Panoramic view of the Vézère

This hike takes you up to a higher elevation with a beautiful view of the Vézère River, and also allows you to discover two sites:
- La Roque Saint-Christophe, troglodyte dwellings in a limestone cliff one kilometre long and sixty metres high,
- and the village of Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, listed as one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France.

Details

2205561
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.48 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 314 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 313 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 224 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 62 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking at the Roque Saint-Christophe site.

(S/E) From the car park, follow theGR® trail that runs alongside the road to the bridge crossing the Vézère.

(1) Follow the yellow markings on the right, keeping opposite the beautiful views of Roque Saint-Christophe, and follow the Vézère river to the "Le Paradis" campsite.

(2) Cross it via a bamboo alley. Cross the D706 to climb up a path, still following the yellow markings, into the woods to reach a small house.

(3) Follow the signs for "Côte de Jord 1.8 km" on the right, descend into the forest following the green signs.
You will come out near a wooden house. Continue straight ahead on the small paved road that climbs uphill.
(Please note: since this walk was created, the "Côte de Jord 1.8 km" sign has been knocked down)

(4) At the crossroads, turn right to cross the hamlet of Chaban (dead end sign). Leave the tarmac road at the end of the hamlet and continue straight ahead following the green signs. After the last house in the hamlet, follow the green signs on the left-hand path, then pass a cistern and climb up into the woods

(5). Continue straight ahead, following the green signs and the "Number 13" mountain bike signs, heading north-east.

(6) You will come out at the Côte de Jord, where there is a paragliding launch site and picnic area. Enjoy the panoramic view of the Vézère valley.
Cross the road and follow the small path that runs parallel to it and leads back to the road. Follow it, passing the car park with the orientation table. The view is less clear than at the paragliding take-off point. Pass the last picnic tables,

(7) Move away from the road by turning right and going down into the woods, always following the green markings and the "number 13" mountain bike signs.

(8) At the fork, continue straight downhill.
At the bottom, find the yellow signs, turn right and cross the D706 road, continuing straight ahead, following the signs for "boucle tour de Saint-Léon".

(9) Turn left into the no-entry road towards "Les Granges", follow the car park to rejoin theGR® at the Chapelle du Miracle.

(10) Leave immediately and follow the yellow markings, crossing the road, keep right towards the Vézère, then return to the village of Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, staying on the riverbank and walking alongside the Château de Clérans.
Feel free to stroll around the village to find theGR® trail
Cross the bridge via the D66 and continue to a crossroads.

(11) Leave the road on the left, following theGR® and the green markings as well as the mountain bike trail towards "La Croix de Jacques". This part ofthe GR® is mostly on tarmac but with very little traffic.

(12) 07/2020 It is no longer possible to cut right downhill, as the path has been privatised and is occupied by a construction site.
There is no other option than to follow theGR® 36.
(13) At the crossroads, go straight ahead, staying on the GR®. Do not take the yellow sign on the right that goes down towards Pessac or the one on the left that goes up towards Sireuil.

(14) In Peysac-le-Moustier, cross the hamlet between the old houses and turn immediately left at the end of the steps that mark the end of the houses, towards the road. Go slightly uphill on the tarmac road and take the first path on the right at the end of the hairpin bend, staying on theGR® 36.

(15) Leave the yellow trail by turning right and follow the mountain bike trail "number 13" (the same as at the start of the hike) to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 76 m - Parking at the Roque St Christophe site
  2. 1 : km 1.03 - alt. 69 m - After the bridge
  3. 2 : km 3.5 - alt. 67 m - Campsite "Le Paradis"
  4. 3 : km 4.17 - alt. 122 m - Head towards Côte de Jor
  5. 4 : km 4.84 - alt. 148 m - Chaban crossroads
  6. 5 : km 5.61 - alt. 203 m - Mountain bike signposting 13
  7. 6 : km 6.38 - alt. 222 m - Paragliding area
  8. 7 : km 6.87 - alt. 217 m - After the car park
  9. 8 : km 7.82 - alt. 140 m - Fork
  10. 9 : km 8.93 - alt. 69 m - Les Granges
  11. 10 : km 9.39 - alt. 73 m - Chapel of the Miracle
  12. 11 : km 11.46 - alt. 88 m - The Cross of Jacques
  13. 12 : km 13.53 - alt. 212 m - Head towards Peyzac-le-Moustier
  14. 13 : km 15.72 - alt. 130 m - Crossroads
  15. 14 : km 16.33 - alt. 126 m - Peysac-le-Moustier
  16. 15 : km 17.05 - alt. 92 m - On the right, mountain bike signposting
  17. S/E : km 17.48 - alt. 77 m - Parking at the Roque St Christophe site

Notes

Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère is an ideal place to stop for a snack, with everything you need: restaurant, bar, ice cream parlour, etc.

Alternative route suggested by randonannie:
An alternative to the section between 11 and 12 (provided by the town hall): after the bridge over the Vézère in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, follow a small path on the left that runs alongside the river. On the right, you will see "La grotte du jugement" (the judgement cave): very curious niches in the cliff. There is an information board with some theories about its existence. Reach Castel Merle, go back up the road on the left, then right to reach the plateau (and the house, seen from below). Then follow the
direction of Chaillac (small signs). Difficult climb. Then, at the road, continue straight ahead (beautiful views) before joining the D 65. Turn right to return to point 12. The route around Castel Merle is a little complicated, so we used GPS to help us, but it is an interesting alternative route. Please note: allow at least 2 km extra.

Worth a visit

There is so much to choose from that it is difficult to list everything in the Périgord Noir's golden triangle.

If you leave early, you will have time to visit the troglodyte site of La Roque Saint-Christophe on your way back from the hike

The car park at the start is very large and shaded.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 42 reviews

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

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike.
Very beautiful views and varied trails

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Tlse
Tlse

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, a beautiful hike, the warm-up is on flat ground, then a nice climb to the top of the slope overlooking the Vézère valley, with a beautiful view from the paragliding take-off area. The path parallel to the road just after this viewpoint starts on the left for a few dozen metres, then you have to cross the road and it continues on the right-hand side of the road, which is better than the tarmac. The village of Saint Léon is worth a visit, so feel free to explore its streets (or couradou).

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Franck D
Franck D

Good evening Deminou,
I've (finally) changed the route to follow the GR : send me a message if it's not right

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Deminou
Deminou
• Edited:

Hello, point 12 is actually located exactly on the new private property. I suggest staying on the road 300 metres before point 12 (instead of going onto the microlight runway), moving point 12 onto the road and about 100 metres south-east, at the intersection of the two roads, and continuing along the road all the way, which means there are two fewer turns. I feel that the route of the hike is slightly offset from the road on the background map, which may cause confusion.

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Franck D
Franck D

Hello Deminou
Can you tell me if the problem is just after point 12 (on the right of the road), just before (on the left), or both (in which case the route should stay on the road)?
Thanks

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Deminou
Deminou

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Hello, the hike is a beautiful walk, thank you for sharing. I am commenting to bring up some important information:
the owner of the house under construction at stage 12, just after the microlight runway (autogyro), is bothered by hikers passing through his property. There used to be a path there, but it is no longer accessible. We followed the route and found it to be somewhat inaccurate, as it is offset from the road, particularly the "route des chênes verts". Has the base map been moved?
Perhaps it would be better to stay on the route des chênes verts instead of taking the microlight runway for 200 metres and then leaving hikers a little lost when returning to the route des chênes verts. We hesitated, but the current route encourages people to continue beyond the road and visit private land. The landowner has put up "Private property" signs, but these have been vandalised and are not visible.

The description does mention this stage, but normally the route should be sufficient.

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randonnée pascal
randonnée pascal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

weather: hot and cloudy.
departed from St Léon, parked at the cemetery car park, quick visit to St Léon, waiting to visit more leisurely.
Beautiful hike with lovely paths and stunning views.
La Roque Saint Christophe is impressive,.
Indeed, why not follow the Vézère river at the end of the bridge, if possible, and go back up via the prehistoric shelter of Castel Merle to arrive after point 12 at elevation 217, which would avoid the uninteresting asphalt road.
Nevertheless, I recommend this hike.

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artifice
artifice

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

there is an error at the first campsite. It says to follow the bamboo, but you actually need to turn left in the middle of the campsite to reach the road.

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Patrice024
Patrice024

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The first part of the hike to St Léon sur Vézère is really beautiful and pleasant. You can visit St Léon without necessarily following the suggested route (it's a large village). However, the return trip is a bit tedious with a lot of asphalt and fewer points of interest. But there's a beautiful finale with La Roque St Christophe (also worth visiting, +2 km).

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Lucielucia
Lucielucia
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

We set off from St Léon sur Vézère. Nice hike, a bit too much road for my liking. Why not follow the Vézère to St Léon sur Vézère?

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echoubotch
echoubotch

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

walk on 31 December 2022.
Beautiful view of the Vézère River right from the start. Easy route to follow with the Visorando app and map.
Everything is beautiful along the path through the woods and the panoramic views are magnificent.
Accurate and appropriate explanations. At point 12, there is indeed still construction work going on, but I think you can take the path downhill, which was used by a mountain biker just ahead of us. Continuing along the GR36 in the woods, there is a beautiful spring to see.

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MD87
MD87

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pros

  • Beautiful view
  • Very pleasant in good weather
  • Very reliable menu
  • the ice cream

Cons

  • The cave section is not free
  • The signposting is very inadequate and dangerous; finding yourself on the road or cutting across fields due to a lack of signs at 35 degrees is not great
  • The stage directions are very vague ("the little house", "the road section"... Good luck...)
  • In the small village, friendliness was lacking. No politeness in the mini-market, no warmth or welcome from the ice cream maker by the water, even after we had bought something

Very mixed review ☺️

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oliviervincent
oliviervincent

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

If we do this loop again, we'll leave Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère early in the morning and come back to finish in this beautiful little village so we can take the time to sit on a terrace and visit.
Going clockwise, this allows you to do the paved uphill section at the start and then take it easy.
The trail is well marked, except at Peyzac-le-Moustier, where the locals have painted over the red and white markings.
You can take a break at La Roque (good cold beer!)
Finally, the rest of the route is mostly shaded and varied, with beautiful views, especially on the Crête de la Côte de Jord.
I imagine it gets quite busy in high season. The route is often shared with mountain bikes.
Thank you for sharing this route with us.
Olivier.

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MD Faby
MD Faby

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is certainly well-travelled, but on 18 March we didn't meet anyone
The duration is a bit overestimated... it took us 6 hours with several good breaks... and we took the time to enjoy a coffee and dessert in Saint Léon
Follow the map carefully as the route crosses other trails..

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alcho
alcho

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

the description is sometimes vague, but this is compensated for by the precise route marked on the map.
the estimated duration is very broad. It is closer to 4.5 hours for average hikers.

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