The Saint-Guiraud Trail

At the start of this route, you will have a beautiful view of the Arrats valley, a narrow valley bordered by hillsides, themselves composed of ridges and valleys. This route takes you to Saint-Guiraud, a village annexed to Castelnau in 1821. On your return to the village, you will discover magnificent panoramic views of the countryside, the Pyrenees mountain range and neighbouring villages from the ridge.

Details

n°284536

Creation:
21 Jun 2016

Last update:
09 Sep 2020

Last review:
26 Jan 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 10.98 km
Average duration: 3h 35
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 148 m
Descent: - 147 m
Highest point: 274 m
Lowest point: 159 m

Country: France
District: Castelnau-Barbarens (32450)
Start/End: N 43.575775° / E 0.724838°
IGN map(s): Ref. 1843SB
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Description of the walk

Park at the top of the village, near the Notre-Dame de Pitié chapel, next to the tower of the old castle.

(S/E) With the 13th-century tower behind you, walk down to the small crossroads and turn left towards the^PR® information portico^. Take the path down to the right, then turn right at the fork. Continue along this path. When you reach the Lastounes farm, go around it and take the path down to the left to reach the D40.

(1) Turn right and after 400 metres, turn left onto a dirt track. Cross the footbridge over the Arrats (a river that rises on the Lannemezan plateau in the Hautes-Pyrénées) and continue straight ahead.

(2) At the crossroads, take the road on the right, cross the D349 and take the tarmac road opposite. After 1 km, at the En Poucouron crossroads, turn right onto a stony path. Cross the small wooden bridge, continue and you will come out onto the D40.

(3) Turn left and then, after 200 metres, turn right. Pass in front of the En Jambon house and continue straight ahead on a path (view of the Château de Saint-Guiraud, which is private. Its current shape is that of a perfect square, typical of 16th-century classical architecture). Continue for 1.5 kilometres.

(4) Turn right at the corner of the Saint-Guiraud cemetery, then take the first path on the left, then turn right at a right angle and continue until you reach a cross.

(5) At the D349, continue straight ahead towards "La Motte". After 1 km, pass the farm driveway on your right and take a dirt track that climbs up to a tarmac road on the ridge. Turn right towards a water tower and continue straight ahead at the water tower.

(6) At the crossroads with a cross, turn right. After 1 km, you will see a wooden cross on your left at a place called Sasian (Croix des Cagots, former population of lepers). Pass in front of a calvary and descend towards the village to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 230 m - Esplanade of the old castle tower
1 : km 1.6 - alt. 183 m - D40, turn right
2 : km 2.72 - alt. 163 m - At the crossroads, turn right.
3 : km 4.48 - alt. 168 m - D40, turn left
4 : km 6.52 - alt. 241 m - Saint Guiraud cemetery, on the right
5 : km 7.31 - alt. 202 m - D349, continue opposite
6 : km 9.78 - alt. 270 m - Cross, continue on the right
S/E : km 10.98 - alt. 230 m - Esplanade of the old castle tower

Worth a visit

The oldest parts of the castle (private) date back to the 14th century. Only the bell tower remains of the ruined chapel dedicated to Saint Géraud. Edouard Lartet, the famous palaeontologist, was born in 1801 in this commune on the Poucouroue farm.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5

Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5

Ease of following the route
3.8 / 5

Route interest
4.6 / 5

26 Jan 2025 at 17:29 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Winter hike, most of which is on tarmac. At the start, follow the yellow PR2 markings as part of the route is closed. After that, there are no problems. Allow some time to visit the village and the church built with stones from the ruined castle. Beautiful white limestone centre. It's a shame that the explanation of the stained glass windows is on a panel at the entrance and not under each window. Despite this minor detail, this small village has been beautifully restored. PK

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vicri

26 Oct 2020 at 09:30 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route has been changed, but if you follow the markings, you'll have no trouble finding your way. A pleasant hike with a pretty village and beautiful scenery.

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grandin

10 Sep 2020 at 16:40 7200

Thank you, as mentioned in my PM, I will look into it when I return from holiday.

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Gefortin

09 Sep 2020 at 17:37 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I confirm that the route was changed after the start (elevation 235), but if you follow the markings, you will have no trouble finding the trail. A pleasant and interesting hike: pretty village and beautiful scenery. I recorded the route with my GPS and will make it available to a moderator.

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gunam

18 May 2020 at 09:05 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

After the start, the GPS track that heads north after point 235 towards Lastournes is no longer passable on the ground: simply follow the marked and mowed PR trail, which continues downhill for about 200 metres before turning north and reaching the small pond. The PR trail climbs back up towards the DR40, giving Lastournes (private property) a wide berth.
The route then follows the track. In particular, a new footbridge has been installed to cross the Arrats safely.
Reliability of the route: the GPS track between the 235m point and the D40 should be reviewed, but the entire route is marked with a yellow PR sign (PR2 to be precise) and presents no problems.
The village of Castelnau-Barbarens is remarkable. The walk is pleasant (avoid in hot weather) despite the long stretches on tarmac, with beautiful views of the lovely countryside.
Thank you for this description and this very nice and fairly popular hiking suggestion.
If you don't have a GPS, take an IGN map with you.

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grandin

18 Jun 2019 at 08:40 7200

If someone could record the new route for us, we could update this walk.

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19541970

17 Jun 2019 at 19:09 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The route on the map does not correspond to the signposts that take us through Lassale.

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henri57

25 Mar 2019 at 18:20 3600

Hello,

Thank you for your comments.

Following observations made by several hikers, information was sent by private message to the author of the hike.

See you soon!

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25 Mar 2019 at 18:10 3600 • Edited: 25 Mar 2019 at 18:11 3600

The user account associated with this content has been deleted.

locar31

28 May 2018 at 09:39 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk, with the added bonus of a route of the village.
Regarding the description, same as gilou4, as the route has been changed, the first three points need to be revised:

the path – now private? – to the Lastounes farm is bypassed,
the passage over the footbridge – in poor condition? – is avoided: follow the road (D40 + D349).

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Tee51

23 May 2018 at 19:20 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk, sometimes sheltered from the sun, passing by the castle. The village of Castelnau Barbarens is very cute. I recommend it and thank you for this walk with its many viewpoints.

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gilou4

27 Nov 2017 at 08:41 3600

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 25, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Nice hike with some beautiful views.
Description needs revising after the junction with the D40. It doesn't match the description and we decided to follow the signposts instead.
Apart from this issue, I recommend it!

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gerard archain

19 Dec 2016 at 15:25 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 15, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Lovely day, lovely walk, highly recommended...

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