The medieval village of Cotignac

Parking on Avenue de Cotignac.

(S/E) From Avenue de Cotignac, take Rue Saint-Sébastien, then Rue Léon Gérard.

(1) At the Grand Rue crossroads, take the street on the left, cross Cours Gambetta and continue to the Fontaine des Quatre Saisons.

(2) Go down to the left of the fountain, follow the D13/Route de Carces on the right, cross the La Cassole bridge and immediately take the street on the right. Go up Chemin de Notre-Dame for 120 m, continue straight ahead on Chemin de la Colle, then Chemin du Clos de Notre-Dame. After climbing for 700 m, turn right and follow the track up to the Chapelle de Notre-Dame-de-Grâces.

(3) From the chapel, follow Chemin de Notre-Dame for 1,100 m. Ignore the first marked trail leading to the Ferraillon neighbourhood. Continue for 50 m, then take the^second trail on the right opposite a forest track.

(4) The path descends steeply and joins the Chemin du Derroc, passing through the Verdares and Derroc neighbourhoods and the Saint-Martin Chapel.

(5) Turn right, follow Chemin de la Chapelle and cross the La Cassole bridge.

(6) After the slight left turn, at the^first house (just before the bend in the D13), turn right, cross the courtyard and follow the marked trail to the centre of Cotignac. The trail leads to the Chemin des Tours (you can walk to the two towers and back for a panoramic view).

(7) Cross the road and go down Montée des Escaillons (two sets of steps).

(8) At Rue des Jardins, turn left, cross Place de la Mairie, then Place Georges Blanc and continue along Rue des Placettes. Go through the gate on the left and cross the Théâtre du Rocher park (open-air theatre).

(9) Keep right, follow the path and the stairs to climb up to Rue du Rocher. Cross the street and continue climbing the stairs to visit the Rocher cliff. The route descends and takes Rue Melchior Pastour. After a few metres, climb up to the right towards a viewpoint.

(10) Go down the steps and return to Rue des Escaillons.

(8) Continue straight ahead along Rue des Jardins. Turn left onto Traverse des Jardins, pass the cemetery and continue along Rue de l'Arenier. Turn left and walk up Cours Gambetta.

(1) At the Grand Rue crossroads, turn right onto Rue Léon Guérard and follow the same route as on the way there to reach the Avenue de Cotignac car park (S/E).

To make the hike easier, follow the GPX route on the map.
On market days, parking is difficult as the car parks are full.
After the hike, visit the upper town of Cotignac, around the Town Hall Square and the Grand-Rue (narrow streets lined with old houses from the 16th and 17th centuries).

Slideshow The medieval village of Cotignac

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