Isable Valley and Padègue Viaduct in Saint-Polgues

A pleasant hike along the Isable river, passing by the Padègue viaduct.

Details

5850206
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.16 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 236 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 241 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 623 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 452 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park after the town hall at the roundabout on the D18.

(S/E) Head towards the church and town centre on the D45 towards Crémeaux, and follow the municipal signs for the hamlet of Les Acacias.

(1) Leave the D45 and turn right onto the D18. Follow the signs for the cemetery and the hamlet of Les Acacias.

(2) At the cemetery, turn left onto the road towards Les Acacias. Continue straight ahead on the path towards the hamlet of La Provenchère and admire the view. Then continue straight ahead on the tarmac road of La Provenchère to reach the place known as La Croix du Lac.

(3) Turn left onto the D86 departmental road. Follow it for about 200 metres, taking care to drive carefully.

(4) Take the road that descends to the left at the house. Be careful not to miss this road, as it may appear to be private at first glance. Follow it as it winds downhill through the woods.

(5) At the bottom, turn left onto the tarmac road towards Moulin de la Roue. Continue along the tarmac road, which veers to the right, and cross the Isable.

(6) At the Moulin de la Roue houses, turn left towards the hamlet of Les Fontanes. Continue straight ahead on the main path along the Isable, enjoying the peace and beauty of the surroundings. At the first houses you come to, the path becomes a road and gradually moves away from the Isable.

(7) Take the first path down to the left to reach the D45, which you can see below.
Continue left on the D45, walk about a hundred metres and cross the Isable.

(8) Then immediately turn right onto the path towards Padègue. Once you reach the hamlet, continue along the path without turning left.

(9) After the houses, turn right and cross the Isable. Follow the river and head towards the viaduct. Continue straight ahead and pass underneath it. Ignore a path on the right and continue along the Isable. At the end, at the junction with the D18, take the path opposite and cross the bridge. Continue along this path, which crosses the D18 again.

(10) Cross over and take the wooded path opposite, which continues straight ahead; do not take the gravel path on the left, which is a dead end.

(11) Continue straight ahead at the intersection with another path, ignoring the cross marker. Join the D18.

(12) Follow this road to the right for about 30 metres, then immediately turn left onto the tree-lined path. Continue to the Verdier farm and take the path opposite, which passes to the left of the farm.

At the junction with the small tarmac road, first turn right then left onto the path opposite which climbs towards the village of Saint-Polgues. At the end of this path, turn left onto the tarmac road (Fond Vallée) and head for the roundabout, the starting point of the walk (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 570 m - D18 / D45 roundabout
  2. 1 : km 0.19 - alt. 582 m - D18 / Le Bourg - on the right
  3. 2 : km 0.58 - alt. 593 m - Les Acacias hamlet - on the left
  4. 3 : km 3.21 - alt. 620 m - La Croix du Lac /D86 - on the left
  5. 4 : km 3.39 - alt. 619 m - D86 - left
  6. 5 : km 4.1 - alt. 531 m - Moulin de la Roue mill - on the left - Isable (rivière)
  7. 6 : km 4.27 - alt. 523 m - Hamlet of Fontanes - on the left
  8. 7 : km 6.16 - alt. 522 m - Briand - on the left
  9. 8 : km 6.5 - alt. 496 m - Towards Padègue - on the right
  10. 9 : km 7.29 - alt. 480 m - Padègue - on the right
  11. 10 : km 9.48 - alt. 469 m - Le Pont/D18 - opposite
  12. 11 : km 10.03 - alt. 530 m - Path opposite
  13. 12 : km 10.29 - alt. 552 m - Le Verdier - right then left
  14. S/E : km 11.16 - alt. 570 m - D18 / D45 roundabout

Worth a visit

Isable Valley.
Padègue Viaduct.
Village of Saint-Polgues.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Philippe S5.
Philippe S5.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant walk on good quality paths, some sections on roads

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Denise S.
Denise S.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very pleasant walk with superb views of the surrounding countryside.
The Visorando description is remarkably accurate.

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Vénon28
Vénon28

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Highly recommended and beautiful hike. You can find it on Google Maps by searching for "La marche du petit ours" (The Little Bear's Walk).
Enjoy exploring. There are lots of different animals and environments along the route

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Tonyy
Tonyy

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful walk.
Access to the viaduct is still prohibited.

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Cognet
Cognet
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk with no particular difficulties

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bernardbertignat
bernardbertignat

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a beautiful, easy route. Nice view of the viaduct; we admire this remarkable structure, notable for its "lightness".
Thank you.
bernard

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bernardbertignat
bernardbertignat

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a very beautiful, easy hike. The view of the viaduct is surprising; you can see the entire bridge and its superb architecture very clearly. The return path is very wide and shaded, making it very pleasant.
Thank you
Bernard

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Agnès 1
Agnès 1

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Wonderful walk...! Thank you

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teug153
teug153

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello
A magnificent route at this time of year, with lots of flowers. Very tall grass on the paths after point 12

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Falsa
Falsa

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk without much difficulty: only one climb between points 10 and 11,
varied landscapes, very passable path
the route took 2½ hours, including the detour up to the entrance to the viaduct (which is closed to the public) and the old railway track. A wide forest path leads back down to the original route a little further on
We didn't see any other walkers, just a few hunters who all greeted us
A hike to be recommended

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Creeze
Creeze

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful parish-specific to Brittany walk; I recommend climbing up onto the viaduct (path on the right) and continuing (on the right-hand side) to return to the original trail

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Laurent.GIRAUD
Laurent.GIRAUD
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, fairly easy route, with views of the surrounding countryside in the first part.
Some areas had fairly tall grass, and we saw a few snakes... So watch where you put your feet!
You walk alongside the river from a distance, which is a shame as you can't enjoy it more (there are quite a few fields with fences).
There are a few welcome shaded sections, and you can even cool your feet in the river at a place called "Le Pont" before climbing back up to the starting point.

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DALLIERE CHRISTIAN
DALLIERE CHRISTIAN

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

HELLO, I did this route with friends yesterday and all the participants found it very enjoyable. We would gladly do it again. Best regards.

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bernard desvignes
bernard desvignes

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

superb hike, guaranteed peace and quiet, beautiful scenery
worth repeating and recommending.

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Dompie
Dompie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike to follow, and when the weather is nice, there are magnificent views.
However, if it is hot, some sections can be a little too sunny.
In any case, the route is very well marked. There is no risk of getting lost.
Highly recommended.

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