The Gagne hillsides from Bournac

de fr

A short walk that circles the Bournac massif and offers views over much of the Gagne Gorges. The route is quite unspoilt, with many sections through woodland, making it very pleasant in hot weather. It makes a lovely addition to a visit to the hamlet of Bigorre, a village of thatched cottages situated nearby.

Details

n°1305089
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.33 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 650 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 643 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,681 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3,068 ft
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Description of the walk

Park near the wayside shrine at the entrance to the hamlet of Bournac.

(S/E) Let the main road branch off to the right towards Bigorre and take the small road on the left which crosses the hamlet and continues gently downhill through a landscape of hedgerows.

(1) At a three-way junction near the hamlet of La Teyssonnière, turn right and shortly afterwards walk past a final house. Walk down through the meadows (enjoy the stunning view!) and, at the end of the meadows, reach a junction of forest tracks.

(2) Take the track on the right, which enters the woods and loses altitude quite quickly. Stay on the main track at all times, ignoring the paths that lead down to the left. The track levels out before continuing its descent to the lowest point (elevation 945 on the map).

(3) Climb back up, continuing along the same track, as the coniferous woodland gradually gives way to a beech forest.

(4) Ignore a path that descends steeply to the left and leads to Bigorre; continue climbing straight ahead. The track widens and climbs through meadows, eventually reaching the entrance to the hamlet of Bournac at a hairpin bend.

(5) Walk down the road to the left and join the main road at a cross (pass). Turn right onto this road and, after about a hundred metres, you will reach the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,596 ft - Parking at the entrance to the hamlet of Bournac
  2. 1 : mi 1 - alt. 3,376 ft - La Teyssonnière
  3. 2 : mi 1.27 - alt. 3,271 ft - Junction of forest tracks overlooking the - Gagne (rivière)
  4. 3 : mi 2.05 - alt. 3,110 ft - Lowest point (945m)
  5. 4 : mi 2.65 - alt. 3,389 ft - Straight ahead, uphill
  6. 5 : mi 3.13 - alt. 3,678 ft - Hairpin bend at the entrance to Bournac
  7. S/E : mi 3.33 - alt. 3,596 ft - Parking at the entrance to the hamlet of Bournac

Notes

The ground is sometimes quite stony, with steep slopes. Good walking shoes are therefore recommended.

Worth a visit

Don’t miss a visit to the hamlet of Bigorre, famous for its many thatched cottages, which has an eco-museum.

Reviews and comments

3.7 / 5
Based on 5 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.6 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
laurent.carraro
laurent.carraro

I’m sorry to hear about your setbacks.
The route is indeed largely unmarked, and becomes quite wild after the last hamlet.
There’s a bit of road at the start, then it’s all track (so not even a strictly footpath).
It’s therefore fairly straightforward to follow, unless a forest track has been created once you’re in the woods, which can be a bit confusing.
Follow the GPS if you have trouble finding your way.

Machine-translated

Labricole
Labricole

Overall rating : 1.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

Hello, be prepared for an unmarked route. Confusion is inevitable after the hamlet of La Teyssoneyre – not La Teyssoniere – at point 1. The suggested walk really does take you for a proper ramble!!! We found ourselves in the middle of the meadows with no real ‘trails’. After reading the description several times and turning back a few times, we gave up. In reality, two-thirds of the route was on roads. We were very disappointed by this ‘walk’ and by the clarity of the description.

Machine-translated

colomb
colomb

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We went at the start of June; it was lovely, even though we strayed off course – or even got lost – but despite that, we’d definitely do it again without hesitation.

Machine-translated

KI R.
KI R.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk and very accessible… you can even do it on a mountain bike without any trouble, apart from one fairly steep hill :=)

Machine-translated

rock
rock

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The signposting is faulty. Or perhaps the signs disappeared before our walk…?

Machine-translated

laurent.carraro
laurent.carraro

That’s true… but fortunately there are still plenty of unmarked paths to explore

Machine-translated

rock
rock

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Signposting is rather lacking...

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking Panoramic walk on the Bigorre plateau

Visorando Member
Balade panoramique sur le plateau de Bigorre
↔4.99 mi ↗+558 ft ↘-584 ft ◔2h 45 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Saint-Front (Haute-Loire) (Haute-Loire)
This easy hike, which allows you to discover the very pretty village of Bigorre and its 17 thatched cottages, offers numerous views of the region and its diverse landscapes.

Walking Gagne slopes via Bigorre

Visorando Member
Côtes de Gagne par Bigorre
↔6.28 mi ↗+1,726 ft ↘-1,739 ft ◔4h 25 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Montusclat (Haute-Loire)
This short, fairly challenging walk crosses the deep, wild Gagne gorges twice. It also passes through Bigorre, a beautiful village with thatched-roof houses on the edge of the plateau. Please note: a wading crossing is compulsory!

Walking Promenade des Frères Perrel

Visorando Member
↔1.59 mi ↗+105 ft ↘-89 ft ◔0h 50 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Moudeyres (Haute-Loire)
A very short walk between the thatched village of Moudeyres, its eco-museum, the Ferme des Frères Perrel, and the heights of the Aubépin valley.

Walking Panoramic views around Saint-Front

Visorando Member
↔7.31 mi ↗+646 ft ↘-633 ft ◔3h 55 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Front (Haute-Loire) (Haute-Loire)
This peaceful route starting from Saint-Front allows you to enjoy the contrast between the steep-sided valleys of La Gagne, the Machabert stream and the tributary of the Aubépin on one side, and the gently sloping Mézenc plateau with its sweeping views on the other.

Walking The Gagne and its tributaries from Montusclat

Visorando Member
↔10.43 mi ↗+1,325 ft ↘-1,296 ft ◔5h 55 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Montusclat (Haute-Loire)
The route starts from the very pretty village of Montusclat and winds its way along the hillsides, crossing several tributaries of the Gagne. It crosses this river twice near Saint-Front before reaching the plateau, which offers stunning views of the Mézenc Massif and, weather permitting, the Alps. It ends with a descent through meadows back to Montusclat.

Walking From Montusclat to La Gagne via the gorges

Visorando Member
↔5.15 mi ↗+1,198 ft ↘-1,204 ft ◔3h 25 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Montusclat (Haute-Loire)
This fairly short route offers beautiful scenery and takes you into the wild Gagne Gorges.Sections through steep woodland off the beaten track and the ford across the Ruisseau de Montusclat (which must be crossed barefoot when the water is high) require proper walking boots and good navigational skills.

Walking The Grand Testavoyre

Visorando Member
Le grand Testavoyre
↔10.27 mi ↗+1,608 ft ↘-1,591 ft ◔6h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Champclause (Haute-Loire)
This circuit takes you to the summit of the Grand Testavoyre (pronounced testa-wouaire), the highest point of the Meygal. From up there, you can see the entire massif, dotted with numerous conical peaks. Another highlight of this hike is discovering the rural heritage, in particular the typical houses of the hamlet of Villaret and the false church of Monedeyres.

Walking Tour de la Tortue and the Calvary of the Croix de l'Étoile

Visorando Member
Tour de la Tortue et calvaire de la Croix de l'Étoile
↔6.96 mi ↗+1,053 ft ↘-1,066 ft ◔4h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Champclause (Haute-Loire)
This circular walk starting from the pretty village of Boussoulet and its stunning church is an easy walk. Passing through a beautiful forest, beneath the summit of La Tortue, you will arrive at another pretty village in the Haute-Loire, Montusclat. From this village, you can start a second circular route that will take you to the remarkable Way of the Cross and the Calvary of the Croix de l’Étoile. Return via a pleasant valley.

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.