Jouqueviel trail and the Viaur valley

Perched on its rocky outcrop, Jouqueviel Castle, from the Occitan "joc" meaning perch and "vielh" meaning old, lives up to its name. Its ruins remain a testament to feudal life, having valiantly resisted the ravages of time.
You will walk along the banks of the Viaur, which will take you to the 12th-century Chapelle des Infournats, and continue on through the pretty little hamlets of L'Ouradou and Lauretié.
Follow the signs for "sentiers de Lauretié L'ouradou".

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.87 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 333 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 324 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 527 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 281 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The hike starts from Le Tel; park in front of the town hall. Yellow and yellow and redPR® markings on theGRP® des Gorges du Viaur.

(S/E) Opposite the church, turn left and you will soon reach a crossroads.

(1) Go down the road on the right towards La Garouffié. You will reach another crossroads.

(2) Follow the tarmac path that branches off to the left and, 250 metres further on, turn left onto a path that is initially flat but then descends through the forest towards the old village of Jouqueviel.

(3) After the ruins of the village and the castle, continue on the path on the left.

(4) At the fork, continue left on theGRP® des Gorges du Viaur (yellow and red markings).
Continue straight ahead along the Viaur for 5 km. There are several viewpoints, notably of the Château de Roumégous. You will arrive at the 12th-century Infournats chapel, where you can take a short break to admire this heritage site.

(5) Return to the path you came on and continue along the trail that climbs up towards the woods. You will reach a hairpin bend in the trail.

(6) Be careful, as the signpost at this hairpin bend is not immediately visible on the tree. Continue straight ahead through the undergrowth and do not follow the path on the right. You will arrive at the Route de l'Ouradou.

(7) Continue on the right to cross the hamlet, then turn right onto a path that runs alongside a dry stone wall and leads to a place called Lauretié. Cross this hamlet and continue along the road for a few hundred metres, then turn right at the T-junction.

(8) Turn left onto La Plaine, continue straight ahead, leaving Route des Finials on your left, and return to the starting point.

(1) Turn right to return to the car park in the village of Tel (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 492 m - Tel Town Hall Square
  2. 1 : km 0.18 - alt. 494 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 0.8 - alt. 449 m - Turn left and after 250 metres, turn left again.
  4. 3 : km 2.24 - alt. 337 m - Castle ruins - Jouqueviel
  5. 4 : km 2.68 - alt. 284 m - On the left - GRP des Gorges du - Viaur (rivière)
  6. 5 : km 7.34 - alt. 350 m - Chapel of Les Infournats, 12th century.
  7. 6 : km 8 - alt. 402 m - Markings on a tree facing the path.
  8. 7 : km 8.58 - alt. 460 m - Route de l'Ouradou, on the right
  9. 8 : km 10.65 - alt. 510 m - Turn left towards the hamlet of La Plaine.
  10. S/E : km 11.86 - alt. 493 m - Tel Town Hall Square

Notes

In hot weather, bring enough water, as there are no water sources along the route.

Worth a visit

Ruins of Jouqueviel Castle and an old abandoned village.
Viewpoints along the Viaur river overlooking Roumégous Castle.
Chapel of Les Infournat.
Pretty paths, dry stone walls.
From the chapel, you can extend this hike by going down to the Devil's Bridge.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
GINESTET
GINESTET

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is dotted with beautiful views and interesting historical features. Nature is welcoming in spring. There are no difficulties and the paths are easy to walk on. The indicated duration (4 hours 20 minutes) is very comfortable.

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Philippe G.
Philippe G.

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, mostly through woodland, with very little tarmac. Easy to follow except after the chapel halfway along the route. You have to take a path on the left, which climbs steeply, otherwise you'll be looking for the old path, which must have disappeared. We went through the woods, which wasn't dangerous or difficult, but didn't match the description. It was still a bit warm, even though it's October, so make sure you bring plenty to drink!

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jcmonchy1955
jcmonchy1955

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Confusing description.

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montagnejeanmarc
montagnejeanmarc

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A really nice hike... castle ruins, old houses... and a lovely path through the forest...

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Tarn59
Tarn59
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Overall, a pleasant and easy hike, well marked and with reliable explanations.

Except at point 6. We searched for a long time and, after trying several impassable "paths", we retraced our steps to the start of the wide path that climbs after the chapel (after crossing the road). About 30 metres from the intersection with the road, on this path, you have to look carefully on the right to see two crosses on a tree (indicating "wrong direction"). do not go any further (and it is not at all in a hairpin bend), but take the small path on the left, at the level of this tree. BE CAREFUL, this path is not visible at first glance, it is uphill, and immediately on a tree, you will see a yellow line indicating that you are on the right path, then the same on other trees further on! With this information, it's very easy...
In the end, we covered 14.5 km!

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CHANATH
CHANATH

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This trail gives an insight into how our ancestors organised themselves: terraces, mills, jetties on the Viaur, castle ruins, chapels and villages. There are also several interesting viewpoints: the Viaur valley, Cheval du Roi and Puech de Flauzins, the surroundings of Naucelle, La Salvetat Peyrales and Mirandol, etc.
Combined with the descent to the Devil's Bridge from Les Infournats, we covered 14 km.

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VisorandoGuibertMarty
VisorandoGuibertMarty

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 16, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Given my age, I shortened the route... I left my vehicle between Ouradou and the chapel, then from the Infournats chapel, I followed the mule track marked in yellow on the sign near the chapel. (The path is not very well marked). Very beautiful scenery.

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jeanetmaryse
jeanetmaryse

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful, well-marked hike. In hot weather, it may be better to do it in the opposite direction, as there will be more shade on the way back up.
It's a shame that the path doesn't run a little lower down, next to the Viaur.

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Canelle
Canelle

The description clearly states that at point 6, the markings are not clearly visible. You need to be careful.

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ninilu
ninilu

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

A beautiful descent, especially from the forest (ruins of Jouqueviel), but a long and monotonous trail on the GR de Pays des Gorges du Viaur, with few views of the Viaur. On the other hand, we really liked the Infournats chapel and its two neighbouring houses (still inhabited, but one of which is for sale). The path that climbs up to Ouradou (not shown on the 1:25,000 map) is also very pretty. What's more, it had just been mowed.

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DELBES
DELBES

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

This route is very interesting because of the historical aspect of the occupation of the Viaur Valley (ruins of villages, castle, church of the "Infournats", not to mention the monument paying tribute to the resistance of the village of TEL) as well as the information panels describing the flora and fauna along the trail.
For those who are tempted to do this hike, I would like to draw your attention to two points in the description:
Firstly, at point 3: when you reach the ruins and the "castle" of Jouqueviel, be careful to leave the ruins and the castle on your left and take the steep path downhill, which is not very obvious at first glance (no visible markings).
Then, at point 6, it is important to take note of the comment in the description, but be careful when climbing the winding path, as you need to pay extra attention to spot the markings, which are not obvious, have been erased or are simply missing. Otherwise, you will find yourself climbing through the undergrowth (which is what happened to me) and you will not find the road that leads to L'Oradou as described in the description.

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DELBES
DELBES

Jouqueviel trail and the Viaur valley, completed on Thursday, 10 May 2018

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FLORE81
FLORE81

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 24, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful, partly shaded route. I used it as a basis to create a 20 km route that includes a passage over the Devil's Bridge.

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jomad
jomad

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely route through the woods, well signposted, but it's a shame that the forest hides the Viaur valley for most of the route. There are some beautiful buildings to see, including a tower and a castle. There are chestnut trees along this trail.

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