The drystone shelters at the start of Saze

A beautiful hike that takes you to the drystone shelters, old huts built from dry stones in the heath. Beautiful landscapes and panoramic views of the Rhône.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.69 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 182 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 177 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 148 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 54 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Saze (30650)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.942651° / E 4.679216°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2941OT, 2942OT, 3041OT, 3042OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park of the Saze village hall.

(S/E) Go past the hall and take the path on the left heading south. 200 metres further on, at the calvary, turn right and follow the signposted path "La petite draille" which starts on your left. At the sign "Pin d'Alep", continue along the small drovers' road and go through a very narrow passage which climbs slightly. At the top of the path, cross the vineyard straight ahead, then turn left and follow the edge of the field.

(1) When you reach the path, turn right. At the crossroads at the end of the vineyards, continue straight ahead. Ignore all the paths on either side and pass under the high-voltage line. Continue and pass under the TGV line. Turn right and stay on the main path for about 300 metres, ignoring the paths on the right and left, until you reach a crossroads with an esplanade.

(2) Continue straight ahead towards the south and ignore all the paths on the right until you come to the first path on the left leading to a hut (there are several signs saying "Réserve de chasse" [hunting reserve]).

(3) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. Leave two paths on the right and two on the left to reach the GR® signpost.

(4) At the "Plane d'Houme" sign, climb up to the right towards Aramon. You are now on theGR®42a(white and red) and a yellow signpost. After passing between the rocks, you will arrive at the "Taoule Messe" sign. Leave the main track and continue straight ahead, keeping south and ignoring all the paths on either side.

(5) After a steep climb of about 800 metres, you will see a drystone shelter below on your left. You can go down to visit it. It has been restored and is surrounded by beautiful olive trees. Go back up the path and continue left, following the yellow markings. There is a beautiful view of the area around Aramon.

(6) After 500m, at a place called Les Rompudes, take the first path on the left and follow the yellow markings and the markings with a pictogram of a drystone shelter, which will lead you to various drystone shelters. Stay on the main path, pass under a power line and you will come to a larger path.

(7) Turn left, heading north, go through a gate and continue straight ahead, ignoring the paths on either side. After about 1.5 km, pass under the high-voltage line, turn left, and the path will curve to the left. Stay on the main path, ignoring the paths on either side. Join a larger path and turn left until you reach the high-voltage line. Pass under it and you will arrive at the junction where theGR® trail branches off to the right (the route on the map is slightly off).

(8) Turn right onto theGR®, walk along the vineyards and continue straight ahead on the path that passes under the TGV line (contemplate the poetry of the graffiti artists). Continue on the track that turns right and joins a crossroads. Turn left and continue straight ahead until you reach a paved road.

(9) Turn left, pass the cemetery and keep left at the fork to reach the town hall.

(10) Go around the building on the left and turn left onto Rue de Provence, then right onto Rue Saint-Marc. Turn right onto Chemin de la Carrierette and finally, at the end, left to reach the community centre (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 85 m - Parking at the Saze multi-purpose hall
  2. 1 : km 1.53 - alt. 148 m - On the right between the vineyards
  3. 2 : km 2.82 - alt. 96 m - Straight south
  4. 3 : km 3.31 - alt. 85 m - Straight ahead
  5. 4 : km 3.67 - alt. 88 m - Plane d'Houme, on the right
  6. 5 : km 5.06 - alt. 106 m - To the left towards a drystone shelter
  7. 6 : km 5.89 - alt. 89 m - Les Rompudes, on the left
  8. 7 : km 6.51 - alt. 55 m - Turn left onto a wider path
  9. 8 : km 9.34 - alt. 79 m - Turn right onto the GR
  10. 9 : km 11.25 - alt. 108 m - Turn left onto the paved road
  11. 10 : km 12.24 - alt. 87 m - Saze Castle
  12. S/E : km 12.69 - alt. 85 m - Parking at the Saze multi-purpose hall

Notes

Good walking shoes are recommended.

Worth a visit

Panoramic view of the area around Aramon.
The drystone shelters are very well restored and give an insight into how shepherds used to live.
Panoramic view of the Rhône and the villages of Boulbon, Barbentane and, further away, Beaucaire...
In the village of Saze, you can visit the town hall and the library.

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

4.3 / 5
Based on 66 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
User 23734089

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 22, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I should point out that I have slightly modified my route.

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jclec
jclec

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Starting from Aramon (drystone shelter car park at the end of Chemin Ste Suzanne, with around ten spaces). The difficulty in following the route lies in the fact that numerous unmarked paths regularly cross in all directions.
The first part is the least interesting, with ascents and descents and views of the EDF pylons. When we arrived in Saze, we turned onto the discovery trail, just opposite the cemetery, which joins the marked route.
The second part offers much more pleasant views and allows you to see the drystone shelters. But to do so, you will need to take the discovery trail at point 5, which goes from one drystone shelter to another. Very pretty, but be careful on the descent. Return via this path to the starting point. Thank you for this hike.

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Zinna
Zinna

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Nice hike, but you have to follow the map, not the description...

Accessible to dogs, few elevation changes, easy to do, the drystone shelters are very beautiful.

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Sylvie Dessales Fazio
Sylvie Dessales Fazio

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a good walk, but you have to go about 5.5 km to see the first drystone shelters.
Not all of them are marked on the route, as there are around fifteen in total.
Follow the small posts with the drystone shelter symbol and follow the arrows, which will take you off the route, but it's worth seeing them all.
They are very well maintained and beautiful.
One small detail: the return trip is a bit monotonous.
For me, this is an easy hike, not a moderate one.

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Flo13
Flo13

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike... Lots of drystone shelters...
It's a good idea to have GPS as there are many paths...
After point 6, take a detour to the left to see the orientation table...
Between points 7 and 8, you can take a detour along the discovery trail on the left, which rejoins the circuit further on. It's more pleasant than the track...
Worth doing again...

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Christian FRAYSSE
Christian FRAYSSE

Hello, I didn't do the "Capitelles from Saze" hike because it was a bit too long for the friends I was hiking with.
I'm going to use it as inspiration for a hike called "Capitelles from Aramon", which is only 8 or 9 km long. I'm planning to try it out soon
Best regards, Christian

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Dan30300
Dan30300

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

A peaceful and relaxing environment, very pleasant hiking

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nimesULM
nimesULM

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike on good trails with lots of stones and pebbles. The drystone shelters and the view are worth seeing (after point 6, take a short detour to the orientation table).
Avoid this hike in very hot weather or strong mistral winds.

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Happy Walker
Happy Walker

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The description alone is not enough to follow the route when you see the multitude of paths to avoid and the lack of signposting. However, with the Visorando app, it is very easy to follow the trail. The drystone shelters are superb; don't hesitate to stray from the route to see them. On the way back, the long straight stretch between points 7 and 8 is particularly challenging if it's sunny. Apart from this section, the circuit is pleasant and not particularly difficult.

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Michann
Michann

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This route must have been designed by someone who knows the area well, as it's too complicated to find your way around. We got lost several times and we weren't the only ones. Luckily, we found other hikers who were also lost and we were able to use maps to see where we were
We got help from a local mountain biker who was a huge help
Otherwise we would still be in the heath
We ended up walking 20 km instead of 12. Luckily, there were no children with us
Otherwise, it was a beautiful hike to see the drystone shelters

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dougere
dougere
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike and lovely renovated drystone shelters. The only downside is that some sections of the return journey are a little monotonous. Route completed using the app.

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CDidier
CDidier

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, fairly easy (we did it in 3 hours instead of the 4 hours and 10 minutes planned), with some stunning views. One small downside: the directions seemed unclear when we got to the drystone shelters. We couldn't have done it without the app to make sure we stayed on the right path.

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bs13
bs13

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Reconnaissance hike completed on 11 January 2024, under a light drizzle! A lovely little hike with a slight elevation gain (perfect for getting back into shape after the festive season), lots of drystone shelters to see and a beautiful view from the orientation table at the top.

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M.maurice
M.maurice

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pleasant hike, don't hesitate to stray from the trail to see more drystone shelters. Very easy to get back on track with GPS visorando. 13 km elevation gain higher than advertised. Beautiful walk.

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Pierre R2.
Pierre R2.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, easy hike for a group of seniors. The drystone shelters are magnificent. Thank you to the association for their work.
Not recommended in summer as there is very little shade.

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