Panorama of the three castles of the Causse de Coubisou

Discover the beautiful panoramas of the Lot valley, with superb views of the three castles of Estaing, Calmont in Espalion and Cabrespines in Coubisou.
The river "La Coussane", a tributary of the Lot at Estaing.
VERY IMPORTANT: this hike has been planned in agreement with hunting clubs and farmers, so please share this magnificent natural environment and respect everyone!

Details

6492730
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.97 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 354 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 347 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 729 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 376 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the car park of the Causse de Coubisou village hall.

Yellow markings and, if you come across another trail, it will be marked P3 on the sign.

(S/E) From the village hall, take the Soulies road, pass in front of the village school and join the first road on the right.

(1) Follow this road, cross Soulies, heading towards Estaing. At the stop sign, take the road (D22) on the left, continuing towards Estaing for 300 metres until you reach the first path on the right.

(2) Follow this path down towards the river for about 700 metres until you find a small trail on the right.

(3) Leave the path and take this small trail. Continue along the Coussane river until you reach Monastère.

(4) First turn left then right and follow the road uphill. You will reach the cemetery.

(5) Ignore the village centre and take the path that veers to the right. After about ten metres, turn right again and continue along the farm buildings on your left. Continue uphill and over a significant incline to Las Combes.

(6) Take the road on the left and head towards Sarrus.

(7) Continue along the path opposite, then quickly turn right towards Carbasse.

(8) Just after a house, follow the path on the left. After a winding climb, ignore a turn-off on the left and continue to a fork on the Puech de La Peyre plateau.

(9) Enjoy the panoramic views of the three castles of Estaing, Cabrespines and Espalion. Continue to the right, pass under the hamlet of La Masse, then descend to a tarmac road.

(10) Turn left, then after about 100 metres, turn right onto the D22. Follow this road to the car park of the Causse de Coubisou village hall (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 485 m - Parking at the village hall
  2. 1 : km 0.39 - alt. 482 m - Place known as Le Soulies
  3. 2 : km 1.09 - alt. 491 m - Path down to the river
  4. 3 : km 1.92 - alt. 402 m - Path to the monastery
  5. 4 : km 3.39 - alt. 383 m - Entrance to the village of Monastère
  6. 5 : km 3.63 - alt. 398 m - Ascent to Las Combes
  7. 6 : km 4.48 - alt. 530 m - Place called Las Combes
  8. 7 : km 5.27 - alt. 607 m - Place known as Sarrus
  9. 8 : km 5.79 - alt. 645 m - Place called Carbasse
  10. 9 : km 6.8 - alt. 728 m - Puech de La Peyre plateau
  11. 10 : km 8.69 - alt. 537 m - Tarmac road to Murat
  12. S/E : km 9.97 - alt. 485 m - Parking at the village hall

Notes

(S/E) Causse de Coubisou village hall, car park, water point and toilets.
One difficulty: the climb from the Monastery to Las Combes. Take your time and admire the landscape behind you (Monastery village).

(4) At the monastery, you have two options: follow the signs or walk through the village and admire the beautiful stonework, roofs, church and presbytery, then turn left after 100 metres.

Worth a visit

Another hike in Coubiscou: Around the 3 streams.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
GERARD MARYSE
GERARD MARYSE

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 05, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Route completed without difficulty in winter conditions with snow cover and intense cold. Satisfactory description. Beautiful panoramic views.

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Elizabeth
Elizabeth

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

• A very pleasant walk with no difficulties.
• At a place called Le Monastère, we walked around the hamlet to see the church, then crossed the bridge to take a detour to Cabrespines to see the 15th-century Notre-Dame del Boy chapel, the castle and the village of Cabrespines.

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benoguy
benoguy

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A lovely walk, a steep climb to the monastery, some beautiful walnuts and chestnuts fallen on the path.

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HeleneJau
HeleneJau

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, easy to follow thanks to the signposts.
Be careful at the start in Souliès to take the path towards point 3. Other paths are marked in yellow!
The castles are clearly visible, but not necessarily at point 9!

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vidoc69
vidoc69

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Hello,
Saturday 30 March hike, lovely walk, encountered two farm dogs, the one at the honey farm defended its territory but it was fine. However, at point No. 9 there were no castles, there were two of us and neither of us saw any sign of a castle... Never mind, the walk was nice and we had a picnic not far from the cows. The climb up to the monastery is steep but gradual, it's easy going and we saw a deer at the start.

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bquinio
bquinio

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Done in February 2024, a very beautiful, varied and somewhat physically demanding route with the climb up to Monastère. Lots of mud towards the end, but it is the wet season. No one on the path except for a few cows and a very friendly farmer on his quad bike. The view is superb and we can't wait to go back when the trees are in leaf.

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drgre
drgre

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike with magnificent views in the second part. Very pleasant first part through the chestnut trees.

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laurence S75
laurence S75

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Truly magnificent! The only downside was the noisy trap, but it was a really lovely trip.

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François12
François12

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, marked with yellow signs, mostly shaded. We got slightly lost on leaving the monastery; a sign was probably missing, unless we just didn't see it... No big deal! Very steep climb for about 1 km after leaving the monastery. Beautiful view at the top. 10.5 km, 410 m elevation gain and 2 hours 31 minutes of walking according to our GPS.

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Denysos
Denysos

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The route is great. I did this hike one autumn morning and it was wonderful.
I completed the hike in 2½ hours instead of 3 hours 50 minutes, stopping to take photos. It's not that difficult. The view is lovely and the yellow arrows are new at the time of writing. The road workers have done a really good job with the signposting.

Please note, at point 5, be sure to turn RIGHT after the beekeepers' cooperative. I didn't see the arrow and turned left, and after climbing 150 metres, I found myself at a farmer's house, so I turned back.
This is a minor detail that does not detract from the enjoyment of this circular.

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CHATENET MICHEL
CHATENET MICHEL

Good evening, thank you for your comment, which is encouraging and makes us want to continue offering this type of tour.
Kind regards

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YokoBag
YokoBag

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in the bucolic Coussane Valley (complementing the "Route des Deux Vallées, Coussane et Lot" starting from Estaing) with stunning views of the Lot Valley and surrounding hills.
Highly recommended.

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