The Cîtelles Stream

This is an easy hike that alternates between cool woodland and wide open trails on the plateau. You will pass through the hamlet of CÎtelles with its small chapel and waterfall, which is only accessible from above. The return journey follows the stream, where you can take a dip in places.
The route crosses the river four times via small bridges or large stones.
This is a very pleasant walk in summer, and the breaks by the water are very welcome.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.53 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 208 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 209 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 456 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 247 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The start is on Chemin du Moulin Neuf, 300 m after the lodge "Le Moulin de Bay". Park at the edge of the track at the bottom of the field.

(S/E) Take the track and very soon, just after a short tarmac section, turn left onto a path that climbs uphill.

(1) At the fork, turn right, cross the Ruisseau des Égasiers and climb up, following it on your left. Quickly pass a first gully on your right and join the second one, also on your right.

(2) Ignore the first path on the right that climbs up through wasteland and take the second on the right, climbing with a dry stream on your right. Follow the valley and you will come to a track.

(3) Turn left uphill, then at the top, descend to the right and continue straight ahead.

(4) At the fork, stay on the main track that turns right around the lavender field.

(5) At the three-way junction, turn left and continue straight ahead at the next junction.

(6) When two parallel tracks meet, continue on the right-hand track. Go through a wide bend and continue until you see a yellow marker on the left indicating the passage of a gas pipeline.

(7) Take the path on the right in the middle of this large grassy area that descends. Further on, at another yellow marker, turn right at a 90° angle into the woods.

(8) When you leave the woods, leave the lavender field in front of you and turn right downhill into a grassy meadow before entering the woods again. Join a track and turn left downhill. Follow the valley to the hamlet of Les Cîtelles.
In the hamlet, turn left immediately after the first house to pass between the next houses.

(9) At the bottom, turn left and walk back to the chapel.

(9) On your return, continue straight ahead, heading west. A wooden barrier with a green arrow indicates the way.

(10) At the fork, leave the path in front of you that goes up onto a stone slab and take the narrow path immediately to the left, towards a metal barrier indicating that you are not allowed to cross the bridge.
Go past the barrier and descend to the right to the river via this narrow, stony path, where you will need to use your hands in places. Continue a few metres downstream to reach the waterfall. Be careful! You are now in the river and the ground is very slippery.

Turn around and walk along the field on the left, then climb back up to the main track that runs alongside the Ruisseau de Cîtelles.
When you reach the ruins of ST Bazile, climb the path on the right which leads straight to the cemetery, passing through the metal gate.
Go back down to the main path, then 10 metres further on, take the path on the left which leads to the river and the second waterfall. Go back up.

After thefourth and final river crossing, ignore the large building at La Calmette and take the path on the left. Continue to follow the Ruisseau de Cîtelles and return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 248 m - Chemin du Moulin Neuf along the edge of the field
  2. 1 : km 0.99 - alt. 305 m - Fork in the road, turn right
  3. 2 : km 1.59 - alt. 340 m - Fork in the road, take the second right on the uphill slope
  4. 3 : km 2.49 - alt. 444 m - Turn left onto the plateau
  5. 4 : km 3.2 - alt. 438 m - Crossroads, main track on the right
  6. 5 : km 3.65 - alt. 429 m - Three-way junction, left
  7. 6 : km 3.93 - alt. 420 m - Parallel tracks, on the right
  8. 7 : km 4.37 - alt. 432 m - Yellow gas pipeline marker, on the right
  9. 8 : km 4.83 - alt. 406 m - Exit the woods on the right
  10. 9 : km 6.29 - alt. 339 m - Hamlet of Les Cîtelles
  11. 10 : km 6.62 - alt. 335 m - Fork in the road, turn left towards the waterfall
  12. S/E : km 9.53 - alt. 247 m - Chemin du Moulin Neuf along the edge of the field

Notes

Variation
For a shorter walk and to enjoy the shaded section along the river, do a return trip in reverse, from the start (S/E) to points (10) and (9) and then back.
This will give you a 6 km walk with an elevation gain of +90 m / -90 m.

Worth a visit

Visit the old village of Le Poêt-Laval or the Trappist monastery of Aiguebelle.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 41 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Les Bibi
Les Bibi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike for the second time this time in November 2025. Still as pleasant in summer, it is shaded. (Orientation with GPS point on map)
I recommend it.

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ceros
ceros

Right from the start, 300 metres after Moulin de Bay, turn left immediately at the only paved section.
However, GPS guidance is essential to find your way, as there are many intersecting paths and it is difficult to navigate using only a map and text.

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Kraftval
Kraftval

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

First of all, thank you to Ceros for this hike, which is worth doing at least as a round trip from the starting point to point 9 (which is what we did, in a way...).
Several fun fords, footbridges, waterfalls, views of a secret canyon to discover, a nice spot in the village for a picnic in the shade of a fig tree... pure bliss!
Be careful when arriving by car, as the sign for the Chemin du Moulin Neuf is difficult to see shortly after the dovecote.
Good to know: on the road after the Bay mill, there is space to park three cars.
We took the route backwards because we weren't sure which was the right way up (is it the one with a yellow cross?)
We ended up getting lost after point 7 and had to turn back to point 6, following the yellow signs (no GPS...).
Conclusion: a place well worth discovering, even better with a GPS

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LOCCI
LOCCI

Very nice, riverside location and fords to cross. I enjoyed it.

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AUDIN
AUDIN

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Simple, isolated, shaded circuit. Ideal in hot weather. The last 100 metres are along the road, and this could be improved by continuing into the land on the right-hand side of the road. Worth seeing. Otherwise, VERY pleasant.

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LOCCI
LOCCI

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We combined this route with the Serre Pointu route. We started from La Touche and did it backwards. We really enjoyed finishing with the rivers and fords.

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papou26200
papou26200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk alternating between forest paths (particularly beech woods, which are quite rare in this area) and tracks on the plateau. Shady with several fords, it is undoubtedly ideal in summer. Don't miss the waterfall at point 10 and the Roman bridge, which are interesting sights as you don't expect to find this little canyon here.

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Cocolamotarde
Cocolamotarde

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A very nice hike. I give it an average rating because the first two hours are really just walking, although I must admit that the scenery is very beautiful. However, on the way back, when you reach point 9, don't hesitate to scramble around and look for water. You'll come across some beautiful gems. I was amazed. Thank you to the person who shared this hike

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murauvergne
murauvergne

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike that can be done with children. No difficulty. A varied and shaded route.

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jpvls
jpvls

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

In this scorching heat, we decided to only do points 10 and 9 from the starting point and return.
With our Labrador in tow, we were delighted to find that the Citelles stream was full of clear water
!
So we made the round trip to the chapel and it was very pleasant to cool off sometimes in
the stream!

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GEGECA
GEGECA

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with no difficulty.

GEGECA

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Suki
Suki

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very enjoyable hike with dogs who were delighted to swim. We followed the GPS route, which took us on the walk backwards.

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Babfont
Babfont

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A very pleasant hike without any major difficulties. Access to the various waterfalls is really not easy; we only managed to see one, the third, but it was worth it.
Be careful at point 8, it's no longer a lavender field, it's just a field. At point 9, the arrow has been moved and changed direction. It is now at the second barrier and points back towards the village. In fact, we met a lot of people on the section between 10 and 9, either going in the opposite direction, and I think the arrow is now for this section.

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mb73
mb73
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely shaded hike, which is nice in summer (but I only went as far as the hamlet of Citelles, following the stream). I had some trouble finding the first waterfall, as the ruins are not very visible! Look carefully on the left side of the path as you climb.

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Maryma
Maryma

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, shaded walk. This is important during hot weather. The paths are very pleasant. Unfortunately, the box trees have been ravaged by moths...
The Cîtelle is still flowing! But no swimming for me. I preferred to head back before the heat of the day.
I didn't go down to the first waterfall on purpose, but I found the second one easily.
No problems crossing the fords.
Thank you for showing me this path so close to home that I didn't even know existed! I'll be back with friends :-))

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