Places of interest in Sidobre

This hike will allow you to discover the main attractions (granite rocks with surprising shapes) of Sidobre.
Moderator's rating Some difficulties with orientation on this route, see reviews

Details

n°5584110

Creation:
25 Feb 2021

Last update:
01 Aug 2022

Last review:
23 May 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 14.23 km
Average duration: 4h 45
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 249 m
Descent: - 245 m
Highest point: 674 m
Lowest point: 539 m

Country: France
Areas: Massif central, Sidobre
District: Lacrouzette (81210)
Start/End: N 43.645791° / E 2.387423°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2343ET
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Description of the walk

Park in the Lac du Merle car park.

(S/E) Start the hike by following the^{GR®36 trail}that runs along the lake, then turn right into the woods, heading north.

(1) At the edge of the woods, cross the D30 with caution, continue straight ahead on the^GR®36towards Le Merle and continue straight on the^GR®36 until you reach a fork.

(2) Continue straight ahead until you reach another fork.

(3) Turn right while continuing to follow the red and white markings, pass under the power lines and reach a fork.

(4) Leave the^GR®36by taking the yellow-marked path on the right. Continue through a deforested area until you reach the road, which you cross to continue straight ahead.

(5) Turn right under the last houses of Crémaussel and continue to follow the yellow markings. Pass several rocks with different names.

(6) At Roc de l'Oie, rejoin the^GR® 36, which descends to the right towards the hamlet of Ricard, passing close to the rocks known as Les Trois Fromages.

(7) At the hamlet, leave the^GR®36and take the yellow-marked path on the left that climbs up towards La Fusarié. Continue along the road to the Croix de Beyries.

(8) Take the hairpin bend to the left onto the road leading to La Safranière.

(9) At the end of the road, continue straight ahead on the path that enters the woods again and continue to the next crossroads.

(10) At the crossroads, turn right to continue on the yellow marked path that leads under the high-voltage line and arrive at the fork you encountered on the way there.

(3) Turn right onto a section of^{the GR®36 trail}taken on the way there and arrive at the next fork.

(2) Take the path on the left (unmarked) and follow it carefully, as it is difficult to see in places.

(11) At the crossroads, turn right towards the west.

(12) Turn left, heading south, and follow the wide track that leads to the^GR®36.

(13) At the crossroads, turn right and rejoin the^GR®36.

(14) When you leave the woods, carefully cross the D30 again to return to Lac du Merle, following the^GR®36markings (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 606 m - Le Lac Du Merle
1 : km 0.54 - alt. 599 m - Route D30
2 : km 1.83 - alt. 650 m - Crossroads of the first loop
3 : km 1.97 - alt. 655 m - Crossroads of the second loop
4 : km 3.64 - alt. 660 m - Fork towards - Les Roches Décalées
5 : km 4.02 - alt. 645 m - Crémaussel
6 : km 5.18 - alt. 662 m - Le Roc de l'Oie
7 : km 5.85 - alt. 543 m - Ricard - Le Chapeau de Curé
8 : km 7.89 - alt. 586 m - The Beyries Cross
9 : km 8.52 - alt. 600 m - La Safranière
10 : km 10.37 - alt. 666 m - Fork in the road before the high-voltage power line
11 : km 11.77 - alt. 668 m - End of unmarked trail
12 : km 12.16 - alt. 656 m - Wide track
13 : km 13.06 - alt. 654 m - Return to GR36
14 : km 13.74 - alt. 611 m - Route D30
S/E : km 14.23 - alt. 606 m - Le Lac Du Merle

Notes

Water can be obtained in the hamlet of Ricard (drinking water)
In case of rain, the path can be slippery (gravel path) after the hamlet of Ricard until La Fusarié.
Between points (2) and (11), the trail is not marked. Beware of marshy areas in places and the trail becoming difficult to spot after the first 500 metres.
From point (13), the route corresponds to the new^GR®36route (not yet updated on IGN maps)
GPS is useful on part of the route (between (2) and (13) on the return journey)

Worth a visit

From point (4), you can begin to explore the curiosities of Sidobre. You can admire the Rochers Décalés, the Petite Oie, the Squale, the Mur de la Mort, the Fauteuil du Diable, the Eléphant, the Billard, the Roc de l'Oie and the Trois Fromages.

Before the hamlet of La Fusarié, you can make a round trip to the Chapeau du Curé (500 m in total)

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5

Based on 21 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5

Route interest
4.5 / 5

chdoyo

23 May 2025 at 21:30 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant walk through the woods, which is very enjoyable when it's hot. Discover these granite boulders in a variety of shapes. An easy walk recommended for families with young children.

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michel90

04 Nov 2024 at 09:29 3600

Thank you for your appreciation of this trail, which was designed primarily to satisfy both the need to walk and to explore (and the Sidobre region's attractions lend themselves to this), or even to "venture out" (thanks to the unmarked section).

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SIMBA

04 Nov 2024 at 08:27 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike completed on 2 November on a beautiful day. I enjoyed this easy-to-walk trail through the woods, which was well guided by the app. The circuit was enhanced by the discovery of rocks in various shapes and forms.
For me, it was a change of scenery, coming from the Mediterranean coast.

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I.L

07 Oct 2024 at 13:30 7200 • Edited: 07 Oct 2024 at 13:31 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very good route, shaded, wild and very easy. The rocks are magnificent.
unfortunately, the second loop is not very well marked and we ended up going "off-trail" in the undergrowth, but this did not detract from the picturesque nature of the walk.
We did it in October, but it seems ideal for the height of summer.

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17decembre

13 Sep 2024 at 09:52 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Many kilometres covered in uninteresting forest. The Sidobre rocks can be explored over a distance of approximately 3 to 4 km.

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ferrand philippe

26 Aug 2024 at 11:28 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

beautiful route - exceptional sights - suitable for families.

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LULUETULYSSE

20 Oct 2023 at 10:41 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 12 October 23, on the return loop, we encountered the same issue previously reported by LaPierre on 31 July 22.
Between points 10 and 11, at "las lagues hautes", we found ourselves facing a thicket of holly and brambles. We decided to cross it, which was difficult, but we were able to reach point 12 and continued on this loop, following points 12, 13, 14, and the finish point.
On reflection, this loop only adds 0.860 m to the hike and, given the prickly holly and brambles, we don't think it's essential. Next time, we'll follow the "Sidobre from Lac du Merle" route.
Many thanks to all those who mark out the paths and trails, allowing us to discover all the wonders of our beautiful region.

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yvesrégine

06 Oct 2023 at 19:55 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk and a beautiful place to discover

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Fégo

24 Jul 2023 at 18:40 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 24/07/2023, beautiful hike, no difficulty as we followed a GPS, however the trail from "Las Lagues Hautes" to description No. 11 is unpredictable and not easy to follow...

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LaPierre

31 Jul 2022 at 22:42 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful trail amid enigmatic stones!
If possible, do it during the week as the place is very popular (but mainly around the lake and where the main stones are concentrated)
Fun fact: you can refill your drinking water at... Ricard (you couldn't make it up)!
On the return loop, to reach point 11: you can easily spot the start of the path (at the foot of a large tree with a "chasse gardée" sign attached to it), but once you've crossed the ford (after a little less than 500m, so probably just before point 11), it's impossible to go any further due to thick undergrowth of holly and young chestnut trees. We tried to continue straight ahead (for about 150m) until after the ridge, hoping to find a passage to the west, towards point 12, but nothing passable presented itself, so we retraced our steps to point 2.

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ClaudineEtYves

07 Jun 2022 at 11:15 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, mostly through forest, perfect for a hot day.
The Rocs de l'Oie and Rocs des 3 Fromages rocks along the way are superb. The water source at Ricard is much appreciated.
Like everyone else, we only did the first loop.
The description could be better.
For example, at the start, instead of "walk along the lake", why not say "walk along the dyke"?
We didn't see the fork at point 2, so we turned left at point 3 and ended up at point 10 where, turning right, we were able to catch up with the described route.
After that, it was fine until point 9, where we couldn't find the path between 9 and 10... we should have read MOJACK31's comment from 03/05/2021.
But that gave us the opportunity to come across the chaos of La Resse and reach the lake directly.
And when we arrived, we were happy with this beautiful walk.

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Estaingdouze

14 Jan 2022 at 11:50 3600

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The first loop was very pleasant and interesting.
However, the second loop was not very interesting and very marshy between points 2 and 11. We had difficulty crossing this area without any markers or marked paths (GPS essential). Then, between points 11 and 12, we had bad luck: forestry work was in progress, the track was soggy and had ruts over 40 cm deep.

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Rando31400

15 Nov 2021 at 10:05 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in the woods, mainly to discover some of the Sidobre's attractions.
GPS highly recommended
PS: I didn't do the last loop

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Thierry B

18 Oct 2021 at 19:53 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

GPS useful on part of the route (between (2) and (13) on the return leg)

Confirmation of this comment because we wanted to do only the lower part starting from Lac du Merle, but gave up at point 2 because the path was really difficult with several changes of direction that were not easy to see

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yoyelt 31

18 Oct 2021 at 12:23 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk on a beautiful autumn day. We went as a group of 26. Lionel.

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