Castles from Villevielle

A tour to discover the rich history of the Vidourle Valley: castles, old farmhouses, fountains and wash houses.
A few sections on paved roads make this walk accessible to all.

Details

1560667
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.79 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 72 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 72 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 98 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 41 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking is available near the Château de Villevielle.

(S/E) Take the road opposite the car park (signposted Mairie/Cimetière/Temple/Église) to go around the village, taking the Allée du Parc, then turn right onto Boulevard de l'Aube. Continue straight ahead, passing the town hall and the war memorial. At the end, turn right onto Boulevard des Acanthes, then right onto Boulevard du Couchant (on the left, there is a beautiful view of the Vidourle valley, Sommières and, on the horizon, the Pic Saint Loup).

(1) Near the castle, take the small road that descends to the left. A sign indicates the directions "Château de Pondres 2.4 km, Mas de Mestre 0.7 km".
After about 50 metres downhill, take the steps on the right marked "Sentier du Fer à Cheval".
Continue along this path for 50 m until you reach the D40 departmental road, then cross it.

(2) After crossing the road, turn right onto Chemin du Lavoir after 20 metres.
Continue along the ditch for 300 m, leaving the paved section for a few metres to take a small stony path on the left (at the "attention enfant" sign). You will pass the magnificent Villevieille wash house on your left.

At the roundabout, cross Avenue de la Calmette and after a left/right turn, take the road opposite (signposted Mas de Mestre 150 m) to enter Chemin du Piquet. Just before Mas de Mestre, follow the sign for "Château de Pondres 1.7 km, La Tourille 1.3 km".
Pass Mas de Mestre. Continue along the small paved road. Turn around to discover a lovely view of the hill of Villevieille and its castle.

(3) A yellow sign indicates that you should turn right at the transformer to take a small dirt track that runs alongside a field.
Cross the D6110 departmental road (signposted Mas Moulin à vent) and follow the motocross track on your right.
At the fork, follow the signs for "Fontanès 3.1 km, Château de Pondres 0.4 km". Follow a vineyard that leads to the castle.

(4) Go around the Château de Pondres on the right, then go back up to the D6110 departmental road and just before it, take a small road that goes through the woods to avoid going along the departmental road. This will take you to the large roundabout.

(5) Cross the D110 at the roundabout and immediately turn left onto Chemin de la Carrière.
Pass the Pondres quarry, then the Raymondville farmhouse.

(6) At the crossroads, turn right onto the small tarmac road (Chemin de Fontbouysse). A little further on, you will see a sign for "Château de Villevieille 2.9 km, Mas de Mestre 2.2 km".
When you reach the road (D105 chemin de la Bourre), turn left and continue up to the roundabout on the D22 departmental road, which you will take on the right. Continue on the right-hand road for 100 m.

(7) Turn right again onto Chemin de la Font Ronde towards Mas de la Rivoire. Follow this small tarmac road for about 1 km.

(8) In front of Mas de Mestre, turn right onto the small dirt track.
When you reach the small paved road, turn left (signposted "Villevieille 0.7 km") and rejoin the section you came along on the way out. Cross Avenue de la Calmette, head towards the roundabout and go around it, follow the ditch along Chemin du Lavoir and turn left towards the D40.

(2) Cross it, go up the Sentier du Fer à Cheval, and return to the intersection you passed on the way there, near the castle.

(1) Turn left onto Rue des Aires to return to the car park near the castle (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 94 m - Parking near the castle
  2. 1 : km 0.77 - alt. 94 m - Fork in the road towards the "Fer à Cheval" trail
  3. 2 : km 0.96 - alt. 64 m - Crossing the D40
  4. 3 : km 2.3 - alt. 48 m - Dirt road to the transformer
  5. 4 : km 3.34 - alt. 46 m - Pondres Castle
  6. 5 : km 3.93 - alt. 50 m - D110 roundabout
  7. 6 : km 4.61 - alt. 64 m - Chemin de Fontbouysse
  8. 7 : km 5.65 - alt. 76 m - Chemin de La Font Ronde
  9. 8 : km 6.64 - alt. 54 m - Mas de Mestre
  10. S/E : km 7.79 - alt. 92 m - Parking near the castle

Notes

NOTE: Take great care when crossing departmental roads.

Worth a visit

Things to see:

- The medieval castle of Villevielle, remodelled during the Renaissance
- The covered wash house and its three basins where washerwomen used to wash their clothes
- Fontronde, a carved stone structure that channels water to the wash house
- The Gallo-Roman remains from the 1st century BC near the cemetery.
- The 12th-century Pondres Castle in a large wooded park with its dovecote

Good to know:

Strategically located overlooking the Vidourle plain and with abundant water, the Château de Villevieille dates back to the 11th century, as attested by a deed of Bernard III in 1041.
Two hundred years later, the castle became royal property. Baron Bermond, who sided against the King of France during the Albigensian War, saw his castle partially razed to the ground. It was partly rebuilt in the 13th century and again during the Renaissance. Private castle open to the public (information available from the Tourist Office).

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 27 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 25633214

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Yellow-marked trail, easy to follow.
Two magnificent castles along the route.
Few difficulties...

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zoupira
zoupira

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Easy hike, as there is very little elevation gain, concentrated on stairs between Villevieille and the hiking section · a few sections along roads with no footpaths·

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User 15137946

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

A pleasant walk with good explanations, but to follow it properly, you need to have your phone with you at all times, which I didn't, so I made a few small mistakes along the way. But it's no big deal.
In my opinion, don't hesitate to take a stroll around the grounds of Pondres Castle, which is well worth a visit. The park is huge.
After the walk, I also recommend taking a stroll and visiting Sommières if you're not from the area.

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sylvie la crau
sylvie la crau

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

hello, the route is very pretty and very easy. We started directly from Sommières, which makes the hike a little longer but also allows you to visit the town of Sommières, which is very beautiful.

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Mireille Majac
Mireille Majac

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route, even if there is quite a bit of tarmac, as it follows charming little wooded roads with no traffic, used only by cyclists. Discover some very nice places

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REVIENDREZ
REVIENDREZ

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

__ This route is highly recommended. The Château de Villevieille is remarkable, with a magnificent façade overlooking the plain and exceptional views. The route is varied and takes you past another beautifully restored castle, Pondres (hotel/restaurant). One small downside: make sure you mention that the car park at the start is the one at the town hall, not far from the statue of the bull

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Claude 2 Nîmes
Claude 2 Nîmes

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk close to Sommières with the option of visiting the castles of Pondres and Villevieille.

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bragonev
bragonev

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little ride on paved roads. Nice to do at a leisurely pace, to get some fresh air

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louz
louz

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

(1) We saw the small road on the left, but there was no sign saying "Château de Pondres 2.4 km, Mas de Mestre, 0.7 km".
Being used to Visorando's precise and accurate descriptions, this confused us.
(4) Go around the castle on the right means leave it on your left; there were different interpretations among us.
(8) In front of Mas de Mestre: we didn't see a sign indicating the name of the farmhouse, which we spotted not in the direction of travel but by turning around.
These details did not detract from the enjoyment of this walk on a beautiful day.

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JC PEDIBUS
JC PEDIBUS

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This route is accessible to walkers who are not very experienced and mainly follows paved paths, making it suitable for walking after rain.
Stop for a bite to eat at the Château de Pondres, where the quality/price ratio is excellent. We also enjoyed the setting and surroundings.
The village of Villevieille is also worth a visit.

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Deux randonneurs
Deux randonneurs

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk; the paved roads are quiet and run through the countryside.

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longe cossie
longe cossie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little tour on Monday 10 October in mild weather for the season.
Viellevielle Castle, the wash house, Pondres Castle, the vegetable gardens, the panoramic views and the Font Ronde spring are all highlights of the route
A pleasant walk

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les MM's
les MM's

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike. We only followed the GPS route, and it seems to me that this route was created by someone travelling by bike, which explains the sections on asphalt. In fact, the route passes several times alongside a beautiful single-track trail that would be better to take when on foot. For example, at the beginning, to descend below the castle of Villevielle, it is much nicer to take the Fer à Cheval footpath (with paved slanting streets and steps) that passes near the picnic table in the bend below the castle, rather than descending by the road. Further on, after Pondres Castle, following the GPS track, we missed a beautiful forest path
I think this walk could be revised to include less tarmac.

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Annie et Jean-Marc
Annie et Jean-Marc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike that allowed us to discover some new places

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Cris34430
Cris34430

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike, well marked. Magnificent wash house and castles.
Thank you for sharing this lovely spot with us.

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