large oak tree, at the intersection, turn left, ignore Chemin de la Rochette and immediately turn right. Continue following the 70 markings on the path that continues through the forest until you find the start of a path on the right at the top of the hill.

(7) Leave the path that runs opposite and continue to the right until you reach a track.

(8) Follow this track to the right, ignoring the secondary paths on either side, until you reach a four-way crossroads (signpost for the hamlet of Courbière).

(9) Turn left, leave the woods and continue along the tarmac road until you reach a wide circular bend to the right, on the edge of the ridge.

(10) At the lowest point of the road, turn left onto the path and continue along a small grassy trail. Ignore the path that descends to the right and continue until you find the start of the path that climbs up to the old village on the right, just after a right-hand bend.

(11) Follow this path back and forth to the old ruined village.

(12) At the crossroads, turn left and head for the orientation table. Then return to the previous crossroads.

(12) Continue straight ahead for 5 metres and turn right to reach the 11th-century church and the entrance to the ruins of the bell tower (no access). Return to the crossroads.

(12) Turn left downhill and follow the same path back to the trail you left earlier.

(11) Once back, turn right and you will come out onto the D113.

(13) Take it carefully to the left for 500 m and return to the car park near the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 208 m - Parking is available near the church.
  2. 1 : km 0.51 - alt. 242 m - Chemin de Berianne
  3. 2 : km 1.83 - alt. 225 m - Start of the trail
  4. 3 : km 2.64 - alt. 331 m - Crête de la Chevrière
  5. 4 : km 3.4 - alt. 333 m - Carriageway on the left
  6. 5 : km 4.46 - alt. 412 m - Field to cross
  7. 6 : km 5.39 - alt. 387 m - Large oak tree
  8. 7 : km 6.16 - alt. 433 m - Path on the right
  9. 8 : km 6.51 - alt. 431 m - At the top of the hill, straight ahead
  10. 9 : km 7.19 - alt. 429 m - Courbière sign
  11. 10 : km 8.32 - alt. 364 m - Hiking trail on the left
  12. 11 : km 8.71 - alt. 303 m - Junction of the ruined village
  13. 12 : km 9.26 - alt. 336 m - Old ruined village, orientation table
  14. 13 : km 9.58 - alt. 272 m - D113
  15. S/E : km 10.58 - alt. 208 m - Parking is available near the church.

Notes

The fountain next to the market hall is drinkable.

Worth a visit

The site known as the "Crête de la colline de Chevrière" (Chevrière Hill Ridge), which is small in size (approximately 2.7 hectares), is located at the top of Mont de la Chevrière, straddling Roynac and Puy-Saint-Martin. The Natural Areas of Ecological, Faunistic and Floristic Interest (ZNIEFF) are scientific inventories and constitute a source of expertise.

Its interest lies in the presence of a calcareous grassland and a high potential for orchids and entomofauna (entomofauna refers to the entire population of insects present in an environment).

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
marc 26
marc 26

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk. It was windy and the ground was soggy, but that didn't stop us from enjoying it. We did it with GPS.

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BRUN Mireille
BRUN Mireille

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello
No one except a few hunters
Nice view
Pleasant at this time of year for a half-day hike

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Cris26
Cris26

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

Thank you for this lovely little hike.
We did it last Saturday in beautiful weather. We only encountered a few hunters. We stopped for lunch near the old church, which had a lovely view

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pallandre chantal
pallandre chantal

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A lovely walk along paths that often lead through woodland. We stopped for refreshments at the orientation table, which offers magnificent views.
Thanks to the author.

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Kattymini
Kattymini

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Hike completed on a Sunday in January, without difficulty. Mainly through woodland, arriving at the orientation table with beautiful unobstructed views and stunning snow-capped peaks. The old village of Roynac has many ruins. A wonderful discovery. Thank you.

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Jean-Paul KERENFORT
Jean-Paul KERENFORT

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with a stunning view from the orientation table. The icing on the cake was at point 11, where a magnificent deer posed for photos.
At point 7, we took the path opposite, which was very pleasant.
Thanks to the tourist office.

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Denis26
Denis26 ★

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that consists mostly of walking through the forest. There are a few viewpoints, notably over Roche Colombe and the Diois region, and from the orientation table. The old village of Roynac could do with a little more maintenance to enhance its appeal and make it a truly exceptional place.
Be sure to take the path opposite the one leading to the bell tower, then the first right to reach the highest point of the old village.

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rêvedefôret
rêvedefôret

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Two errors in directional signage to report (sign pointing left when you should turn right!)
- At number 7 of the explanations, you are descending towards Roynac, the "ravine" is on the left and the old village is on the hill on the right, so you should read... "follow it until you find the start of the path on the RIGHT that goes up to the old village".
- At number 4: the wide path on the left is a shortcut that quickly takes you back to the start (towards Serre Joubert, marked on the map). You need to pass to the left of the oak tree and take the track on the RIGHT, where you will quickly find a post marked with the number 70, and then everything is fine!

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Maryma
Maryma

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

I really enjoyed this hike. It frequently runs alongside lavender fields (which smell wonderful even in winter!) and offers superb views. The trails are often in the woods, so they're shaded for summer hikers!
I discovered an entire village in ruins around the church; impressive!
Beautiful panorama from the orientation table.
Thank you for this discovery and for the information about the Chevrière hill ridge. Very interesting :-))

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maryse c
maryse c

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At the end of the hike, to reach the ruins of Roynac, the steep, barely visible path is on the right, not on the left as you descend the grassy path. This hike is best done in winter to enjoy the superb views of the snow-capped mountains.

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BARNAVON
BARNAVON

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Route completed in 2½ hours. Good weather conditions for the second half of October. Temperature 19°C.
At the start, it is not possible to park as indicated because the locals have put up a no parking sign. The route is a walk in the countryside and mostly through forest, which limits its appeal. Only the view from the orientation table justifies this walk. The old village of Roynac deserves to be maintained and promoted by the local authorities if they think it could be of interest to hikers or tourists.

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