The joy of May Day

This is the May Day hike with its sprigs of lily of the valley and beautiful views.

Details

116537
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.17 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 231 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 236 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 418 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 266 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the village of Moras, taking the road uphill to the right towards the church if you cross the village via the main street in a west/east direction.
Park before the church in the park under the trees.

(S/E) Head towards the church, walk alongside it until you reach the cemetery, then turn left and walk 50 metres. Then turn right onto the sloping path through the trees. Further on, the path turns left and continues uphill, then descends briefly, which you ignore. Follow the path on the right uphill towards the Madonna, which you reach by turning left one last time. Admire the beautiful 360° view.

(1) Descend from the Madonna statue via the same path you took on the way up.
After a few metres, do not take the path you came up on the right, but instead take the steeper path on the right (signposted "Siberton").
Follow the path downhill and then along the flat, ignoring a path on the left.

(2) At a T-junction, take the path on the left, which descends steeply.
Passing the houses on the left, you will reach a paved section leading to a place called Siberton.

(3) Take the first road on the right, which levels out and then climbs slightly towards a house.
Opposite the house, leave the road and take the grassy path climbing to the left between the fields.
At a crossroads, turn left.
When you reach a road, follow it along the flat section to the right.
Pass two groups of houses on your right.

(4) At the next crossroads, turn left uphill for a short distance and then left again.
Pass houses on your right and then on your left, leave the tarmac road and take the path climbing opposite.
Pass buildings on your right again and continue straight ahead on the wider path.

(5) At the top, you will reach a four-way crossroads. Follow the path that goes almost straight ahead (leaving a path on the left and the end of a tarmac road on the right). Pass the waste disposal centre on the right.

From here, lily of the valley grows along the edges of the paths and in the forest on either side. Be careful not to get lost!
At a left-hand bend, pass two paths on the right (the first is gravel and the second is dirt). Continue along the correct path until you reach a road (D121).

(6) Follow the road to the right until you come to a large path crossing it (you will notice the fences to prevent the massacre of the numerous amphibians in these damp undergrowths).

(7) Follow the path to the left, then after 300 metres at a crossroads, turn left.
Continue almost in a straight line, ignoring the paths on the left and right.

(8) At elevation 410 "Forêt de Mantaille", continue straight ahead towards "Massonne", leaving the flat ground behind and heading downhill towards the house.

(9) Here there are five paths or roads. Take the flat road on the left that runs alongside the house (facing west). Continue to the first junction with the D121 road and follow it to the right until you reach the village via its main street. After a slight narrowing of the street, turn left onto the street leading up to the car park where we started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 296 m - Moras
  2. 1 : km 1.1 - alt. 357 m - La Madone
  3. 2 : km 1.76 - alt. 292 m - Cote 294
  4. 3 : km 2.41 - alt. 284 m - Siberton
  5. 4 : km 3.74 - alt. 303 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 4.58 - alt. 404 m - Cote 402
  7. 6 : km 6.24 - alt. 404 m - The Five Crossroads
  8. 7 : km 7.2 - alt. 411 m - Leave the D121 road.
  9. 8 : km 8.34 - alt. 410 m - Cote 410
  10. 9 : km 9.71 - alt. 312 m - La Massonne
  11. S/E : km 11.17 - alt. 296 m - Moras

Notes

A picking hike that will take longer than a normal hike.
Be considerate of nature: only pick sprigs of lily of the valley without pulling them out.
A small bag will allow you to store the sprigs without wilting them in your hands.
Wear high-top shoes because of puddles and muddy trails.
In rainy weather, you often have to plan the right route so that your shoes don't get wet!

Worth a visit

In the village of Moras: The narrow streets - The old church on the hill - The Madonna overlooking the site
In the Mantaille forest: wild lily of the valley despite the puddles and very muddy paths.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
Celtic 1503
Celtic 1503

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A quiet route starting at 9am, with beautiful views and an easy walk taking 2 hours and 15 minutes.
A very pleasant and fragrant picking experience.

Machine-translated

BNuyten
BNuyten

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A lovely little hike with some "very wet" sections! The lily of the valley was in bloom.

Machine-translated

Ferabdez Miguel
Ferabdez Miguel

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

This is a walk we do frequently. It is very pleasant, and when the fruit trees are in bloom, it is a magnificent sight.

Machine-translated

armelle42
armelle42

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
A pleasant hike with no particular difficulties.
at point 6, it is better to continue on the GR trail that crosses the road and enters the woods just opposite, rather than walking on this road, which adds nothing, since you will rejoin the GR trail further on anyway. At least, that's what I would do next time.

Machine-translated

thierry bancel
thierry bancel

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The walk is very nice for getting back into shape after lockdown. There are no particular difficulties, but it is better to follow the route rather than the description. It would be better to define the terms used for greater clarity. In my opinion, a trail is a path that only allows one person to pass, a path is a path that allows two people to walk side by side, and a road is paved. I therefore suggest the following description:
Point 1: Follow the yellow markings to Le Madone
Point 2: A yellow sign indicates the direction of Silberton. Take the path downhill immediately to the right of the sign. It is barely visible.
Point 3: OK
Point 4: At the crossroads, take the "Chemin de la Vauverière", the road furthest to the right, until you reach the wooden house, then take the marked path on its left until you reach the road. Turn right and follow this road until you reach the crossroads of the "Route du Château" and the "Route des Bois".
Point 5 , turn left and then left again into the Impasse des Hêtres. Pass between the houses and continue along the path uphill.
Point 6: Keep to the gravel path on the left and follow it to "les cinq croisées", passing through the "bois de la meyerie".
Point 7: At "cinq croisées", take the road on the right towards Hauterives and follow it for about 1 km until you reach the crossing path coming from the right, which is very visible, and turning left into the undergrowth, which is less visible.
Note that at point 7, you can also take the marked path opposite in the woods, which leads directly to point 9.
Point 8: Follow the path through the undergrowth to a clearly marked crossroads and turn left onto the GR and PR marked path, continuing straight ahead.
Point 9: OK, be careful between points 9 and 10, there is a fork, follow the path on the right which continues as a trail.
Point 10: You will arrive in front of a house at a crossroads. Take the path down to the left, "Chemin de la Massonne", which leads to the entrance to the village.
It is then easy to find the church car park.

Best regards

Machine-translated

henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to give your opinion.

as signs are very rare.

The signposting does not depend on the author or Visorando. That is why Visorando provides a detailed description and a 1:25,000 IGN map.

Reliability of the route on the map: Average

By "map route", we do not mean the quality of the signposting, but the accuracy of the route as it appears on the map in relation to the actual terrain.

Did you use a GPS?
Is there a discrepancy between your route and the marked route?

See you soon!

Machine-translated

FRIGOUDY
FRIGOUDY

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 07, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant hike, mostly through woodland.
Trails are very muddy at this time of year. I had to use my GPS once or twice in the second part of the walk as there were very few signposts.

Machine-translated

Vjolnir
Vjolnir

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

An easy hike in the rolling hills of the Drôme, with just enough elevation gain to get a little exercise. Most of the paths are well maintained. A good part of the hike is through wooded areas, which is pleasant in summer.
Many thanks to cathyferrer for introducing me to this walk.

Machine-translated

bibi
bibi ★

Thank you for your feedback. Could you please provide us with the missing information so that we can clarify the description?
Kind regards

Machine-translated

collines26
collines26

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

This hike is impossible without a GPS or topographical map. There are many marked trails but few signs, so it's easy to get lost despite the description. Fortunately, the GPS got us back on track! Lots of lily of the valley, but very few bluebells. Still, it was a nice little hike on good paths.

Machine-translated

gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you, Trottinette07
Indeed, the route is inseparable from the description.

Machine-translated

Trottinette07
Trottinette07

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk, certainly. A test
Despite the description, we didn't reach the specified point
Never mind. Next time we'll take a map
We had a lovely afternoon. Magnificent scenery.
We'll definitely do it again

Machine-translated

cathyferrer
cathyferrer

It is very difficult not to find paved sections on a route, given that everyone wants paved access. Or you have to go up to 2,000 metres or higher, or even better and less far: do 50 laps of a football stadium. As for the wind, the foolproof recipe is: go out in the morning, wet your index finger, and if it's cool, stay at home!!!

Machine-translated

gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you, nuagedansant25
Did you mix up "Average" and "Good"? Reading your comment, that's the impression I get.

Machine-translated

nuagedansant25
nuagedansant25

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Nice walk but several paved sections.
Best avoided in windy weather.
The lily of the valley was still in bloom.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.