Le Knoll de Chapteuil from Saint-Julien-Chapteuil

This is an easy hike that offers beautiful views of the Saint-Julien basin and a visit to the ruins of the Château du Seigneur de Chapteuil. There are very few sections on small roads. This is a great hike if you have friends who are not used to hiking; they will come back delighted!

Details

859920
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.50 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 241 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 244 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,017 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 818 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park opposite the town hall, in front of the Tourist Office.
(S/E) Walk up the village's main street, past the private school, and turn left onto "Côte Gelée", a cobbled lane leading to the church.

(1) Go around the church on the right and descend via a marked grassy path. When you reach the stream, do not cross it but follow it on the right to reach the D15 road that crosses the village. Cross this road to find a few steps opposite, which you descend. Continue straight ahead on the wide path that continues to follow the stream; this is also used by the GR®. Cross a small bridge, climb slightly and you will reach a crossroads.

(2) Leave trail no. 1, which branches off to the right, and continue along the path, which is tarmac for a few dozen metres and climbs quite steeply. This will take you to a crossroads of wide paths marked by a cross.

(3) Take the path on the left, markedGR®, which climbs slightly before descending and then climbing again. Opposite some livestock buildings, you will reach a junction with a path on the left.

(4) Take this path on the left (continue on theGR® and trail no. 1). Descend to the stream and climb up opposite to reach the D15. Cross this road and continue opposite to reach the hamlet of Les Couderts via a small road.

(5) Pass the first house on the left and, immediately after the three-way junction, take the path that climbs up to the left, still marked by trail no. 1 and theGR® route, which you will leave at the first junction. Follow the trail no. 1 markings to climb below the summit of the knoll, at the foot of splendid basalt cliffs. You will reach a platform, then descend on the other side at the top of a huge scree slope. Go through the Bacelles gate, turn right and follow the trail no. 1 markings to reach the hamlet of Bacelles.

(6) When you reach the road, turn right and then almost immediately onto the path that starts on the left. Follow this beautiful path through the meadows until you reach a road.

(7) Take this road on the left, continue straight ahead at the crossroads, pass the retirement home and arrive at a stream. Turn right and cross the first bridge on the left. Follow the street that runs alongside the stream and then climbs up on the left, reaching the main street of Saint-Julien. A few metres on the right will then lead you to the finish (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 821 m - Saint-Julien Town Hall
  2. 1 : km 0.3 - alt. 850 m - Church
  3. 2 : km 1.68 - alt. 860 m - End of trail no. 1
  4. 3 : km 2.06 - alt. 902 m - Crossroads with a cross, on the left on the GR
  5. 4 : km 2.82 - alt. 925 m - Trail no. 1 junction, path on the left
  6. 5 : km 3.51 - alt. 930 m - Les Couderts, path on the left
  7. 6 : km 4.78 - alt. 927 m - Bacelles
  8. 7 : km 5.8 - alt. 857 m - Arrival on the road, on the left
  9. S/E : km 6.5 - alt. 821 m - Saint-Julien Town Hall

Notes

Information: The circuit follows the markings of trail no. 1 inthe Meygal trail area between (S) and (2), then between (4) and (E). It also follows theGR® 65 between (2) and (5) (more precisely, a little before (2) and a little after (5)!
Be sure to wear good shoes for the section between (5) and (6) as there are many stones.

Worth a visit

Be sure to visitthe listedRomanesque church of Saint-Julien-Chapteuil(1).
When crossing the stream between (4) and (5), go inside the mill and admire its stone vaulted ceiling.
5 Information about the organs
Between (5) and (6), take the opportunity to read the many information panels about the castle and the volcano on which it is built.
In the hamlet of Bacelles (6), note the bread oven renovated by the Meygalit association.

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

4.6 / 5
Based on 20 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Ptibusy
Ptibusy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike! Some beautiful views!

Machine-translated

patricklanglois
patricklanglois

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, well-shaded route with stunning views, particularly of the village of Saint Julien from the knoll.

Machine-translated

Mag-38
Mag-38

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

An easy walk with very few people.
Some sections run alongside fields offering pleasant views.

Machine-translated

Jackopat
Jackopat

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, pleasant walk with beautiful views and interesting information boards.
The only time we had trouble finding our way was in description (1), where it took us a while to find the "few steps" because there was a private gate and you have to get close to see the steps. You do indeed have to cross the road straight ahead and go straight across. No other problems.
Also, my GPS stopped working for a while, so I decided that next time I would download and print out the description and the map.

Machine-translated

loutor
loutor

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

great walk. With a beautiful view

Machine-translated

Maya01
Maya01

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Superb walk, description matched my expectations, thanks to the author

Machine-translated

AMTournon
AMTournon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike that is interesting from a geological, historical and heritage perspective. Magnificent landscapes.

Machine-translated

gilbonson
gilbonson

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A wonderful discovery of the surroundings of St Julien and its castle.

Machine-translated

divielau
divielau

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

great description of the route. You never feel lost, even if you don't know the area at all. I think in summer it's best to do it in the morning.
thanks to the team.

Machine-translated

CUNCHON
CUNCHON

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent walk without any major difficulties. Superb landscapes with unobstructed views.
We followed this route using GPS, so I can't comment on the description.
Thank you for this route, which is definitely worth the detour

Machine-translated

mielouri
mielouri

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant tour, covering the history of the mills and Chapteuil Castle. Ideal for families

Machine-translated

RitonRandonneur
RitonRandonneur

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We had a lovely little walk in the afternoon. The weather was fine and I mapped out the route using GPS
All the previous comments are absolutely right: it's a beautiful region and I'll be coming back to Saint Julien

Machine-translated

Vincentamja
Vincentamja

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very varied hike with a superb view of the knoll as the highlight.

Machine-translated

catsermatis
catsermatis

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A beautiful hike with a climb up to knoll des Couderts, where you can enjoy magnificent views of the valley and see the ruins of a medieval castle.
At the time of writing (09.07.20), the church is undergoing renovation work, so you cannot go around it on the right, but at point 1 you can go directly down to the left at the top of the "Côte Gelée". However, you can then go back up the small path after the houses to admire the view from behind the church.
The description is good, except towards the end of the route (point 5) where we had to ask for directions.

Machine-translated

luckykicky
luckykicky

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Superb hike with very little tarmac. No risk of getting lost once you reach the knoll with a view of St Julien de Chapteuil. All you have to do is descend via Le Pierrer. Beautiful views and a charming little village. I think we covered more than 6.5 kilometres

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.