The Col du Banchet starting from Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette

A village in the heart of the Pilat Massif, set in a mid-mountain environment with beautiful views along this hike.
Around fifteen factories were built along the banks of the Ternay. All this industry was linked to the Lyon silk weavers. Some of these buildings have been taken over by artists to set up studios. Information taken from Wikipedia.
TO ALL HIKERS (SES) WHO FOLLOW MY HIKES: you can post photos indicating their location on the route.

Details

16167997
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.15 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 361 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 356 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 869 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 588 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the main square, in the centre of the village, next to the town hall.

(S/E) At the far end of the car park, take Rue Pré Chapelle. Turn right immediately and then left into the small garden. Cross the garden and go over the bridge over the Ternay stream. Continue to Rue Pré Battoir. There, turn left and immediately turn right after crossing the bridge over the Ternay stream. Take Chemin de Taillis Vert. Turn onto the path just after the house at no. 319 and head up towards the2nd. Once there, turn left onto Chemin de Malencogne to reach the D 8.

(1) Cross it, take the path opposite and head towards the Coron district.

(2) Leave the road leading down to the village and turn right. At the crossroads in the hamlet of Bel Air, continue left and, via a circular bend to the right and a hairpin bend to the left, reach the hamlet of Les Oriols.

(3) Take the hairpin bend, continue and turn right to reach the Lampony district.

(4) Take thefirst path on the right, turn left as you cross the bed of a stream and, further on towards the trees, reach a junction. Turn left to reach the Col du Banchet and the D 503 road.

(5) Turn left at the bend and leave the road immediately, taking the path on the right. Return to the D 503 and follow it to the right for about a hundred metres until you reach the houses of the hamlet of Les Baumes.

(6) Leave the road here and turn left onto a path. Continue uphill and, at the top, reach the junction withthe GR®65, the Way of St James.

(7) Turn right onto it and follow the red and white markings downhill until you reach the Calvary crossroads at the entrance to Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette in the Guéret district.

(8) Turn right onto the Montée du Calvaire, then turn left at the junction with the D 503. Pass the post office and continue on to the car park at the Place de la Mairie (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 590 m - Car park next to the town hall - Ternay (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 1.21 - alt. 662 m - D8 junction
  3. 2 : km 1.68 - alt. 673 m - Coron
  4. 3 : km 4.17 - alt. 780 m - Les Oriols
  5. 4 : km 4.93 - alt. 698 m - Lampony: please read the route description carefully.
  6. 5 : km 6.3 - alt. 673 m - Col du Banchet
  7. 6 : km 6.99 - alt. 624 m - Les Baumes
  8. 7 : km 7.69 - alt. 709 m - GR65
  9. 8 : km 8.6 - alt. 619 m - Calvaire le Guéret
  10. S/E : km 9.15 - alt. 590 m - Car park next to the town hall - Ternay (rivière)

Notes

Hiking boots. No water available except in the village of Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette.

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.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
User 11762683

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Some passages have changed. You have to search a little and retrace your steps.

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COOKIE
COOKIE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route has been altered at the path leading to LAMPONY, which has been blocked off by a fence. We had to climb over the barbed wire to follow the route.
Cows are roaming freely in the meadow.

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Traviata
Traviata

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Before reaching the Col du Banchet after point 4, I walked past a meadow where there were about ten calves: one of them spotted me and led the herd towards me. I quickened my pace and hurriedly slipped under the barbed wire.
Otherwise, between points 2 and 3, I struggled to find the path despite my map.

I didn’t find the hike particularly special. It won’t be my favourite.

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Equinoxe
Equinoxe
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello,
A very sunny walk; it really is best to walk in the morning during the summer. It must be very pleasant in cooler weather, on a sunny day. After a fairly challenging start, the walk is very easy going. Other routes offer more interesting views, but this remains a pleasant walk.

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patm69
patm69

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Thank you to the author for this lovely little hike, with beautiful views over the Rhône Valley, the Alps and the Vercors. The weather was lovely today, with perfect temperatures; in my opinion, from May onwards, it’s best to do this hike in the morning if temperatures are high. As I use the Viso Rando app on my smartphone, I had no trouble following the route.
Kind regards

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Klaudius33
Klaudius33

Thank you for your feedback; it’s always lovely to receive positive comments.
However, comments are also made to correct mistakes, and that’s positive too.
All the best

Klaudius33

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bernardino
bernardino ★

OK, correction made.

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hiker38
hiker38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

As you set off, heading up the Déome, you’ll discover unexpected views in the heart of Saint Julien Molin Molette.
Beautiful autumnal scenery, a succession of deciduous forests and meadows, as well as breathtaking views across the entire Alpine range from Mont Blanc to the Grand Veymont.
We followed this route using the Club Visorando GPS app without any problems.
It’s the Col du Banchet, not the Blanchet!
But where is the free IGN base map, announced for 15 November?
Thanks to Klaudius33 for this lovely walk.

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