Date of your route : Mar 17, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No
This initial review won’t be – and we apologise for that – the most favourable; bear in mind that this is entirely our own personal opinion and reflects only our own views.
In our view, this hike is for those who wish to immerse themselves in the great outdoors, without necessarily seeking out the best views.
As Shapiro says, it’s lovely and ‘green… and hilly…’, that much is true, no doubt about it…
And if that’s enough for you, then go for it.
As seasoned hikers who prefer walks offering stunning panoramic views, we were left wanting more.
“Easy” route: yes and no (again, in our opinion!): admittedly, the elevation gain indicated doesn’t seem particularly significant, but you tackle it right from the start and in one go over the first 500 metres. That said, Shapiro does point out: “a steep climb”; we can confirm that!
And from point 5 to point 6, the sunken path is particularly stony, on a downhill slope, and a stream meandered beneath our feet for much of this section.
As for the “ease of following the route”, if you’re a regular like Shapiro – with 121 walks created on this site (!!!) – you’ll no doubt find these few points of clarification superfluous; don’t bother reading any further.
But for us, poor little Sunday hikers, they reflect our own mistakes and hesitations:
S/E: when you’re parked in the church square, you need to cross the bridge situated above you and then head right uphill; you’ll cross the other bridge, below, leading to the church forecourt, on the way back.
From point 1 to point 2:
- at the first junction you come to, continue uphill, leaving the path that goes downhill on your right;
- further on, on the flat ground, before the hamlet of Soulage, the path splits again into two: one climbs slightly to the left and continues pleasantly along the edge of a hillside meadow, the other descends slightly to the right, running alongside the meadow below: as there is no fence or gate marking the boundary of the meadow (which was the case on that day), you should indeed take the path on the right, below the field (advice from a local resident: the meadow and its path are reserved for ‘livestock’ and their owners);
- finally, speaking of the hamlet, on the map accompanying this guide, the name “Soulage” is shown to the left of the red line, but it is actually to the right of the red line that the small black squares (buildings) appear: at this point, the path takes a slight bend, climbing up and skirting the two adjoining houses on the left – which form this mini-hamlet – and which will be on your right below (you will therefore indeed pass “above the hamlet of Soulage”, as indicated by Shapiro).
At point 3: when the path itself joins a farm track (leading to the field below on the right and the one above on the left), shapiro says “Carry on straight ahead to reach the hamlet of Caylat”: in fact, you go up to the left before following the wide track to the right towards the hamlet.
Just before point 4: once you reach the hamlet, turn left onto the tarmac road for a few metres, before turning left again to take the track indicated by Shapiro. CORRECTED SINCE
Please note that after point 4, at the “large wooden barn” mentioned by Shapiro, there is currently a huge construction site stretching to the left and right of the track: but the impressive construction machinery will kindly let you pass to reach point 5.
Finally, two nice features:
- the village of Velzic, with its small village square and stream, makes for a lovely postcard scene;
- if you arrive in Velzic via the D59 then the D17, the road isn’t very relaxing for the driver, but for passengers, in fine weather, it’s an absolutely superb alternative route! The arrival overlooking Lake Graves, when the sun is beating down on it, is magnificent!
Machine-translated
Country:
City:
Visorando Member
Moderate 
Difficult 
