On the heights of Mondragon

A walk without too many difficulties and numerous headlands along the route.

Details

202397
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.35 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 181 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 176 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 139 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 41 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Mondragon (84430)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 44.234142° / E 4.712513°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3040OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Description of the walk

(S/E) Get to the Salle des Fêtes car park. Go around the roundabout and take the D152 opposite for about 20 meters.

(1) Take the path between the two rocks to your left. Go past the primary school on the left.

(2) Follow the track via the Chemin du Château, then that of the Genets (admire the Bollène side of the Rhone valley,the Diois mountains and the Prealps). Reach the viewing point under the high-voltage pylon.

.(3) Continue on the track that turns right and go past the Maison de Patatin.

(4) Start a large loop to the right, continue on the track and then down towards the D152.

(5) Cross it and go in the direction of Le Velobos. After about 100m, you'll get to a concrete track on your right.

.(6) Take this track (it is only concrete for 200m). Follow the track up to a fork and take the right-hand track. Walk through the valley until you reach a viewing point (of the southern part of the valley and the Forteresse de Mornas).

(7) Follow the track until the junction with the Chemin des Combes and turn right until you reach the junction of the Chemin de la Montagne, partially tarmacked for about 1 km.

(8) Turn right again and join a path through undergrowth for approximately 2km.

(9) Find the tarmac road through the Velobos neighbourhood, go left on a path and then on a new road to find point (6) before you join the D152.

(5) Turn left to walk down to the village, on approximately 500m of relatively busy road and then take the Chemin Fond between the green barriers (be careful, the beginning of the stairs has been removed), on a path section followed by tarmac. Return on the D152, which takes you back to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 41 m - Salle des Fêtes car park
  2. 1 : km 0.07 - alt. 44 m - Path after the roundabout
  3. 2 : km 0.3 - alt. 75 m - Primary school
  4. 3 : km 1.04 - alt. 136 m - Viewpoint
  5. 4 : km 1.37 - alt. 134 m - House of Patatin
  6. 5 : km 2.16 - alt. 99 m - Junction D152
  7. 6 : km 2.36 - alt. 115 m - Concrete runway
  8. 7 : km 3.58 - alt. 99 m - Viewpoint
  9. 8 : km 4.69 - alt. 77 m - Chemin de la Montagne
  10. 9 : km 5.13 - alt. 59 m - Undergrowth path
  11. S/E : km 8.35 - alt. 41 m - Salle des Fêtes car park

Notes

Pay attention to slippery rocks during the descents.
In season (September-February), observe frequent signs for hunting areas on this route.
This circuit is also accessible to mountain bikers (with helmets).
No water-filling points on the walk.
You can take a break in the landscaped woody area as you leave the Chemin Fond before the D152 shortly before the end of the walk.

Reviews and comments

3.7 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
3.4 / 5
Francine84
Francine84

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant walk partly on easy paths through a forest planted with magnificent pine trees. Beautiful 180-degree views downhill towards point 7 over the Rhône valley and the fortress of Mornas.
Be careful on the return journey along the D152 road from point 5: at certain times of the day it can be very busy and the verges are not safe.
Thanks for sharing.

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3394564416
3394564416

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

I agree completely with the first opinion ... Hiking M........ no interest Patatin house zero there is nothing to see we took a right in 6 as indicated and should have continued straight to reach a viewpoint that o therefore never seen ... return by a tarmac road and busy no interest and even dangerous I do not recommend this route.

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Erik30
Erik30

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

Frankly, it's a crap hike, most of the "hike" is on roads, so having a choukel 🐕🐶🐾 doing a hike to have him on a lead for 3/4 of the hike is seriously as BAD for him as for me, as there are quite a few cars passing by... I STRONGLY advise against it and will NEVER do it again! Doing a hike and ending up polluted by the N7, which is not far away, and walking on tarmac... I LOVE IT !!!! 😤😠😡🤬

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CROUZET CHRIS
CROUZET CHRIS

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Some lovely views, but the route is a little too long on tarmac roads and/or close to housing.

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La team BAUBET
La team BAUBET

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

We shortened the route due to lack of time. We set off directly from point 9 to reach point 4 through the dwellings. We started off on the road, but it wasn't very busy. We thought the route would be sheltered from the wind, but that wasn't quite the case. We got some fresh air...
The route was easy, but not very interesting, through vineyards and wide forest tracks.
Between points 8 and 9, we didn't find a track again, but it seems that the terrain had been turned upside down. There must be an explanation for this. With a minimum of sense of direction and fairly open terrain (vineyards), it was fairly easy to find a way back to the circuit at point 9.

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Netra
Netra ★

Hello,

Thank you prini for spotting a right/left error that had slipped through the net, both when writing and when reading before publication. I've just corrected it.

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prini
prini

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very parish specific to Brittany with a great path all along the way.
But the biggest problem was that there was a big mistake in the description just after point 7. It said that at the Carrefour you had to turn right when you should have turned left as shown on the sheet.

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sacou16@gmail.fr
sacou16@gmail.fr

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

be careful during the hunting season as there may be a fight between 6 and 8 on the section with a view of Mornas and then when you reach the intersection of the Chemin des Combes and the Chemin de la Montagne go straight ahead on the dirt track.
Enjoy the walk

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you Pianfetti
I'm inclined to agree with you that you're better off in the mountains
However, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me where you made a mistake so that we can improve the description.

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Pianfetti
Pianfetti

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

Walking through a housing estate is not very pleasant, especially when it's the dogs and their barking that set the pace.
The view of the Rhone valley was too short.
Signs were missing at a crossroads that turned out to be important, so we and other hikers took the wrong route.
In short, it's hard to feel a bit alone on this almost urban walk.

https://www.visorando.com/images/smileys/...

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Abelci
Abelci

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Nice hike, beautiful views, but we had some trouble finding the path on the second part of the route because we did the 2nd loop backwards.

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Véronique N.
Véronique N.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A short, easy and pleasant walk, on paths and a few tarmac sections.
Avoid it in midsummer, as most of the terrain is open, so watch out for the sun!
It's up and down, but not very steep, which is good for the thighs in early spring.
Nice views to the north at the start of the route and to the south in the middle.

In short, it's easy and pleasant, even if I prefer walking on footpaths.

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pecdiou
pecdiou

Thanks for the clarification about the car park. That's right, there's this one too

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pecdiou
pecdiou

Thank you for your comment, it's true that this is a family walk that we often do with the children and I have to admit that it lacks a bit of precision because I'm used to doing it. What's more, it was my first time presenting a walk on the site. I'll see if I can improve the description.

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Jean2StMo
Jean2StMo

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 26, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Difficulty finding the start at the salle des fêtes. It is located along the Nationale, next to the starting roundabout, next to the stadium, rather to the south of the village.
A very nice 2? hour hike, but take an IGN map or a GPS as the explanations are not very precise, particularly in the last third of the route.

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