Louyre and the Col de Valaurie from Vesseaux

Hike through varied environments, bare hills, wooded valley bottoms and ridge trails with beautiful views.
The hamlet of Louyre, which was deserted in the middle of the last century, is once again inhabited and very much alive.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.83 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 498 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 491 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 702 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 281 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Car park behind the wine cellar (former cooperative cellar).

(S/E) Take the path on the right leading towards the hills. Leave the first path on the right running alongside a vineyard.

(1) After crossing the Bramefont stream, take the path on the right that passes through the middle of a central reservation and then descends to cross the Bramefont stream again.
Continue along the path which winds upwards through a pine forest. Ignore the shortcut on the right.

(2) You will come to a fork on the ridge. Turn left and continue along the ridge. Ignore a path that descends to the left.

(3) After crossing a small wood, take a path on the right that descends the hillside.

(4) At the fork, take the path on the right. Pass a path on the left and another on the right. Continue straight ahead to join the tarmac road, which you take on the right.

(5) At a widening in the road, take the path that descends to the right. Continue along this path, which climbs back up into the valley, then turn left to rejoin the road opposite the Grange de Vidalet.

(6) Take the road on the right and climb up to the Col de Valaurie.

(7) At the pass, take the path on the left that heads south towards the ridge. The path first climbs through boxwood trees and then leads to the first summit (elevation 702).

(8) Continue along the path, first on the ridge and then on the eastern slope in an area where the ridge is impassable.

(9) At a junction of four paths, not visible on the IGN map, turn right and rejoin the ridge.

(3) Returning to this junction, take the path on the right which descends into the woods and joins a wider path a little further on. Continue down this path. Do not take a very steep path branching off to the left in a hairpin bend.

(10) At the junction with a wider path, turn left and continue to the Bramefont stream.

(1) Before crossing the stream, take the path on the right. Continue to a tarmac road which leads to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 283 m - Car park behind the cellar (former wine cellar)
  2. 1 : km 0.63 - alt. 306 m - Path on the right
  3. 2 : km 2.16 - alt. 482 m - On the left on the ridge
  4. 3 : km 3.7 - alt. 554 m - Path on the right
  5. 4 : km 4.41 - alt. 522 m - On the right
  6. 5 : km 5.16 - alt. 483 m - Widening of the road, path on the right
  7. 6 : km 6.49 - alt. 595 m - Grange de Vidalet
  8. 7 : km 6.99 - alt. 650 m - Col de Valaurie, path towards the south
  9. 8 : km 7.42 - alt. 699 m - Elevation 702
  10. 9 : km 8.48 - alt. 597 m - Take the path on the right
  11. 10 : km 11.55 - alt. 334 m - On the left
  12. S/E : km 12.83 - alt. 283 m - Car park behind the cellar (former wine cellar)

Worth a visit

The centre of the village of Vesseaux, the Fort district, was once fortified. There are some interesting narrow streets.
The Romanesque porch of the church is remarkable.

From the highest point of the circuit (702 m), you can see the Château de Boulogne on the left.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
remycontant
remycontant

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

What a beautiful hike, breathtaking views, we were lucky to have bright sunshine and no wind, no major difficulties, just be careful on the descents.

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Grappa26
Grappa26

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

Done on a cold but sunny day, starting at 10am from the cooperative winery, lunch at point 7 (decision of the majority of the 12 participants), but I think that for the best view you should go to point 8, which is the real summit of this hike. The start of the climb and end of the descent were very sticky and wet. Done 5 years ago in the same conditions. Bring walking sticks.

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papyroro38
papyroro38

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Difficulties finding the start of one of them.
Despite the explanations, at one point, at the bottom of the valley, we had trouble finding the path!
very good views.

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dougere
dougere

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk along the ridges.

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colette et yvon
colette et yvon

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

Very beautiful hike, only point 3 is confusing because another crossroads before it, which is not mentioned, misled us, so we had difficulty finding the descent to the village of Louyre.

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ardechom
ardechom

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thanks to the author for this beautiful and varied ridge walk. Magnificent panoramic views on a clear day.

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moutte1955rene
moutte1955rene

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beautiful hike in Crête. The description of the start could be more precise (our mistake). At the fork to the right, there is a vineyard on either side of the path and we are at a three-way junction (the river is not visible at this point). It would be enough to specify this detail and say that you have to take the path on the right that goes downhill after a small platform.

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gaygei
gaygei

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful walk. Lovely paths along the ridge. Clear description, no doubt about which path to take.

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squale69006
squale69006
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike with a variety of delightful landscapes

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kiwi83700
kiwi83700

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very beautiful route.
Lovely walk along the ridges.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful walk.

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RAMOND BERNARD
RAMOND BERNARD

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant walk, the ridge crossing is magnificent both on the way there and back. No difficulty, the explanations are perfect, you can't go wrong! The pretty hamlet of Louyre is well worth exploring.

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boninmi
boninmi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb hike, undertaken by ten female walkers and three male walkers from the Fontaulière independent hiking group.

Of course, as we've done the hike ten times before, we walk with our heads in the clouds, chatting away, not looking at the map, not counting the hairpin bends on the way up or checking which way they go, and we end up walking about 1 km further (around the highest point, 531).

The weather was magnificent, almost too warm for the end of February, and at the end of the hike, everyone realised that there was no water left in their cans and bottles due to a lack of foresight.

Timid regrowth of boxwood. The battle between boxwood and moths is not yet won.

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MF26
MF26

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

beautiful, varied and very well-marked hike

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randobanne
randobanne

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello. We went hiking in strong winds. We were all adults, and with the gusts of wind, a child on the ridge would have been in danger. There was a slight issue at the start regarding which direction to take – for me, it wasn't clear enough –
but it was a very beautiful walk that we would like to do again in good weather without wind.
Thank you

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sabyvan
sabyvan

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,

A very beautiful hike. It is necessary to do it in good weather to fully enjoy the view of Coiron and the Cévennes Ardèche.
Thanks to the author.

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