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Access: take the D840 from Martel to Gramat, near Rocamadour. After crossing the D673 and then the D36, turn left into the hamlet of Roumégouse and leave your car there.
Please note! This route is not signposted as such.
(S/E) At the entrance to the hamlet, look for signposts. Follow the yellow markings towards Vallée Alzou, cross the D840 and continue straight ahead until you reach the intersection with a railway line, which you must cross. Continue straight ahead, still towards Vallée Alzou, on a beautiful path that serves several small pastures surrounded by beautiful stone walls. You will arrive at a plateau that offers a beautiful view of the cliffs on the other side of the valley. The path, which joins theGR®®6at this point, begins to descend. Further down, you will find signposts.
(1) This is the start of the circular path. Leave theGR®® and follow the yellow markings on the left towards Gramat/Méjeancerie basse. The path crosses a river bed (dry in mid-September) and then climbs up the other side. At the next intersection, leave the yellow markings which continue straight ahead and take a path on the left.
(2) Two hundred metres further on, turn left onto an unmarked path that climbs perpendicular to the contour lines. This path is wide and well marked and, at least for the time being, signposted with arrows for the Vigan endurance horse race.
The path first turns right at a 90° angle, then left about 500 metres further on. Leave the undergrowth and cross the pastures.
(3) The path soon turns into a small road that must have been tarmaced a long time ago. Follow this road to the tiny village of La Pannonie and climb up to the castle.
(4) Turn right onto a quiet little road that leads away from the castle. You will see a cross after about 500 m. Continue along this road, which offers beautiful views of the Causse. Leave the Mazet road on your right and, further on, ignore a path that leads off to the right towards Rocamadour (elevation 291).
(5) To discover the landscape hidden behind the apparent flatness of the causse, a few dozen metres before a road leading off to the right towards Fouysselaze, take an unmarked path on the left that descends into a small ravine surrounded by large limestone blocks. You will soon come out onto a road (D32) and rejoin theGR®®46.
(6) Take the road on the right. It is busy but you will soon leave it to climb a small rocky hill on the right, following theGR®® markings. After this glimpse of the hidden relief of the causse, return to the small road you left earlier.
(7) TheGR®®46, which you will now follow to Rocamadour, branches off to the left and then turns right just before the junction with the D32 to descend into the Alzou valley. TheGR®® crosses the D32, then turns sharply to the right and runs parallel to it for about 300 m. The citadel of Rocamadour comes into view at a bend in the road.
After a hairpin bend, you come to a small road which you follow. Further on, just before the small bridge, you will see a house decorated in a very original style.
(8) Cross the small bridge and turn right onto anotherGR®®, theGR®®6, which you will follow until the end of the hike. Pass below the citadel, then near the small train station and finally the valley car park. Continue along a track that follows the bottom of the valley, where the Alzou stream is often dry. The limestone walls on either side are covered with woods.
For about 2 km, the path is rather dull, but be patient, it's worth the wait. Further on, the valley narrows into a shallow gorge as the track turns into a path. Although the stream bed is usually dry, the vegetation covering the walls of the damp gorges is lush, with lots of moss and ferns. This beautiful trail passes a series of old ruined mills before going through the last of them, the Moulin de Saut.
(9) Please note that when passing through this mill, you must comply with any prohibitions or restrictions in force. Shortly afterwards, you will come to the intersection of the circular route.
(1) Climb back up the cliff and, following the same route as on the way there, return to the beautiful hamlet of Roumégouse (S/E).
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