Neck de Sceautres, Serre de la Fourche

The magnificent little village of Sceautres is nestled against the imposing basalt neck, the remains of a volcanic eruption. This immense block is the lava contained in the volcano's chimney, whose cone has disappeared due to erosion.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.07 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 474 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 474 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 548 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 261 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking at the village hall, at the entrance to the village.

(S/E) Take the D263 road downhill towards Alba-la-Romaine until you reach a fork.

(1) Turn right onto Route de Bouchet and continue to the hamlet.

(2) At the first house, go around it on the left, take a small path above the hamlet and follow it uphill towards the old quarry; make sure you close the various gates behind you.
La Carrière de Masse is a former basalt quarry and there are still remains of a cable conveyor system used to transport the basalt down to the processing plant.

(3) Descend to the right, following the winding track at the entrance to the quarry, past the remains of buildings, and continue to a crossroads.

(4) Turn left downhill, cross the Ruisseau des Champs stream and arrive at an intersection.

(5) First turn right then left to take the grassy path that descends to the left and leads to the D263.

(6) Descend to the left for about 100 metres, then turn right towards the hamlet of Fraysse.

(7) After going around the hamlet from above, take the path uphill and cross a stream at the ford to climb up the other side. Further on, turn north towards Serre de la Fourche.
Admire the stone terraces, remnants of a bygone agricultural era.

(8) The path goes around the summit of Chaulène on the right and arrives at a fork near Languelard.

(9) At the intersection, do not turn right onto Chemin de Langelard but continue straight ahead, pass the
hamlet of Les Avisens and continue along the access road until you reach a path on the right.

(10) Take this descending path towards Sceautres, arrive at the foot of the neck and cross the Téoulemale stream, either by fording it or using the small bridge.

(11) Turn right onto the road that goes around the neck to the north and leads back to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 468 m - Village car park.
  2. 1 : km 1.21 - alt. 412 m - Chemin du Bouchet
  3. 2 : km 2.72 - alt. 517 m - Hamlet of Le Bouchet
  4. 3 : km 3.87 - alt. 527 m - Masse Quarry (basalt)
  5. 4 : km 5.58 - alt. 391 m - Trail intersection
  6. 5 : km 6.68 - alt. 320 m - Coste Vieille crossroads
  7. 6 : km 6.95 - alt. 283 m - D263
  8. 7 : km 7.7 - alt. 289 m - Hamlet of Fraysse
  9. 8 : km 8.8 - alt. 385 m - Serre de la Fourche
  10. 9 : km 10.24 - alt. 457 m - Fourche before Langelard
  11. 10 : km 11.56 - alt. 539 m - Chemin de Sceautres
  12. 11 : km 12.49 - alt. 413 m - Ford of the Téoulemale stream
  13. S/E : km 13.07 - alt. 467 m - Village car park.

Notes

(3): former basalt quarry, remains of a cable conveyor that was used to lower the ore.
On the way back, visit the small village of Sceautres, then climb the neck to the summit, where you will find a statue of the Virgin Mary and a panoramic view.

Worth a visit

The Carrière de Masse, a former basalt quarry. The Serre des Fourche and its numerous magnificent dry stone terraces. The imposing Neck de Seautres, a basalt flow resulting from a volcanic eruption.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 20886556

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is very poorly marked, with the signs almost completely worn away, so keep your GPS handy. Otherwise, the scenery is magnificent, though a bit challenging in places, so it's best to avoid this route with children.

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Shalva
Shalva

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful and fairly easy hike. Landscapes and flora alternate between limestone and basalt. At this time of year, the path above the hamlet of Le Bouchet after point 2 is overgrown with very tall grass in places. Watch out for ticks. At point 3, you are asked to go down to the right, but the signpost and the path are on the other side of the barbed wire and we couldn't find a gate.We went through the barbed wire and apparently we weren't the only ones. Otherwise, everything was fine.
Thanks to the trail designer.

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Sandrine.B
Sandrine.B
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, but not particularly interesting apart from the rock, which is definitely worth climbing to the top of, and the visit to this beautiful village. The markings are sometimes difficult to find as they are almost completely worn away, but if you follow the map, there's no problem. The terrain is almost impassable from point 9 onwards, extremely muddy and slippery. We only met two people this Sunday.

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lauraSiegwald
lauraSiegwald

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It was very cold at this time of year, but we enjoyed ourselves. We did the hike in reverse, and there were no problems.

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patrick.bormann
patrick.bormann

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy hike. Beautiful scenery. Some parts in the sun, some parts in the woods.
Thanks to the author of this hike.

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christelle marteau
christelle marteau

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, starting with a short stretch along a road, but completely deserted. Beautiful scenery and peaceful, very pleasant paths. Nothing to say except that I would definitely do it again with pleasure.

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randofamille07
randofamille07

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, we didn't climb the neck, which was a shame as we should have started there...; a small mistake that cost us an extra 500 metres.

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TOULAUD'RANDO
TOULAUD'RANDO

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful walks in the magnificent Neck de Sceautres.

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millim
millim

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with the heady scent of broom in season.
Trails are sometimes muddy. At point 5, it is not easy to find the trail; you have to climb over the fence.
There are some remaining markings on the post.

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Kwiss07
Kwiss07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At first, we were worried about the tarmac, but in the end it's only at the beginning and doesn't stop you enjoying yourself. A beautiful walk with varied landscapes and, for geocaching enthusiasts, caches all along the route.
Thank you!

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Renelepanda
Renelepanda

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike to enjoy.
Finding the car park at the start of the walk may not be easy for those who are unfamiliar with the area.
The signposting is straightforward.

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