Ranc de l'Arche loop

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Difficult hike in sections 6-7.
River completely dry and descent into the river bed.
At point 3, there is a small wall that I have never seen before. The geolocation of the route is incorrect at this point. There is a path on the right that may be the one leading to the arch, but I did not take it. Further on, there is a beautiful viewpoint on the right that is not marked if you stray from the main road.
At point 6, the fields have been extended, so you have to turn before the first one to reach the path or the riverbed, which is not easy

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Date of your route : Jan 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike with some remarkable sights. Moderate signage, so follow the directions or the GPX route carefully.
A pleasant route, even in January.

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

The GPS point B for the hike is incorrect. From the top of the initial climb, the path widens and is marked by two small cairns and no wall, indicating the Arche trail. Two metres away, a flat stone bears the inscription "arche". The distance between the actual point and the GPS point is approximately 100 metres

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Date of your route : Sep 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

It's not easy to find the entrance to the ravine. It's a shame there isn't a small sign (perhaps there is one but we didn't see it).
The path that follows the stream could do with better signposting, and it's also very stony

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Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with very few people. The passage at Ranc de l'Arc is very nice with a beautiful view of the Ibis Valley. The Gour de l'Oule was completely dry, suggesting that there might be some more interesting passages with a little water.
No problems finding your way by following the directions and reading a few comments beforehand.

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Thanks for clarifying that. I'll try to change it

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

A very interesting hike that allows you to discover an arch, a chapel, a waterfall and follow the course of a river.
Point 3 is poorly positioned and should be 80 metres further on: two small cairns and yellow and white markings indicate the path to the arch. At the top, to the right of the arch, there is a breathtaking view of the Ibie Valley.
At point 6, the trail no longer exists because water filtration basins have been built in its place. You must therefore go around them, following the wire fence towards the Salastre stream, continue between the fence and the stream and look out for a path (not clearly visible in this direction) that turns left, allowing you to cross the stream.
Further on (halfway between points 6 and 7), at the intersection, take the path on the left, as the one on the right becomes impassable.
At point 7, I preferred to go straight ahead, which easily leads to the famous gour.

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Date of your route : Jun 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The path leading to the arch is a few dozen metres ahead, marked by a line of stones rather than a low wall.
Between WPT 6 and 7, do not follow the track that ends in a dead end, but turn onto the path on the left.
To reach the Gour de l'Oule, turn right at a wild boar wallow. From there, use GPS to find the gour. A good trail then leads back to the track.
At WPT 6, major works make it difficult to find the trail, but it is passable.
Finally, as an added bonus outside of the hike, you can see the arch from the D558 near a large building called Le Mas.

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Date of your route : Jun 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At point 6, there is major earthworks to create water retention basins, and it no longer looks anything like what is described. It is a little difficult to find the path to point 7.
Another minor issue, unrelated to this hike: my app (on iPhone) displays enlarged straight lines with Russian writing when I zoom in... Hacking???

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Date of your route : Jan 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route where we didn't meet anyone, even though there were several cars parked in the designated car park. Don't rely too much on the GPS route (which is sometimes a little off), but instead follow the directions provided by the author of the listing. A beautiful, wild route following the Salastre stream to the pool where many fish were trapped.

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Date of your route : Dec 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk, well shaded with lovely discoveries such as the arch, the Salastre stream and the Gour de l'Oule.
I recommend following the route on your GPS, as there are no markings in some places, for example from point 6, where you have to cross a field to reach the stream bed. The walk then continues along the stream bed. At point 7, I recommend following the path straight ahead to pass by the Gour de l'Oule.
To find the arch, take the small path a few dozen metres before the one indicated on the map. The location is well marked with stones and signs.

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Hello,
on 25 January 2018, Étienne, Moderator, mentioned the Trou de lune. I spent a long time on the banks of the Ibie, below the Trou de lune, but it disappeared a few years ago. This hole in a limestone cliff, with an apparent diameter similar to that of the moon when viewed from the beach, was quite close (difficult to estimate, 1 metre, 2 metres?) to the crest of the cliff, and you could see the sky through it. The upper edge of the hole has collapsed, and the once circular hole is now almost rectangular, semi-circular at the bottom (U-shaped rather than O-shaped).

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

Departure at 6pm to avoid the heat. Beautiful hike with arches to see.

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Date of your route : Apr 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This route is combined with the Gour de la Sompe and Bois d'Ajude route (14 km) and travelled in reverse. We scouted it on 01/01/23
Due to the drought, the Gour de la Sompe waterfall was no longer flowing (it was in January). And there was still a pool at the Gour de l'Oule (which we hadn't seen in January because a "fada" had scared us and made us hurry up). The views of the Ibie Valley are very beautiful, and the Arc (du ranc) is superb when it is sunny at this time of year. I think my group of 14 people enjoyed it

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

The arrival by car to the starting point of the hike is not very clear.
The first half of the walk is under oak trees on a stony path (wear good shoes), which is a bit monotonous.
Be careful not to miss the arch, which is not very well signposted (3).
The view and the arch are superb.
We had trouble finding point (6) leading down to the stream.
There are no signs between points (6) and (7). The stream was dry, making it difficult to find our bearings, but the waterfall is definitely there, with water and a few fish.

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