Circular walk starting from Urval

Urval is a small, unassuming village on the outskirts of the Bergerac–Sarlat road; there are several walking trails, marked in yellow, which are very interesting. This walk begins with a fairly steep climb at the start, though it is shaded, leading to a magnificent little hamlet at the end, followed by a superb descent with a beautiful view of the valley before climbing up the opposite slope and passing in front of the Château de la Poujade (private); finishing with a descent towards the village with its church and communal bakery (halfway along the route, there is also the option of taking a more direct route to the village of Urval via the road at the bottom of the valley). This route alternates between footpaths and roads with very little traffic, except, in summer, on the section at the bottom of the valley.

Details

n°22713720
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.43 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 587 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 564 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 571 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 187 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Périgord
  • ⚐ City: Urval (24480)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 44.812479° / E 0.948814°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1936ET, 1937E
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Description of the walk

Park in the town hall square or in the car park (a grassy area) situated just at the entrance to the village when approaching from the D25.

(S/E) Follow the D62 towards the D25 for about fifty metres, then take a small path on the right, marked in yellow, which climbs up the hillside. Quite soon, continue along a path through the woodland; after passing a large house below, you’ll reach the Route de la Faurie. Follow this road to the end of the hamlet.

(1) Keep to the left on the yellow-marked path, which passes behind a large house and winds through the woodland. You’ll reach the hamlet of Les Barres.

(2) Take the path on the left and begin a very pleasant descent along the edge of the woodland, with some lovely views over the valley. At the end of the descent, you’ll reach a picnic area.

(3) Turn left onto the D52, taking care to watch out for traffic, particularly in summer.

(4) Just after the hamlet of “La Côte de la Faurie”, take a path on the right through the meadow and cross the little Ruisseau du Peyrot stream – this is a slightly tricky section as it is often quite wet – there may be animals – don’t forget to close the gates if necessary. Follow the yellow markings and head uphill through the woodland until you reach the Route des Sources. (See also an alternative route in ‘Practical Information’).

(5) At the hamlet of “La Planèze”, ignore the road and take the path (yellow markings) on the left, which joins the “Chemin du Pialen” just before Château de la Poujade. Follow the road as it winds past the château’s driveway and head back down towards the village to reach the Urval car park (S/E).

You’ll pass close to the church square and the communal oven (6)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 269 ft - Town hall car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.62 - alt. 499 ft - La Faurie
  3. 2 : mi 0.92 - alt. 564 ft - Les Barres
  4. 3 : mi 1.69 - alt. 190 ft - Picnic area
  5. 4 : mi 2 - alt. 220 ft - The hamlet of La Cote de la Faurie
  6. 5 : mi 2.59 - alt. 453 ft - La Planèze hamlet
  7. 6 : mi 3.33 - alt. 282 ft - The communal oven and the church
  8. S/E : mi 3.43 - alt. 269 ft - Town hall car park

Notes

I didn’t see any water sources along the route.
In Urval, there is a restaurant but no food shop.

Please note that if the section between (4) and (5) seems difficult to navigate (muddy near the stream), it is possible to reach point (5) from point (3) via the lovely little road just behind the Moulin du Pic

Worth a visit

The village of Urval is well worth a visit.
Communal oven in the village.
Church of Our Lady of the Nativity.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
3.3 / 5
ADDX
ADDX

Yes, I can confirm that this return route via the western slope is possible and very pleasant; I’ve done it before and deliberately cut it short to make it a shorter walk, but you’ll still have the option to take the shorter route if you wish. I amended the route yesterday.

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Le Teckel de l'Espace
Le Teckel de l'Espace
• Edited:

Good evening, that’s a good idea, as the route back to the village is dangerous. I’ve found an alternative on Basecamp (though I’m not sure how to upload my suggestion) which uses footpaths and small roads on the western slope, covering 6.1 km (going round the Château de la Poujade, then heading due west from the cemetery) – of course, we’d need to check it out on the ground to see if the improved safety and enjoyment are worth it.

Machine-translated

ADDX
ADDX

Hello, following several comments about the lack of appeal of the return route along the road at the bottom of the valley, I suggest changing the route so that the return journey takes us along the other side of the valley (it’s longer, but there’s nothing to stop those who are short of time from taking the road at the bottom of the valley).

Machine-translated

Le Teckel de l'Espace
Le Teckel de l'Espace

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The circular walk itself is pleasant but lacks any real highlights (in terms of heritage or scenery), and the 1.3 km stretch along the local road back to the village is frankly a bit of a slog (busy road, virtually no verge); not recommended if you have dogs or children. That said, the village itself is very picturesque and well worth a visit.

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gilles777bd
gilles777bd

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

A boring route. Nothing but tarmac. Nothing but roads, hardly any footpaths....

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gilles777bd
gilles777bd

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy, short route through a charming, secluded village. Splendid

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clingelfou
clingelfou

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route, mostly in the shade; it’s a shame that the final third follows the road, which, whilst not very busy, is rather uninteresting and exposed to the sun if you’re cycling it in the morning.

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