Le Castellas from Vic

de fr

A very beautiful route that allows you to visit the small village of Vic and get as close as possible to the Gardon river with the sublime viewpoint of Castellas.
This hike is not recommended in the height of summer. Very little of the route is in the shade.

Details

n°5687774
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.81 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 170 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 167 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 177 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 67 m
Downloads
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Photos

Castellas
The Gardon downstream seen from Castellas de Russan
The Gardon seen from Castellas de Russan
Rue du Porche, vaulted passageway

Description of the walk

Departure from the dirt car park on Chemin des Gours.

(S/E) Head south and take Rue de l'Empenelle.

(1) Turn left towards Place du Calvaire. Take the GR® 6 trail via Rue de l'Église towards the reservoir, with the church on your left.

(2) Take the small road on the right (Rue du Réservoir) for about 100 metres. At the first left-hand bend, continue along the path on the right. When you reach a hairpin bend on the left, take the path opposite. Continue straight ahead for about 100 metres.

(3) Turn onto theGR® 63, onto the path on the left and then left again. Continue along this path for 150 m, then at the next junction, leave the path that branches off to the left and continue straight ahead onto Chemin du Castellas. At the fork, continue along the path on the left onto Chemin des Cabanes and enter the village of Sainte-Anastasie.

(4) In the village, leave theGR® and turn left onto Chemin du Moulin à Vent. Continue straight ahead for about 250 m, then continue along the path. At the next fork, continue along this path on the left, rejoining the GR®. Walk above the Gardon river on your right.

(5) At the next fork:
- stay on theGR®63,
- or take the path opposite as described below, leaving the GR®. Be very careful as you are directly above the Gardon and at the edge of the cliff. Then pass above the Grotte de la Trone. Continue in this direction and you will arrive at the Castellas viewpoint.

(6) Retrace your steps. At the next fork, take the path opposite, heading north-east.

(7) This will take you to theGR® 63. Continue straight ahead. You will come to a small road. Leave theGR® and turn onto the small path on the right, then right again and continue to the first fork.

(8) Ignore the path that branches off to the right and take the one just after it that branches off to the left. Continue along this path for 500 m until you reach another fork.

Then follow the path on the left, then cross theGR® twice to rejoin the Chemin du Réservoir in Vic.

(2) Turn right and follow the path back to the car park at (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 114 m - Car park at - Église de Vic (Sainte-Anastasie)
  2. 1 : km 0.24 - alt. 121 m - Towards Place du Calvaire
  3. 2 : km 0.46 - alt. 131 m - Rue du Réservoir
  4. 3 : km 1.2 - alt. 109 m - Pumping station - GR63
  5. 4 : km 2.78 - alt. 103 m - Chemin du Moulin à Vent
  6. 5 : km 3.92 - alt. 111 m - Fork in the road. GR63 or suggested route
  7. 6 : km 4.76 - alt. 163 m - Le Castellas
  8. 7 : km 4.91 - alt. 154 m - GR63 - View of the - Le Gardon
  9. 8 : km 5.86 - alt. 173 m - Le Moulinas
  10. S/E : km 7.81 - alt. 114 m - Car park at - Église de Vic (Sainte-Anastasie)

Notes

No water source along the route

Worth a visit

"Le Castellas" viewpoint over the Gardon (6).

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Downloads
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Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 15 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
martine_30
martine_30

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful route, best avoided in hot weather.

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Zinna
Zinna

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant hike, best done outside of summer because the stream was dry, which made the views a little less magical.

Easy to do, we met people along the way.
The hike is accessible to dogs

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Fifle
Fifle

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful, fairly easy hike with a magnificent viewpoint halfway along the route, perfect for a picnic!
There is a slightly steep slope at one point along the route, but it is nothing that amateur hikers cannot handle.

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jeammichel
jeammichel

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike. Take care if you take the descent towards the Gardon via the steep little path.
Do not take just anyone there!

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PhMF
PhMF

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The location of the departure car park must be changed. It is no longer possible to park on the square in front of Vic church; you must use the car park that has been specially created for this purpose, slightly below the village centre (signs are being put up in the village)

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mithe.leblanc
mithe.leblanc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

beautiful view over a circular section of the Gardon river

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anubis54
anubis54

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

hello everyone, hike completed on Saturday 15/10/22, superb views of the Gardon gorges, which are dry at this time of year, with a visit to the Grotte du Trône cave. Please note that access to the cave is on the edge of a precipice and the passage is tricky but feasible, even though I am prone to vertigo.as we approached the hamlet of Vic, we turned towards the Saint Nicolas bridge, where we once again enjoyed beautiful panoramic views. Be careful of the steep cliffs. We returned by the same route to join the GR 36 towards Russan. We completed the route using Twonav GPS after loading the GPX file from Visorando. Thank you for this beautiful hike.

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bejaninfab
bejaninfab

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

As a resident of Vic, I regret, as do all the residents, that you indicated that there was a car park next to the church in Vic.
No! It is not a car park, except for the rare masses held once every two months. It is a place where residents can socialise, play pétanque and get together.
A place that has recently been lost due to the increasing number of vehicles parking in front of the benches!
Please correct the description, it is not a car park! If you come for a walk, you can park at the bottom of the village and walk.
Vic is a very small village with no bars or shops.

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gbnos
gbnos

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A superb hike, which can be combined with the Vic Circular via the Saint-Nicolas bridge to enjoy a complete view of the Gorges and the hinterland. As always, plan to leave early as it can get very hot. I recommend starting from Russan, where it is easy to park (car park after the square towards the post office). There is also a small café where you can quench your thirst after the hike.

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pierrelabonde
pierrelabonde

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike
Combined with the 'Vic circular' via the St Nicolas bridge to make a hike of around 13 km

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GerardGard
GerardGard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk accessible to all with good footwear. Very pleasant at this time of year when it is not too hot: there are not too many people yet.
The view at Castellas is simply magical. Just make sure children don't get too close to the edge.
Finally, it is essential to download the GPX file as there is a risk of getting lost several times.

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jctrimintin
jctrimintin

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It's a beautiful hike, but I can confirm that it's difficult to park in Vic. There's also a risk of theft and damage. It's better to park at Castelas or in Aubarne

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bragonev
bragonev

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely walk. The GPS app on your mobile is useful because the directions on paper are a bit vague.

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schnogeloch
schnogeloch

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk, without any difficulties.
It's a shame that, after Castellas, on the way back to Vic, all access to the Gardon Gorges is prohibited, even to hikers. Why make sites inaccessible? It's understandable during sensitive periods (nesting, for example), but this is a permanent ban. Frustrating.

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XAV22
XAV22

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant short hike. However, it is very difficult to park in VIC without disturbing the locals. What's more, this hike is like a motorway because you encounter so many people. The downside is the unleashed dogs...

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