Les Dardennes - Les Turcos - La Pyramide de Cassini

I set off on two hikes taken from Visorando: "Le Revest - Château de Tourris" and "Tourris et la Pyramide de Cassini" before finding this route and suggesting it to you. The beginning of the first hike to the departmental road, then part of the beginning of the second hike. However, at the "Pyramide de Cassini", we discovered a route that does not appear on the maps but which joins the "Chemin des Turcos" in the undergrowth. This is a rugged hike that can be difficult at times.

Details

203133
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.32 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 660 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 664 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 782 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 123 m

Photos

Description of the walk

On the D846 road, at the foot of the Barrage des Dardennes dam, take the small Route des Camps and park in the car park by the lake.

(S/E) Walk along the banks of the lake, on the right, heading north, then take the yellow marked path that leads to Ragas, taking a few steps to the left.

(1) Retrace your steps and take the path that climbs to the left. About 400 m further on, turn left into the Ravin du Cierge, which runs alongside a dry riverbed, following the yellow markings. Pass under the power lines several times. This path is not marked on the IGN map, so the distance and route indicated on the website are approximate. After a few bends, you will arrive at the road called Chemin des Tourris. First turn left then right to cross it and take Chemin des Turcos. Continue for 50 m along the track and you will reach a junction with a path.

(2) Leave the path on the right, which will be the return route, and climb this track for a long time, passing several times under the high-voltage power lines already encountered, without leaving it until you reach a cistern.

(3) Take the path on the right before the cistern. This is contrary to what is indicated on the map, where the path is after the cistern. Climb this path to the top , following the blue markings without leaving it, as you risk getting lost in this maze of white rocks dotted with crevasses, called the Glacier de Pierres.

(4) Arrive at the Pyramide de Cassini, with its magnificent 360° view (ideal for a lunch break).
Do not take the path that descends immediately to the right towards the south, but take the new south-east path that is not marked on the IGN map. Follow the red and yellow markings and stay on this path, which descends through a wood.

(5) At an intersection, not marked on the map, take the path that descends furthest to the right, marked in yellow. Follow these yellow markings. Stay on this path until you reach an old quarry overlooking the road (Chemin des Tourris), which will take you back to Chemin des Turcos.

(2) Take the track on the left and cross the road to rejoin the yellow markings. Descend to the left via the path you took on the way up in the Ravin du Cierge, passing through Le Ragas to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 137 m - Car park near the - Lac du Revest
  2. 1 : km 0.9 - alt. 148 m - Le Ragas
  3. 2 : km 2.89 - alt. 421 m - Crossing the circular loop
  4. 3 : km 5.38 - alt. 669 m - Intersection before the cistern
  5. 4 : km 7.06 - alt. 782 m - Au somet la pyramide de Cassini
  6. 5 : km 7.93 - alt. 682 m - Intersection: yellow markings
  7. S/E : km 13.32 - alt. 136 m - Car park near the lake

Notes

Good hiking boots are essential. Don't forget your binoculars and water. Take care on certain sections:
(a) Be careful, the first part is quite technical in the Ravin du Cierge;
(b) After the cistern between points (3) and (4), take extreme care with the crevasses along the Glacier de Pierres route, which could be dangerous. Do not attempt in wet weather, as the rocks will be slippery. Follow the blue markings carefully at this point.

Worth a visit

From the Pyramide de Cassini: 360° view.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 11, 2026
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A particularly varied route with very secluded paths at the bottom of ravines, dense vegetation, wide or balcony-like tracks opening onto vast landscapes, a rocky chaos with boulders to climb over like giant marbles, impressive sharp limestone pavements, labyrinths of sharp or rounded structures, but perfectly marked (what a job!). Of course, the path can be very difficult in some sections and requires great concentration to avoid sprains and twists. It is impossible to walk at your usual speed in some of the areas you will be covering.
Not to be missed: 150 metres west of point 3, a truly unique rain water reservoir carved into rock (3 photos posted) called Impluvium d'Orves (full document available online).
No problem following the route with the GPX track integrated into MAPS.ME.

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BerBal
BerBal

I didn't really enjoy this hike, which was difficult to follow on the GPS, quite physical and, above all, not very "walkable". Most of the route is over rocks, between crevasses or on paths covered in stones that roll under your feet. You need to be careful at all times not to injure yourself, which slows the walk considerably. After dozens of Visorando routes, this was the 1st time that the walking time announced was far from my actual time.

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Jicefamily
Jicefamily
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Walk made at the end of MARCH 2024.
Fairly easy route to follow, no difficulties here.
Bring good shoes as the route is not very "walkable". There are quite a few rocks (very sharp at the beginning and end of the route) and all kinds of stones (especially on the Turcos trail).
In the end, we found this walk quite physical because of the uncertain footing of the trails. You have to be careful where you step! Your joints are put under quite a bit of strain (you're working on your proprioception, lol).
The top of the route at the level of the glacier de pierre is very nice and unusual, but there again some sections can be complicated for children, for example.

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mopara
mopara

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Well-built and signposted route. Very pleasant with beautiful views of the sea and hills. A wild aspect.

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Globefishtrotter
Globefishtrotter

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is well explained and well marked, with yellow markings (often doubled or tripled by other markings) and blue markings on the sharp limestone pavements.
The route is interesting for the views and landscapes, as well as for the ragas and the "historical" aspect of the Cassini pyramid, with the summit of Grand Cap a hundred metres away, which would be a shame not to do!
Lots of stones on the paths; sometimes it's useful to put your hands down when going up or down.
A great discovery and a great time. Thank you very much.

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mopara
mopara

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route with remarkable viewpoints. Very well signposted on sharp limestone pavement.

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Bruno de TOULON
Bruno de TOULON

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

Hello
for this hike established in 2019, you need to know that when you arrive at the Dardennes dam, after looking for access to the route des camps for a long time, the dam has started work which began in OCTOBER 2020 and will finish in MAY 2022. access to the large bend under the dam is blocked for vehicles coming from the village of Le Revest (concrete blocks and then 2 pedestrian fences that are difficult to cross). we went through on foot anyway, but it was a good detour and a big waste of time. in fact, to get to the route des camps, you have to drive along the road just before the dam, which is further on, from the route de l'Hubac.
In short, after losing 1 hour, we set off, walking parallel to the dry dam to save time. 2 times, we took 2 wrong paths.and above all, the passage from the start, before point 1, i.e. before the start of the hike, is very long and as for the passage between point 1 and point 2 (i.e. the start of the hike) with the loss of time from the start to the car and then the final section before arriving at point 2 is very physical, You often have to climb up the rocks, holding on with both hands, and the rocks are very sharp (nothing to do with Cassini's lappiaz) and the slightest fall can have serious consequences. In short, this part between 1 and 2 and especially the last part of the route left us tired, disgusted and disgusted. So much so that we ate on the side of the tarmac road when we got to 2 and returned via the route de la carriere to Le Revest. And we won't be doing it a 2nd time as we usually do when we can't finish it.
I really don't recommend it.

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ESMAN ARMAND
ESMAN ARMAND
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 18, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

a good course, parish specific to Brittany.
Good weather and clear views.

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COMO2110
COMO2110

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Bad luck...fog at the summit, zero visibility...so do it again very soon 😋😎

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flocon64
flocon64

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Lovely walk. Too bad there's a quarry

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manissieux
manissieux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A great sporty hike
Not suitable for everyone, you need to be in decent physical condition, especially for the rocky section on both the outward and return legs.
Poles essential
The section via the Turcos trail is not the most interesting, but there is a good view and it doesn't last too long.

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ktaufer
ktaufer

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

parish specific to Brittany, a splendid view!

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Thierry83220
Thierry83220

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I'm still delighted with this hike, despite the fact that we'd have to find another central section because the part along the Chemin des Turcos is really, really (!), uninteresting. The first part, which will also be the return section, is really good, but make sure the weather is fine because it won't be good for the return. The section of big stones up to the Cassini pyramid is superb. Thank you

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le dd
le dd

Hello and thank you for your comment, which encourages us to continue sharing routes and will make other hikers want to do this walk.

Le dd

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stfrancois
stfrancois

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

This walk is very well described. It's impossible to go wrong if you follow the author's description to the letter.
The author offers a very beautiful hike and I sincerely thank him for it.
I simply made a variation by finishing on the GR 99.

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