Tour of abandoned villages

Date of your route : May 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent mid-mountain hike. The gradient is OK, but the distance (9.5km) is still a bit long for my 13-year-old son and my wife.
But be careful not to follow the route suggested on the website, as it's off-piste for the last 1/2 hour! Stay wisely on the yellow signposted route, "Tour des villages abandonnés".
It's much safer at the end.
Enjoy the ride!

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Date of your route : Apr 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very varied hike with sections through forest and fairly steep crossings of gullies. Be sure to follow the yellow signs and not the Visorando trail, as flooding has carried rocks over a good kilometre, creating large scree slopes that are difficult to cross. Otherwise, it was a superb hike, just the way I like it. There's no time to get bored! I'll be bringing my group here soon, and I'm really looking forward to it!

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Date of your route : Aug 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

lovely walk

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Date of your route : Jun 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

No difficulty finding the starting point and good parking options either at the pass itself or slightly before at the memorial.
We were only able to complete the very pleasant start of this hike. Upon arriving in Vière, at the first house, my wife slipped on the grass and dislocated her kneecap. Fortunately, we met one of the two residents (a couple who live there most of the time). This person very kindly treated my wife with the means at their disposal, knowing that the running water comes from the spring, that there is no road, no electricity and, of course, no telephone network. After her kneecap was put back in place and she was revived by a hot coffee and some biscuits, my wife was able to walk (with difficulty) the 3 km back along the trail to the car.
We are posting this review for future hikers who want to take this walk, which seemed promising to us. If you pass through Vière, please thank this kind-hearted woman again and again on our behalf.

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Date of your route : Jul 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is very pretty.
The last 4 kilometres by car before Saumelonge are on a parish specific to Brittany, very rocky track.
We regretted not having any information about where we were: there is nothing to indicate that you are in a particular hamlet, except for Vière, the first one. So you have to rely on the journey time to get an idea...
There are a few very exposed sections on the robines, where even if you have good grip, you can feel a little unsafe.
I can confirm that it's a bit like a treasure hunt to find your way, but that just adds a little spice to the adventure!

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

The final drive up to the hamlet of Saume Longe can be problematic in case of rain on the stony road, as can the Galèbre crossings on the walking route in case of heavy rain (as indicated in the practical information).
The yellow markings are very well done, including for the stream crossings. However, you need to wear suitable footwear, especially for crossing the robines.
The climbs are very gradual, often shaded, and justify the medium difficulty rating, although the figures are slightly underestimated with the start from the small pass before Saume Longe; distance 13.23km instead of 9.73; elevation gain 520m instead of 450, walking time 4h20.
The hike takes place not far from the Col de Mariaud, where, during the tragedy of 2015, a Germanwings Airbus was crashed into the mountain by its depressed co-pilot (150 deaths). A memorial can be seen not far from the starting point.
A very interesting circuit, off the beaten track and fairly accessible if the torrents are not too swollen (which is the case at the end of June in this rather dry year).

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Date of your route : Oct 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

hike completed without any difficulty, but in the opposite direction. The trail markings have been completely redone and are easy to follow. The route has been slightly modified following the Galèbre floods. Even the passage through the marl to reach the Immérée is no problem. However, you need to check the weather forecast before setting off, because if there is a lot of rain, the Galèbre becomes raging and it will be impossible to cross, as everything comes rushing down from the Pic des Têtes cirque. The passage at Vière is very well marked, so there is no need to take the cable car. Simply walk around the rocky outcrop along the edge of the Galèbre, as there is no water. The yellow markings are clearly visible on the rock. If you are going in the other direction and the Galèbre is flowing rapidly at Vière, turn back, as you will be taking risks if you continue.

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Date of your route : Oct 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pretty route, magnificent in autumn. Beautiful river, very varied landscapes

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Date of your route : Sep 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful and varied trail followed to Viere. From the start of the Galebre climb, it was impossible to follow the well-marked yellow trail because a landslide at the edge of the stream blocked the way. An extremely thin handrail cable seemed to have been installed recently, but it did not allow us to pass.
We turned back, feeling a little frustrated. There was no warning sign at the start of the trail.
The setting is magnificent, and we will return via another path.

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Date of your route : Jun 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The hike is magnificent but relatively difficult
The only downside was that there were no signposts on the way back.
We retraced our steps back to the last signpost, but even with five pairs of eyes, we couldn't find the next one and had a bit of trouble finding our way back

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

A beautiful hike where the emotion of the memory of the tragedy of 24/03/2015 remains present for me. It is this loop done "backwards", first passing through L'Immerée and then descending to Vière, which seems more pleasant to me than on the map. Hike completed in 3 hours on a beautiful autumn day, returning from 2 days on L'Estrop.

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Date of your route : Oct 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike, with a few challenging sections, particularly in the second half of the route. Not recommended for children. The route is well marked, but the description is a little vague, which sometimes requires you to play a treasure hunt, but that's also part of the fun of hiking. Thank you for your work.

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i don't know if it's really impossible, but I think it's very risky because it's on delicate, very steep slopes; so it's better to follow the new route (very recent yellow markings), which is itself quite challenging

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Date of your route : Sep 29, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Having done this hike several times, I would recommend doing it in the opposite direction so that you have less climbing to do after lunch. You could add a climb to the Mariaud Pass. Access to the pastures from Immerée is also very interesting.

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Date of your route : Sep 29, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Having done this hike several times, I would recommend doing it in the opposite direction so that you have less of an uphill climb after lunch. You could also add a climb to the Mariaud Pass. Access to the pastures from Immerée is also very interesting.

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