Saint-Marcel de Fontfouillouse via Monteils

A lovely hike from Les Plantiers to the Saint-Marcel church in Fontfouillouse, passing through the hamlet of Monteils, the Col de l'Espinas and Faveyrolle.

Details

652039
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.46 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 664 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 662 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 910 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 402 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the village of Les Plantiers, near the post office.

(S/E) Cross the Borgne stream. Turn immediately left and then right. Join a small path above the village. At the edge of the village, follow the road until you reach a yellow-marked trail on your right.

(1) Stay above the D193 road, then descend back onto the road.

(2) Follow the road to the right. At the next junction, turn right and head towards the hamlet of Monteils.

(3) Continue along the small road and, at a hairpin bend to the left, leave the road and continue straight ahead on a path that follows the Valat des Camps river.

(4) At the fork, take the path on the right. This path, marked with both yellow and red-yellow markings, climbs gradually to reach an old hamlet in ruins. Shortly afterwards, you will reach a fork.

(5) Continue straight ahead (east, then south-east, marked in yellow and red-yellow; ignore a path branching off to the left marked with a red-yellow cross). After passing through an old chestnut grove on a downhill slope, you will reach a wide track.

(6) Follow the track to the right to quickly reach the old Saint-Marcel de Fontfouillouse church. After visiting, retrace your steps.

(6) Continue along the track, heading north-west. Gradually climb up the main track.

(7) At a crossroads, ignore the track on the right and continue along the main track. Also ignore a small path on the left a little further on. You will arrive at a viewpoint on a bend.

(8) Ignore a small path that joins the track on the right. Continue along the main track (south then south-east).

(9) Directly below Pic de Borgne on the left, continue along the track until you reach Col de l'Espinas.

(10) Begin the descent via a path that branches off to the left. This path is steep at first, but the slope becomes gentler as you enter the forest.

(11) Cross the hamlet of Faverolle and continue along a tarmac road.

(12) Take a small path on the right (yellow markings). Continue along this well-marked path to the entrance to the hamlet of Monteils. Turn left to visit the hamlet of Monteils.

(3) Follow the tarmac road on the right that you took on the way there. At the junction with the D193, turn left, cross the bridge and then take the small path on the left that leads back to Les Plantiers (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 404 m - Les Plantiers village post office
  2. 1 : km 0.73 - alt. 449 m - Path above the D193
  3. 2 : km 1.17 - alt. 439 m - Route D193
  4. 3 : km 1.5 - alt. 458 m - Les Monteils
  5. 4 : km 1.92 - alt. 507 m - Fork
  6. 5 : km 3.23 - alt. 692 m - Fork
  7. 6 : km 4.17 - alt. 642 m - Crossroads - Access to Saint-Marcel Church
  8. 7 : km 5.22 - alt. 739 m - Crossroads
  9. 8 : km 6.49 - alt. 850 m - Viewpoint
  10. 9 : km 7.27 - alt. 909 m - Access to Pic de Borgne
  11. 10 : km 8.75 - alt. 849 m - Col de l'Espinas
  12. 11 : km 11.19 - alt. 555 m - Faveyrolle
  13. 12 : km 12.53 - alt. 505 m - Yellow marked trail
  14. S/E : km 15.46 - alt. 404 m - Les Plantiers village post office

Notes

Most of the route is marked in yellow. From point (3) to point (7), there are double yellow and red-yellow markings.

At point (9), a small path on the left leads to Pic de Borgne with its viewpoint.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
jamro
jamro

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that ends with a nice beer in the village.
Don't forget to take enough water with you.
A quick note:
A winding descent would benefit from a more precise route by zooming in as far as possible.

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david duhem
david duhem

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a very pleasant hike, to be done in the direction indicated. Hiking poles are useful when you start the descent...

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fidu
fidu

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 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 hike offering numerous stunning views of the Cévennes. The first hour of the circuit is a fairly steep climb, made more difficult by the 30-degree October heat, with part of the descent being rocky... The passages through the woods are very pleasant, and you pass through hamlets typical of this region. A beautiful hike in this beautiful region.

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Lionel_42500
Lionel_42500
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in the Cévennes! A cool breeze from the north as we reached the ridges, contrasting with the heat at the bottom of the valley.
We're fans!

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pellet
pellet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I suggest going directly from Les Plantiers to the church of St Marcel de Fontfouillouse, as the section between Monteils and St Marcel can be tricky after rainy days (risk of slipping and mud).
I know this route well, having marked out the GRP2 trail that passes through there for 10 years.
My suggestion saves about 1.5 km and does not prevent you from visiting Monteils on the way back after crossing Faveyrolles.

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MendeBadaroux
MendeBadaroux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike. From D to 3, a lovely paved slanting street and old municipal road, very pleasant and shaded. From 3 to 6, an old path, still paved with stones and in good condition in places, very beautiful with lovely views, but which is tending to disappear under ferns and broom if it is not maintained more, which would be a shame. St Marcel Church looks beautiful in its peaceful setting, perfect for a break. The track that follows is a little more monotonous, despite a few views (Pic de Borgne), but the return from 10 is interesting again. A very nice day.

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C Levet
C Levet

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk to discover the magnificent church of Saint Marcel.

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4477252525
4477252525

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike with a round trip to an old church... Beautiful panoramic views

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PGT
PGT

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike that took us five hours to complete. Discovering St Marcel Church provided a welcome opportunity to take a break.
It was a bit windy between the two passes... luckily!

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loris307
loris307

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike, windy but very pretty scenery

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népalaise
népalaise

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a very beautiful route with superb views of our Cévennes mountains, lots of springs and hamlets typical of the region. The church of St Marcel is magnificent

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Jeunesenior
Jeunesenior

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The route is very interesting, with magnificent waterfalls.
Having done it in bad weather and low temperatures, with poor visibility, I would recommend doing this route in mid-season instead. There is little shade along the route.

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful hike in very hot weather (we didn't find the coolness we were looking for because of the blazing sun and lack of wind). Numerous streams (which unfortunately were no longer flowing during this dry spell) add to the appeal of this interesting route. The starting village is very pleasant and welcoming. At point 6, the old church is well worth a visit. Walking through the hamlets gives us a glimpse into the lives of our ancestors, which must not have been easy.
There is the option of swimming on the way back in the village of Les Plantiers.
PP and MM

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Coralie W
Coralie W

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike with typical Cévennes scenery and trails. Ideal at this time of year.
At point 5, I climbed directly up to the Col de Tinquos. The path is almost invisible and covered with vegetation at the start, but you can find it again further on.
The Cévennes stretch as far as the eye can see at Pic de Borgne.
I made two mistakes along the route due to carelessness (and not because of the route description) at points 4 and 10. This simply allowed me to enjoy the hike for longer!
Thanks to the author

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chenille30
chenille30

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Lovely walk. Enjoyable

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