The four mills of Venarsal

A beautiful hike around the Biou and Couze rivers, which flow into Lake Couze. Very shady, it passes four mills, some of which have been restored but are no longer in operation. The gradient is sometimes a little steep, but it's worth it.
Please note: there is a deforested area between points (5) and (6), which is impassable in wet weather.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.33 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 310 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 310 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 346 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 199 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Depart from the church square in Venarsal and park alongside the church.

(S/E) Take the lane opposite the church with the sign "les 4 moulins" (the four mills). Turn into the first street on the left, Rue des Magères. Cross a housing estate and continue along a wide path through the woods. After a left-hand bend, you will come to some houses and a small tarmac road.

(1) At the junction with a wider road, turn right, then right again onto the road that goes uphill. After about 100 metres, turn left at the crossroads.

(2) After about 30 metres, turn right into the field, which is sometimes closed off by electric wires when there are cows (be sure to close the gate behind you). At the bottom of the field, follow the path that leads into the woods. After a left turn, turn right at the crossroads and go downhill. You will then come to a field that is also closed off by electric wires, which you must close again after passing through. Cross the field for about 100 metres and close the second gate. The path is narrower and you will arrive at the Milan mill.

(3) Cross the bridge in front of the mill, which is inhabited (watch out for dogs; keep your dog on a leash on this section). Then go up a path that turns left and climbs uphill. After a short hill, you will arrive in the woods. Reach the Biou, which you will cross via a wooden bridge, continue up the path and you will arrive at a road.

(4) Follow the road to the right. Pass in front of the Moulin Bas. Follow this road for 1 km; it climbs up to a place called Le Vaujour.

(5) After the last house, turn right uphill (be careful, there are dogs running loose). After 50 metres, take a sharp left turn onto a small path (not shown on the map) that climbs into the woods. Follow this path eastwards until you reach a tarmac road.

(6) At the crossroads (stone cross), turn right through the area known as La Maisonnade. At the edge of the village, take the narrow path downhill on your right and continue down the winding road.

(7) At the next crossroads, turn left to see the third mill, the Moulin de Rany, which has been restored and is now inhabited. At the bridge, turn around and go back to the crossroads.

(7) Continue straight ahead (west) along the wide path and descend towards the last mill, the Moulin de Peyrugue (wooden picnic tables by the stream). Cross the bridge and go up the unpaved road opposite.

(8) At the first crossroads, take a sharp left turn onto a short stretch of tarmac road and continue straight ahead until you reach a wide path, which you follow to the memorial dedicated to the Resistance fighters. You will arrive at some houses and then the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 346 m - Church square
  2. 1 : km 1.34 - alt. 314 m - Turn right
  3. 2 : km 1.84 - alt. 280 m - Turn right into the field
  4. 3 : km 2.76 - alt. 200 m - Cross the bridge over the - Couze (ruisseau) - Affluent de la Corrèze
  5. 4 : km 3.46 - alt. 230 m - Join the road
  6. 5 : km 4.61 - alt. 289 m - Turn right as you go uphill.
  7. 6 : km 5.37 - alt. 327 m - Turn right at the house
  8. 7 : km 6.13 - alt. 239 m - Turn left
  9. 8 : km 7.25 - alt. 221 m - Hairpin bend
  10. S/E : km 8.33 - alt. 346 m - Church square

Notes

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
corbet74
corbet74

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Just a quick note: perhaps it should be renamed the "four old mills route" as none of the mills seem to be operational or accessible anymore.
I visited at the end of October, so it's normal that it wasn't very busy at that time of year.

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MAGMA19
MAGMA19

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a nice little hike, especially on the ridge trails with some lovely panoramic views.
A few short, steep sections, but nothing too difficult.
The black dog at Moulin Milan is still there and barking, but he saw us too late The dogs at La Boudrerie are at the end of their lives, so no worries
No worries crossing the field with the bull busy watching over his harem.

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senior rando
senior rando

given the warnings about crossing fields with cows and bulls, as well as aggressive dogs in several places, I did not attempt this hike!

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brivistes
brivistes

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

What a shame! Two fields to cross with cows, calves and bulls, not always easy. Elevation gain of 285 m but ancient mills. Very beautiful hike. Sporty

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pazkale
pazkale
• Edited:

Hello, I did indeed note in the description to be careful with dogs. However, I hadn't seen the one at the Milan mill, so I will add it.
But it's more frightening than dangerous.

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mathii
mathii
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

BEWARE OF DOGS!

Phew, nice walk, but we didn't get to enjoy it much! I hadn't had any bad experiences with dogs before, but now I have. With my friend, who is rather fearful of canines, I can tell you that we had a moment of extreme tension ^^
At the Milan mill, if I remember correctly, a very aggressive black dog followed us, barking, for a good hundred metres. It was probably a close call that he didn't attack us.
Then, when we saw the sign saying "beware of dogs running loose" and heard three dogs barking in the distance, we decided to take a small detour to avoid an encounter.
And finally, we had to walk past three dogs behind their old, rickety gate/fence, barking very loudly, which was a bit nerve-wracking...
Well, I can tell you that we came out of this hike exhausted, even though it was easy! And we'll remember the dogs more than anything else, even though the scenery was nice.

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Michel FREYSSINET
Michel FREYSSINET

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Great walk

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Marc Vandevelde
Marc Vandevelde

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Easy hike. Mostly through the woods.

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delavenne
delavenne

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello everyone, very nice hike, just a little bit at the start, take the street just opposite the church, slightly to the left, the sign for the 4 mills is 200 metres down this street
Enjoy your hike, everyone!

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pazkale
pazkale

Glad you enjoyed it.

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Andein19
Andein19

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A brisk walk with a dog (on a leash) in early September,
60% shaded route with three stream crossings where the dog could cool off.

Thank you, Pazkale

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didcos19
didcos19

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello, a beautiful hike, partly through the woods, pleasant in summer for the coolness under the trees. Beautiful descents and ascents. On the first descent, the path is not very clear: there are some ferns and brambles. Further on, be careful at km 4.67 (a place called "La Boudrerie") where there is a house on the right with dogs that are not vicious but kept their distance because I had a wooden stick. A lovely route, best done in summer. The hike is about 8.5 km long and can be done in two hours. Enjoy your walk.

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uclles gilles
uclles gilles

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

a lovely walk with a few uphill and downhill sections that really work your thighs

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DELAIR
DELAIR

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful parish-specific to Brittany hike (9.5 km) with the added bonus of a guided tour of the "moulin bas" (lower mill), which has been restored by its owner.

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SIGOIS
SIGOIS

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Nice walk. Note that there are a few dogs along the way (as mentioned in the description), but no problem.
The undergrowth is very pleasant. Thank you.

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