Le Tournier - La Bastidie - Le Riou Viou

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

Nice walk.
As mentioned in other comments, at one point you need to take a path that overlooks the stream instead of staying right next to it. The trail is too vague after point 3. Be careful not to follow the stream.

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Date of your route : Jul 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

GPX track created using a mouse and incorrect from the second part along the Riou Viou stream – it does not show where to ford the stream (except for the last crossing), especially as the path is barely visible or invisible in places. The fords must be crossed on a guess, by guessing where the paths start on the opposite bank - not recommended with children and when the water flow is high, although it was very low at the end of July. It's a shame because the rest of the route is pleasant and, although short, varied.

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Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The second part, after La Bastide, is not easy to do as there is no real path. Shaded route.

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Date of your route : May 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk.
As mentioned in other comments, at one point you have to take a path that overlooks the stream instead of staying right next to it.
I also decided not to cross the river at the second ford (it had rained quite heavily the day before), but I was able to find (quite easily) the road to finish the route.

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The large number of downloads and the temporary focus on a single department should be enough to tell you that I cannot have hiked on these routes... I am currently preparing, on a departmental basis, programmes for discovering the whole of France, intended in principle for motorhome hikers... but which are likely to be of interest to everyone! To do this, I regularly consult Visorando because it is the best and most comprehensive site. Despite this initial compliment, there are still three drawbacks:

• Circular, the cumulative positive and negative elevation gains must be equal! A difference of tens of metres is unacceptable!
• It would seem that the level of difficulty reflects the (random!) assessment of the writer. Why not use ibpIndex.com?
• The routes on the attached maps are always red, so they are not very visible! Green, Blue, Yellow, Red, Black?

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

During this heatwave, the second part of the route is pleasant, even though the stream is dry in some places (except for the fords ).

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Date of your route : May 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A superb route, but be prepared to get your feet wet when crossing the second ford (there was a lot of water in May). This avoids having to turn back, as you are very close to your destination.
At one point, you should not follow the river, but the trail overlooking the river to avoid getting caught in brambles...

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Date of your route : Jun 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

Avoid! A completely uninteresting hike that ends in a dead end surrounded by ferns. The only option is to turn back, find a tarmac road that passes in front of a huge, dusty and noisy quarry, and return via the road. There are no signposts and GPS is of no help in finding your way. There's a big difference between the actual terrain and the route on the app. Choose another destination!

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Date of your route : Feb 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The first part was very good, very pleasant even in February, as you are alone amid the switchbacks above the Riou Viou stream. On the way back, we couldn't ford the stream because the current was too strong, so we took the road that also overlooks the Riou Viou.

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Date of your route : Jul 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

Hello,
The first half of the hike is pleasant.
Beyond that, the path disappears into brambles and vegetation, and there isn't much of a view.
What's more, the route marked on the map does not always correspond to the actual terrain.
It's true that it's not really possible to get lost, but...
After point 3, as one hiker's comment points out, it is possible to take a wrong turn, which is exactly what we did...
Best regards,

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Date of your route : May 16, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I would add a point 4 because when you follow the river, you come to a dead end. In fact, after point 3 (about 500m), there is a three-way junction with two paths, one that follows the river and one that goes up to the left. You have to take the left one, otherwise you will come to a dead end.

As for the fords, it should be noted that they are only accessible in summer. We did the hike on 13 May and the water level was still high. No big deal, we just got our feet wet! ;-)

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Date of your route : Jun 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beautiful walk. Well done!

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Hello everyone
Waypoints have been added to this hike to help you find your way around.

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The first part of the hike was straightforward in terms of explanations, but the second part was more challenging, especially in March. We were unable to cross the river (which is likely normal at this time of year), and it wasn't always easy to find a plan B! However, there is little risk of getting lost when following the river. The hike is varied, pleasant and easy (except for one small descent).

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Thank you, annemariecarbes.
I would prefer you to be mistaken . But it is entirely possible that nature has taken over. All comments are the first since July 2014, so anything is possible. Let's wait for more feedback from the field to adapt the description.

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