Thorrenc, castle, tunnel and viaducts

Charming village with a beautiful castle (private), a large viaduct from an old railway line that ran from Firminy to Saint-Rambert d'Albon.

Technical sheet

28049
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.68 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 327 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 324 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 387 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 229 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Depart from the centre and park in front of the inn or at the side of the road.

Climb up towards the castle (1) and then turn right towards the cemetery, start the climb, walk through the woods and enjoy the coolness of the stream to reach the top of the very stony climb. After the cemetery, take the path that branches off to the right.
You will reach a small bridge over the old railway line. Do not cross it, but take the path on the left which leads to the railway line.
Turn right and go under the bridge, arriving at the first viaduct, then the rather long tunnel (bring a powerful torch as it is completely dark for about 100 metres), and at the exit, the second viaduct, the one you can see from the village, with its breathtaking view.
When you reach a fork, take the path that climbs to the left to rejoin the road.
Take the road on the right for a few metres and immediately turn left onto a path that climbs up to the hamlet of Solore. Cross the hamlet and after 200 metres, take the road on the left for another 200 metres and turn left into the fields.
Follow the yellow markings and, at the hamlet of L'Eterpas, turn left until you reach the next hamlet, Les Peyréres, then Révèlardon. Turn left (dead end) and descend along a small grassy path.
From there, cross the small bridge and either go straight back up the path or take the railway track for a second treat, as we did that day.
At the end of the viaduct, when you reach the road, turn right, cross a small bridge and descend to the village to return to the starting point. You can visit the castle chapel and return via the castle path.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 230 m
  2. 1 : km 8.15 - alt. 253 m - Château de Thorrenc
  3. S/E : km 8.68 - alt. 232 m

Practical information

IGN map recommended and be prepared to do a bit of a figure of 8, so make sure you have a good sense of direction.

In the nearby area

Castle and inn.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 44 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
randolover
randolover

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very beautiful hike. Peaceful walk surrounded by greenery and beautiful landscapes. Watch out for beehives on the path along the steep slope; bees swarmed the path during our walk, so be careful.

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erythro
erythro

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very pleasant and fairly easy hike.
No difficulties
The tunnels, viaduct and lake are very nice.
Thorrenc is a pretty little village.
We met seven or eight people along the way.

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arletttejojo
arletttejojo

Very beautiful hike, as mentioned in previous comments, the start wasn't very well explained but with the app on our mobile phones beeping if we took a wrong turn, no problem.

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Pautonnier
Pautonnier

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very nice route with magnificent views of the viaduct and the castle.
The directions aren't very clear, but with the Visorando app, you'll find your way around 😉

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krin1107
krin1107

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

A very beautiful, easy hike. However, the rocky climb at the beginning is not very pleasant (not recommended in the opposite direction!). The trail was quite busy on a beautiful sunny autumn Sunday. It was difficult to find the starting point and the first directions to take, as well as the exit from the hamlet of Solore. We had to follow our instincts several times, but thank you to the previous reviewers who provided some clarification! A very beautiful hike with a variety of features, including ruins such as bridges, viaducts, tunnels and old buildings. We crossed the commune of Thorrenc through various places and along different slopes, and we also crossed through history, with magnificent views, particularly of Thorrenc and its castle. A hike not to be missed! Fun for children! Bring a torch for the tunnel to avoid twisting your ankle on the stones!

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arletttejojo
arletttejojo

Which lake are you talking about?

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arletttejojo
arletttejojo

Yes, that's a perfect description of how to start. Thanks for the pressure, it's very useful. We struggled a lot the first time we did it.

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couix Françoise
couix Françoise

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

a very pleasant hike with beautiful weather. We enjoyed a picnic lunch by the lake. Definitely worth repeating in the spring

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arletttejojo
arletttejojo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Hike completed on 18 and 28 February 2021.
At the start, there was a small error in the route description.
Climb up to the castle, follow it, return via the road, then climb up again. The town hall is on your right and the castle is on your left. Continue straight ahead, climb up to the cemetery, take the path that branches off to the right, then leave the path that climbs up and take a path that descends to the right, towards the stream. Walk through the woods and enjoy the coolness of the stream.

Otherwise, it's a very beautiful, very pleasant route that we enjoyed doing again without getting lost the second time

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HBoulouet
HBoulouet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A beautiful hike on a lovely winter's day offering stunning views. An easy route with a few steep sections. Take care at the start, as the route on the map is not easy to follow.

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Briancon1
Briancon1

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

I agree with Ladesiderienne; initially, the cemetery is mentioned twice, so I started higher up and didn't take the very stony path, but joined the route higher up. The street names in the villages are indeed useful
Very beautiful views of the railway line above the village and the Alps on the plateau.
A nice walk; the railway heritage of the Ardèche and France in general makes for some beautiful walks.

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flinoismatthieu
flinoismatthieu

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

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cannasson
cannasson

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Great walk with a fun tunnel passage. We didn't have an IGN map, but we followed the directions carefully and found our way.

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loussarevian
loussarevian

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Hello,

The route was very poorly marked on the ground... a shame because it was a pleasant walk...

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ladesiderienne
ladesiderienne

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : May 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

We have become accustomed to using the GPS function on Visorando. It is very useful and prevents errors. The explanations are not always very clear (but well done to those who write them, as it is certainly not easy). For example, at the start of the hike, there are two references to a cemetery. In fact, there is only one, which is at the start and not at the top of the hill. At the end, we returned by the same route as on the way there because several routes overlapped on the map.
I noticed that in Ardèche there are often signposts at crossroads. Why not use the directions to the villages shown on them to make the directions clearer? Like other hikers, I regret that the description does not mention the names of the streets to take, as all the villages you pass through have them. I think this would make life easier for those who don't have GPS.
Other than that, it's a superb hike with magnificent and varied views, including one of the village. You do indeed have to climb over barriers, and bring a torch to get through the tunnel.

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