La Grand Combe in Saint-Hilaire-d'Ozilhan

A foray into the heart of the wild Grand Combe, then the heath of the Gard. On this route, there are no breathtaking views or heritage sites, just nature in its simplest form.

Details

n°117540

Creation:
03 May 2015

Last update:
11 Dec 2017

Last review:
12 Nov 2024

Activity: Walking
Distance: 11.96 km
Average duration: 3h 55
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 182 m
Descent: - 184 m
Highest point: 159 m
Lowest point: 48 m

Country: France
District: Fournès (30210)
Start/End: N 43.940465° / E 4.608906°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2941OT
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Description of the walk

Parking is available on the side of the RN100 just below the A9 bridge on the right when coming from Avignon.

(S/E) With your back to the motorway, follow the N100 via the Fournès access ramp. In the bend, take the small road that descends to the right towards the vineyards.

Yellow markings
Continue along this road for 700 metres, ignoring the access roads to the vineyards.

No markings
(1) At a crossroads, turn right between two vineyards towards a sign prohibiting motor vehicles. Leave the path on the left and continue straight ahead to enter the valley.
Continue through this wild valley, passing a small climbing site.
When a path branches off to the right (not marked on the map), continue straight ahead into the valley (the path was no longer maintained in May 2015 from this point onwards).
You will need to push aside the vegetation to make your way through at times, but the trail is clearly visible on the ground.

(2) At an intersection (not marked on the map), ignore the path on the left that continues into the valley and turn right. The path climbs to reach the plateau, ignore a path on the left (not very visible) and continue. At the next junction, turn right and you will arrive at a crossroads 100 metres further on.

(3) Continue left under the high-voltage power line, following the "forest" of solar panels. Just before the Y25-14 cistern, take the path on the right, which ends the detour around the solar panels and leads to a fork.

Red/white + yellow markings
(4) Continue left on the^GR®63for 700m until you reach an electricity pylon. Leave the two paths on the right and continue on the markings on the left.

(5) At the next T-junction, continue left for 200m then leave the track opposite. Continue right, ignoring the next two paths on the left and the one on the right.

No markings
(6) At the crossroads, turn left onto the path marked with a red and white cross. Leave two paths on the left and arrive at a fork.

(7) Continue right on the main path, pass two other paths on the right and begin the descent to the bottom of the valley.

(1) Turn right and follow the same path as on the way there (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 88 m - Car park on the edge of the RN100
1 : km 0.99 - alt. 49 m - To the right in the combe
2 : km 3.63 - alt. 97 m - On the right at the crossroads
3 : km 4.39 - alt. 127 m - On the left along the path
4 : km 5.19 - alt. 141 m - On the left on the GR63
5 : km 6.49 - alt. 149 m - On the left on the GR63
6 : km 8.2 - alt. 137 m - On the left, leave the GR
7 : km 8.85 - alt. 125 m - On the right along the path
S/E : km 11.96 - alt. 88 m - Car park on the edge of the RN100

Worth a visit

Saint-Hilaire-d'Ozilhan
Close to the Pont du Gard, surrounded by vineyards and heath, the present-day village of Saint-Hilaire-d'Ozilhan is built on the plain on a quadrilateral plan that is still visible (ramparts): two gates and a round tower at each corner (one of which still stands). From the village, you can see the ruins of the medieval castle (Le Castelas) on the hill, the materials from which were used to build the current village.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5

Based on 21 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5

Route interest
3.8 / 5

sucre

12 Nov 2024 at 17:29 3600 • Edited: 13 Nov 2024 at 11:07 3600

Overall rating : 3 / 5

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

Parking is inconvenient, followed by a long walk along a rarely used path that is obstructed by vegetation and barely passable!
Overall, very little interest, if any... We won't be doing it again.

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M.maurice

22 Apr 2024 at 08:46 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Fairly easy hike (with GPS visorando), but in 1 to 2 years, if nothing is done, it will be impossible to pass through the valley as vegetation will have taken over.

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Bouffe

22 Jan 2024 at 19:16 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An easy hike, but part of the trail has not been cleared, so there are lots of branches.

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PIERRE MONNIER

05 Dec 2023 at 16:34 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a very beautiful, easy little hike done on a sunny morning. We really liked the little trail through the wild Grand Combe and its cliffs. Pleasant tracks and trails. At point 6, to avoid part of the track, we turned right for about 500 m and then took a pretty trail on the left that brought us back to the track between points 7 and 8: a pleasant little detour.
PP and MM

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Coco170559

23 Oct 2023 at 08:53 7200 • Edited: 23 Oct 2023 at 09:31 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, although a little complicated at first because the parking instructions are very poorly explained
Coming from Avignon, park on the right, and coming from Remoulins, you have to cross the motorway, which is a bit complicated
But we had a great time

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tholo

21 Feb 2022 at 10:21 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a pleasant short walk, often in the shade
avoid after rain for 2 or 3 days as there is a risk of slipping on the numerous stones

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Hatechoom

14 Mar 2020 at 18:32 3600

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

We went on this hike today and were very disappointed because, based on the description, we were expecting a very nice outing. However, there were no panoramic views to be had, and one of the most open spots had a view of the motorway and high-voltage power lines. Not very natural, in that case.
I would add that there is no parking on the right-hand side of the road coming from Avignon. It is easier to park on the left, but then you have to cross the road on foot, which is dangerous because it is very busy.

ADDITION: rereading the description, I now understand the "breathtaking panoramic view, nor heritage ..." comment, which is very misleading as I thought there were panoramic views and not that there were none at all...

Thanks anyway to the author for sharing, but we won't be doing this route again.

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02 Mar 2020 at 09:56 3600

The user account associated with this content has been deleted.

Dboubou

24 May 2019 at 15:15 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The description is very accurate: "nature in its simplest form". You don't see a soul. For me, it won't be my favourite hike. An hour at the bottom of the valley, under a narrow tunnel of boxwood, where visibility is extremely limited. The advantage is that you're in the shade. You come back to life when you reach the plateau and the light returns. I actually went up too early compared to the description. At point 2, it seems that you shouldn't take the first path that goes up (even though it's marked with a small cairn!). Fortunately, the high-voltage line serves as a landmark. On the plateau, I admit I got lost, with paths everywhere that I couldn't connect to the directions. As Sandrillon said in the comments, "Keep your eyes on the solar panels".
On the way back, you can enjoy the garrigue landscapes as you walk along easy paths. The directions are sometimes misleading and I found it a bit difficult to work out which was the main path. There are practically no markings and without a GPS (my choice), I often had doubts. I was quite lucky because the directions didn't help me much. Using the map and the noise of the motorway as landmarks, you can find your way.
Otherwise, it's still a beautiful route. Thank you.

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mgvayssiere

07 Jan 2019 at 09:06 3600

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 07, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Few landmarks on the way back after leaving the GR
We turned back several times, taking very wide paths that were dead ends above the valley
The "descent" takes place at the last moment

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bernardSalon

31 Dec 2018 at 11:32 3600

PROGRAMMED AT A LATER DATE

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MARWA8

19 Mar 2018 at 11:00 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very interesting hike, but clearing work (clear cutting) on a 50-metre-wide strip has altered the route and the beauty of the landscape.
In case of mistral wind: the first part of the hike is very pleasant in the valley, but the rest of the route takes place on a plateau where the wind can be a nuisance, depending on the season.
Hike accessible to all.
Thank you

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shumash

12 Mar 2018 at 23:43 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 11, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Be sure to look out for the sign prohibiting all motor vehicles. It can be seen on the right from the access road after driving 500 metres, but it is set back quite a way and is easy to miss if you are not paying attention. The car park on the right coming from Avignon has been removed. There is a new car park before the bridge when coming from Avignon, but the problem is that to access it, you have to drive to the next roundabout and turn around because there is a white line along the entire length of the road. The same problem applies when coming from Remoulins: to turn around, you have to drive to the next roundabout in the direction of Avignon (3 km).

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jbredu

16 Oct 2017 at 16:55 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2017
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Easy walk. Good for getting back into walking. Nice views of the heath and solar farm along the route.
Very pleasant on this beautiful autumn day.

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jbredu

16 Oct 2017 at 16:54 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Easy walk. Good for getting back into walking. Nice views of the heath and solar farm along the route.
Very pleasant on this beautiful autumn day.

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Author

slinky
227 Walks

Visorando member

District: Portes-lès-Valence (26800)

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