In the footsteps of the giant in Tournon-sur-Rhône

Park at the Octroi car park.

(S/E) Head towards the Rhône to reach the Promenade Roche Defrance in just a few steps. Follow it to the marina.

(1) Turn right towards Avenue Maréchal Foch, walk along it, then turn left, cross at the pedestrian crossing and go round the church on the right. Turn left and continue to the junction with the Grande Rue.

(2) Turn right onto it and follow it to the chemist’s. Turn right onto Rue Gabriel Faure and, once at the top of the street, continue up the steps to Rue du Docteur Cadet. Turn right and follow the road for 200 metres, negotiating the hairpin bend.

(3) Turn right onto Chemin des Tours and, at the second hairpin bend, carry on straight ahead along the path that climbs through the vineyards. After a 600-metre climb, you’ll come out onto a ridge with a viewpoint (elevation 276).

(4) Turn immediately right, heading north, leaving the vineyards on your right. Continue along a well-maintained path, skirting the mast, to reach a small road at a place called Chapon. Turn left, follow the road for 100 m and leave it on the right to follow a farm track. This takes a sharp left-hand bend and heads south, leading onto a tarmac road.

(5) Walk about twenty metres to the right, then head down the path on the right. After a 300-metre descent, at the Fork in the road, ignore the path that drops steeply to the left; continue north for 600 metres to emerge into a small triangular field.

(6) Walk along the edge of the field heading north-east to join a clearly marked path on the left, which descends gently then steeply for 300 metres: ignore the paths branching off to the right.

(7) At the junction, take the path on the right to pass above the pool (the Giant’s Pool). At the junction, turn left and continue carefully along the Chemin du Géant.

(8) On your left is the carved rock of the Grand Géant: see the ‘Places to see’ section. Please note: the descent to the sculpture is perilous. Do not attempt it without solid experience of very steep terrain. Continue for about 150 m to reach the ‘Homme primitif des Cévennes’, hidden in a recess to the left of the path.

(9) Continue straight ahead to a ruined house. Pass it and head down to the right to join Rue du Doux. Turn left for 100 m, then right to go under the railway line, and carry on along Rue du Doux until you reach the roundabout at Avenue Maréchal Foch. Go round it on the right to reach the Octroi car park (S/E).

Please note: although this walk is short and has a gentle gradient, it requires sure-footedness, good footwear and, if possible, walking poles. It is not accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Please note: between (7) and (9), rockfalls may occur. You should take particular care. In particular, do not let children climb on unstable rock faces.

(S/E) The free car park at L’Octroi can accommodate over 100 vehicles. There is also a parking area for motorhomes.

The legend of the giant (based on the article published in the JTT on Thursday 10 December 2020).

Mr Foriel, who owned the Domaine de la Terrasse and the entire hill up to the Peyregourde Tower between the 1880s and 1930s, was an eccentric figure with a passion for esotericism, who scattered a variety of whimsical works all over the area.

(8) The sculpture of the Great Giant, perched on a rock overlooking Tournon, hidden amongst the box trees. On its plinth is a completely outlandish inscription recounting its so-called history. But above all, it offers a sublime view of the Doux and Rhône valleys.

(9) This is the ‘Primitive Man of the Cévennes’, according to Foriel, a work that has suffered the ravages of time. In the past, the children of Tournon were forbidden from playing in this area, as the statue was deemed indecent!

Ruins further on (9): this is where the gallows once stood. It was here that the gallows were erected, from which bandits were hanged in the Middle Ages. At the time, this spot was not overgrown with vegetation but visible from across the valley, making it an ideal place for educating the people.