Ferrière Pond Walk

de fr

La Ferrière Route

This route forms part of a series of radial walks starting from the Jouanhau district (6 km west of the village of Saint Symphorien in the Landes Girondines), at the equestrian centre.
Access: on foot, by mountain bike, on horseback, by 4x4
Route length: approximately 40 km
Duration of the trip:
- on foot: 2 days with a camp-out by the pond
- mountain bike: a day’s ride
- on horseback: a day’s ride
- 4x4: half a day

Details

n°2036
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Mountain biking
    Activity: Mountain biking
  • ↔
    Distance: 24.98 mi
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 4 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 213 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 236 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 246 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 98 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Saint-Symphorien (Gironde) (33113)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 44.408451° / W 0.554694°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1538SB
  • ◶
    Type of surface:
  •  
     
     
    ■ 33% Road ■ 34% Byway ■ 33% Path
  • ⇧
    Bike carrying: Not specified
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Not specified
  • Hour-by-hour weather
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Description of the route

(S/E) The Rando Passion quarry.

Head towards Housilane, the Moulin du Marian, Le Luc, Magenta, cross the D220, then pass through Arrode, Lassus and L’Argileyre.

(1) Turn right towards Les Muriers, Le Champ de l’Agnet and La Toulouse; take thefirst right, thenthe first left, and cross the bridge over the Ruisseau Blanc.

(2) Take thesecond right, then the third right; continue straight on along the main track, following the Hure stream as far as the Étang de la Ferrière.

(3) Go round the pond via the D 110. There’s a fish farm just beyond. Take thefirst path on the right to walk alongside the pond. You can have a picnic or camp a little further on to the right. Take the path heading south-west. Continue straight on along the main track to the Moulette mill.

(4) Then Castelnau de Cernès; next, take the track heading south-west which leads to the miraculous St Clair fountain (for the eyes), and visit the church of St Léger de Balson.

(5) Take the D222; at the first houses, turn right and take the track via Prespoc, Bouey, Le Courre and Les Mûriers – you’ll arrive at the entrance to the village of St Symphorien.

(1) Carry on straight ahead, then turn left to cross the Hure via the bridge and admire the covered wash house; cross the Route de Sore.

(6) Turn left onto the D220, follow the tarmac road, passing the water tower and the stadium on your right. Continue past Chalet Mauriac and Jouannet, then take the track heading south-west; turn right and carry on straight ahead along the main track until you reach the tarmac road

(7) Cross the D220E2; at the gravel track, turn left towards Gaillin and Le Brous; turn left towards Cazebille; turn left again past the Laguelongue and Biourge lagoons; carry on straight ahead along the main track until you reach the tarmac road; cross the tarmac road and you’ll be back at Rando Passion (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 236 ft - Rando Passion car park
  2. 1 : mi 7 - alt. 200 ft - Junction of the circular loop
  3. 2 : mi 9.94 - alt. 161 ft - T-junction, second on the right
  4. 3 : mi 13.03 - alt. 115 ft - On the D110, turn right
  5. 4 : mi 16.49 - alt. 125 ft - At Le Moulin, carry on straight ahead
  6. 5 : mi 17.57 - alt. 177 ft - On the D222, turn left
  7. 6 : mi 20.24 - alt. 190 ft - On the D220, turn left
  8. 7 : mi 21.95 - alt. 223 ft - Head straight on along the D220E2
  9. S/E : mi 24.98 - alt. 236 ft - Rando Passion car park

Notes

The localities are clearly marked on the IGN maps 1539 O, 1539 E and 1538 O, all linked by paths shown on these maps. As the route uses private paths, it is not signposted. Access is unrestricted. The Landes region is unique in that everything is open, with no fences or gates, so please respect the sites, the countryside and the people you meet along the way.
Take great care with fire!

Water sources for your horses are scattered throughout the route in the form of ditches, streams, ponds and lagoons.
In summer you can go for a swim in the Ferrière pond – do bring your swimwear. However, the water in the streams is very cold.
The route passes through two villages where you’ll find drinking water points, bars and restaurants; in St Symphorien, there are all the usual shops and amenities (post office, GP, chemist, garage, petrol station, etc.)
In summer, take three litres of water per person with you if you don’t want to stop at the bars.

Worth a visit

Highlights:
- Beautiful scenery, lovely mixed oak and pine forests, water mills, ponds, fish farms, lagoons, wash houses, a ‘miraculous’ fountain, beautiful churches, the chalet of the writer François Mauriac set in the middle of a park, lovely ‘airials’ and traditional neighbourhoods, flora and fauna.
- Very peaceful, mostly sandy paths, very little tarmac, a few gravel tracks. You’re guaranteed to be alone and undisturbed for most of the route. An ideal training route for building endurance on horseback. Great opportunities to gallop freely and safely. A bit of orientation training. A lovely route by bike or on foot for the more adventurous.

Reviews and comments

3.5 / 5
Based on 4 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.3 / 5
Route interest
3.5 / 5
RANDO PASSION
RANDO PASSION

Hello,
It’s true that the trail dates back to 2012.
But the landscape changes with every season, as do the condition of the paths and the state of the forest.
If no one has been there recently, the forest has closed in again, and the path disappears beneath the undergrowth within a few months, especially after spring.
In summer, the sandy paths are tricky to walk on because the very dry sand no longer provides a firm footing. You sink into it. Beneath the thin layer of vegetation lies a dune. Also, the paths used by forestry machinery for clearing and logging are rutted. After the autumn rains and until the start of summer, these paths become passable again.
You really have to be from round here to know this. You have to have walked these paths yourself to know the best time of year to enjoy them.
That is why we set up the Nature Passion association in Jouanhau, in the municipality of Saint Symphorien. We offer excursions (on foot, on horseback, by mountain bike and by canoe) and activities designed to help you explore this forest (such as orienteering courses). The excursions can be themed (crops, wildlife, flora, Mauriac, pidgeon hunting huts, history) and guided on request, allowing you to make the most of your trip and enjoy commentary and scenery inaccessible to the uninitiated.
Tel: 06 799 788 51

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1aussiegirl
1aussiegirl

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

Circular route completed: the one at the top by bike (well, that was the plan)

Highlights:
A route where you feel ‘all alone in the world’
In the vast moorland
Few steep climbs

However, as mentioned in the comments, the route description dates from 2012… you can often work your way round the missing paths and find your way (thanks to the GPS), but:

Cons:
This isn’t a route for mountain bikes. Between the overgrown paths and riding over gorse, you spend ages pushing your bike because of the sand. Definitely avoid this route by bike with children.
It’s impossible to cross the streams (for example, point 45 mentioned in a comment below).
The pond is rather unremarkable and there’s no clear view of it.

From the pond, we returned via the firebreak (second right after the pond on the road towards Villandraut) then along the cycle path (and for once we really enjoyed that long, smooth straight stretch).

Even so, the whole thing took us 3 hours!

On foot, it would certainly make for a lovely circular route; the route is probably better on horseback, so my review only applies to cycling it.

Thank you for introducing us to this area.

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RANDO PASSION
RANDO PASSION

Well done on organising your trip to ‘uncharted territory’. I spotted you when you passed by Rando Passion in Jouanhau – an old Landes-style house with a green tarpaulin roof – but you didn’t stop. I would have been happy to guide and advise you to help sort out your queries.
Rando Passion is currently undergoing extensive renovation. It is likely to reopen at the end of 2018 with 10 themed, personalised circular routes.
The route of the Ferrière trail does indeed date back to 2012...
The forest lives in tune with the seasons, forestry practices, the use of access routes, and the occupation of houses by newcomers – people from outside the region – who padlock up their properties and illegally block access to traditional footpaths.
But in the forest, too, nature very quickly reclaims its rights and, with the rainy spring we’ve had, some paths have become impassable. You need to explore the area to rediscover them.
If you like the area, I’m happy to help you explore new avenues and make wonderful discoveries, away from the over-touristed routes you’ve already been on.
Kind regards, Bruno Tel: 06 799 788 51

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PLYJUMENT
PLYJUMENT

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We completed the circular route 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 1 – 6 with eight riders. We parked the horsebox vans at the former railway maintenance depot in St Symphorien.
We were unable to cross the ford on the Hure near the 43-metre mark. (This did not affect our ride as we had already recce’d the route.)
The section near the place known as La Toulouse is closed and dangerous; a building is at risk of collapsing onto the path. We went through anyway, but it’s best to avoid it.
A superb, very hilly route with lovely tracks for galloping.
For my mountain-biking friends, there are some very sandy sections where the 4x4s had a field day. Allow plenty of time to get through on foot.

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PLYJUMENT
PLYJUMENT

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We completed the 6–7–DA–1–6 circular route with four riders. We parked the horsebox vans at the former railway rolling stock maintenance depot in St Symphorien, as the recommended starting point is currently inaccessible.
We couldn’t find the path between the hamlet of Cazebille and Jouanhaut.
Nor could we find the path between the hamlet of Arrode and the junction with the D115 towards Lassus.
We managed to come up with alternative plans and covered 26 km instead of 20.

I would advise against using this section of the route as it stands, regardless of the mode of transport, without thorough reconnaissance.
How old is this route?
We were welcomed for the night at the Hostens equestrian centre. A very warm welcome. We had dinner at the restaurant ‘La Brochette’ in Hostens. I highly recommend it.

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janlui
janlui

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2013
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

I did it on foot rather than by mountain bike… it follows the local walking trails, except for the section running alongside the Cirons, where it’s easy to take a wrong turn

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