Le Roc de la Vigne

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This trek works its way up from the Hérault valley to Roc de la Vigne. Leaving the village, off the beaten tracks, you'll explore Forêt Domaniale de Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert on cobblestone roads. Along the way, the remains of old farms, caves, a semi-troglodyte retreat and a breath-taking view from the top of Roc de la Vigne.

Details

n°213855
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.71 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 674 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 674 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 704 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 73 m
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Photos

The cave
The Herault valley
Rock on the ground!
Ruins

Description of the walk

(S/F) From the free car park just after the dam on the Hérault River, arriving from Saint-Guilhem, head back to the village over a hundred odd metres on the D4.

(1) Take the carriage road to the right, just before the small bridge "petit pont de la Combe de Malafosse".

(2) At a junction before a house, keep going along the trail that heads uphill to the right, leaving the one to the left (leading to "Grotte du Sergent"). The trail gradually heads up a western slope then crosses a stream, often dry, and heads up a steep and windy trail on the eastern slope until "la ruine du Mas de l'Arboussier (or Arbousier)."

(3) Keep to the trail arriving at a ledge at high point 328.

(4) In a left turn, leave the path to follow a small footpath to the right heading down towards "Grotte or Baume du Cellier" located thirty or so metres below, of which the entrance is somewhat hidden by vegetation. Careful not to fall in the pitch (hole) over the entrance of the cave. After visiting the cave, head back to the path that goes along Combe de la Blande which heads back up towards the junction with the path coming from "l'Ermitage de Notre-Dame de Belle-Grâce".

(5) Head right and keep going until you get to a hairpin.

(6) Leave the trail taking a right to visit another retreat which is semi-troglodyte, underneath the cliff. To find it, keep to the footpath on the far left and head down a hundred odd metres using your hands and remaining close to the cliff.

(7) After the visit, return to (6) and head right to reach the pass.

(8) Keep going right on the forest trail through "pins de Salzmann" (a subspecies of pine tree) for roughly 200 metres.

(9) At the cairn, turn right onto a small trail that heads up to the foot of Roc la Vigne (10) the climb is easy and the 180° view to the north is exceptional.

Return to (9) and go right onto a path which remains flat until high point 533.

(11) Turn right and tackle the descent, steep and rocky at times, leading to a lovely abandoned hamlet "l'Estagnol".

(12) Leave the trail that heads off to the west and take the one heading south. After crossing l'Estagnol prairie, it heads downhill reaching the car park, just opposite (S/F).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 76 m - Car park after the dam on the Hérault river
  2. 1 : km 0.24 - alt. 75 m - Start of the track on the right
  3. 2 : km 0.8 - alt. 89 m - Path leading up to the right
  4. 3 : km 2.6 - alt. 309 m - Mas de l'Arboussier
  5. 4 : km 2.96 - alt. 330 m - Baume du Cellier
  6. 5 : km 4.76 - alt. 586 m - Turning right
  7. 6 : km 5.23 - alt. 623 m - Bifurcation
  8. 7 : km 5.48 - alt. 633 m - Semi-troglodytic hermitage,
  9. 8 : km 6.04 - alt. 645 m - Right at the pass
  10. 9 : km 6.22 - alt. 645 m - Bifurcation
  11. 10 : km 6.53 - alt. 703 m - Roc de la Vigne
  12. 11 : km 8.09 - alt. 533 m - Downhill right
  13. 12 : km 10.53 - alt. 307 m - Hamlet of L'Estagnol
  14. S/E : km 12.71 - alt. 76 m - Car park after the dam on the Hérault river

Notes

Bring a torch to visit Baume du Cellier cave and lots of water if it's the summer (season not recommended).
Good shoes are required as the trails are stony.

Worth a visit

To see:
The Mas de l'Arbousier remains and its oven.
Beautiful concretions in "Grotte de la Baume du Cellier". Do not venture inside without a torch, there are shafts inside which could prove to be dangerous.
The remains of the old retreat under the cliff.
Climb to the top of the Roc de la Vigne, the view is a sight for sore eyes.
Estagnol hamlet.
Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 55 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
GSSR
GSSR

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely hike – brilliant in spring. We didn’t see a soul, but then again, it was outside the holiday season and on a weekday…
The description is a bit basic, but I had an old PDF from several years ago; perhaps it’s been updated on the website… In any case, it’s better to have a GPS on this sort of hike, though not essential.
For trail running enthusiasts, running back down is an interesting option. The climb is well-paced and not too tough for regular hikers.
So, highly recommended. Lots of variety, beautiful spots to discover, the history of the cave is interesting to learn about, and the hermitage (or what’s left of it) isn’t that easy to find without directions.

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gerardhenr
gerardhenr
kris.teyran
kris.teyran

Hello
Thank you for your clarification on how to reach the troglodyte hermitage. On which map did you see the "chemin de la bastide de Reynes" (Reynes Bastide Path)?
looking forward to hearing from you.
Happy hiking!

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User 8450410

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with superb landscapes and views. However, as mentioned in an earlier comment, the GPS track leading to the semi-troglodyte hermitage (between points 6 and 7) does not seem reliable and leads to the top of cliffs.

The hermitage is called Bastide de Reynes, and as you can see on the map, there is a "Chemin de la Bastide de Reynes" (Bastide de Reynes path): this is the path you need to follow (and not the "Chemin des Falaises de Roc de la Vigne" (Cliff Path) as the GPS track seems to indicate). To find it: once on the path that starts at the hairpin bend, you can take the path that starts almost immediately to the right... otherwise, follow your position on the map to find the right path.

Enjoy your hike!

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Lelene34
Lelene34

a parish-specific to Brittany, beautiful hike with a very gradual incline, except for the climb up to Roc de la Vigne over the last 800 metres
a parish-specific to Brittany panorama that is very beautiful with superb landscapes
very shady parish-specific to Brittany return trip
no particular difficulties

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Sof31200
Sof31200
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This route can be done even in summer as it is mostly shaded. Very easy going route. You can finish this hike by cooling off in the gorges at the end.

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Lelene34
Lelene34

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike with a very gradual elevation gain

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gerardhenr
gerardhenr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A wild trail through the flowers, but in the opposite direction, making the climb seem easier!
On the way down, a short excursion (T3) to the entrance to the sergeant's cave (avoiding the property at no. 2 in the description).

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papadid
papadid
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A fine walk with no difficulties except for level 7 (danger): 13km/688m cumulative ascent/4h.
-Points of interest :

  • Roc de la vigne.
  • Pic Saint Loup and Hortus.
  • Mont Saint Baudile.
  • Mont Ventoux
  • Mediterranean Sea.

-Positive points :

  • Well-balanced trail (6km uphill and 6km downhill).
  • Shady trail.

-Negatives :

  • busy trail.
  • Dangerous point 7: do not stop at the first promontory but continue past the scree.

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choose34
choose34

Nice walk, not too difficult. Magnificent views from the top of the peak, but the rest of the way is a lot of forest without much scenery to admire.
Done in 4 hours at a decent pace.

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jp.vgn
jp.vgn

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice walk, made easier by a constant height difference (total +/- 800m). A large part of the trail is in the woods and therefore shaded.
JP

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cuocof
cuocof

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Walked on Friday 1 October. Moderate interest/difficulty ratio: too many long sections in closed corridors of vegetation - paths sometimes very stony, particularly on the descent after l'Estanyol (although we're used to stones, in the Caroux, Ariège or the Alps)- All this just for the view from the Roc, and a few glimpses of a not-very-good landscape (that comes from the region).
We suffered from the heat, it may have distorted our judgement, as we had done it in October 2017 and found nothing to complain about. But I wonder if we'll be back!

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Jean-Bernard
Jean-Bernard

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

As pleasant as ever, but why a difference of almost 2km for the same route (10.57km)? We walk well and took 4 hours without the break. We didn't find the troglodyte hermitage either.

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Alaric
Alaric

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Very nice hike, I won't repeat what was said before. On the other hand, many people apparently haven't found point 6 "semi-troglodytic hermitage". I found myself in this situation despite the GPS and the comments attached, and then I finally found it:
- above all, do not follow GPS point 6, which takes us along the path known as "sentier des falaises du roc de la vigne" and then leads us down an unstable stone scree (stay alive, the hike is not worth dying over!!!), if I had to replace this point it would be halfway between 6 and 7 30, 50 m to the south.

-For the description :
6) Leave the path and turn right to visit another semi-troglodytic hermitage, sheltered under the cliff. To find it, keep to the leftmost path and descend a hundred metres or so, using your hands and staying close to the cliff.

Leave the path by turning right.....to find it, take the path at the first cairm that descends to the right and skirts the cliff; it's not too difficult, but if you think it's technical you've made a mistake!
The hermitage is an ideal place to stop.
Best regards.

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vuichard
vuichard

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a classic hike in the region: you go up and then down, with some lovely views in between. It took me 3.5 hours (including a 45-minute break for photos and text messages) without too much effort, but I was on my own.

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