Jouyre Valley

Hike in different environments with the damp valley floor and drier hillsides, discovering old mills, an old quarry and a cave.

Details

1092723
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.55 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 188 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 194 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 359 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 190 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Road access:
From Najac, head towards Parisot (D39). At the four-way intersection, turn left onto the D47. Then take a road on the right towards Villevayre. Park near the church in Villevayre.

(S/E) Return to the hamlet and take the road downhill. At the cross, take the path on the left that goes downhill. At the first hairpin bend, turn right onto the path and follow it downhill until you reach the bottom of the valley.

(1) At the ruins of the Moulin de Prat Ferrand, follow the stream on its left bank. Pass by a resurgence and continue on this well-marked path along the stream. At one point, the path crosses to the right bank (unimproved passage): follow it.

(2) At the old quarry on the right, cross the Jouyre again and follow the track.

(3) At the intersection, take the path on the left. The path climbs after two hairpin bends and joins another path on the left. Follow this well-marked path.

(4) When it follows a small valley, turn onto a path on the left that crosses this valley and follow this well-marked path along the hillside (not shown on the IGN map).

(5) Turn right onto the path that climbs uphill and follow it to the cave (resurgence) with its old wash house.

(6) Continue until you reach the path below the village and climb back up to the village and the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 359 m - Car park near the church in Villevayre.
  2. 1 : km 0.81 - alt. 235 m - Prat Ferrand Mill
  3. 2 : km 1.85 - alt. 211 m - Old quarry
  4. 3 : km 2.69 - alt. 192 m - Intersection, path on the left
  5. 4 : km 3.89 - alt. 279 m - Fork to the left
  6. 5 : km 5.04 - alt. 294 m - Turn right at the fork.
  7. 6 : km 6.29 - alt. 327 m - Cave and wash house
  8. S/E : km 6.55 - alt. 359 m - Car park near the church in Villevayre.

Notes

Trails partly marked in yellow, mountain biking and inter-municipal trail. The trail on the hillside does not appear on the IGN map (although it is marked).
Wear sturdy shoes (you will be crossing unimproved streams).
The valley floor is damp and shaded, while the hillside is much drier and sunnier, so bring plenty of water.

Worth a visit

Moulin de Prat Ferrand: built in the early 18th century, still in operation in the early 20th century, now in ruins.
Villevayre: a place of pilgrimage dedicated to Saint Didier, where children with twisted legs were brought. In the church, you can see the corset of a disabled child who was healed.

Nearby:
Medieval village of Najac.
Lake Parisot.

Reviews and comments

3.9 / 5
Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.4 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Cogabriel
Cogabriel

Overall rating : 1 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

No possibility of finding the marked trails, despite our extensive experience in hiking and map reading.

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fontaneau
fontaneau

Sorry, I was on another track. This one is fine.

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lemarcheur65
lemarcheur65 ★

Hello fontaneau

You write:

The route is incorrect on one section.

Have you recorded your route so that you can send it to us?
Or explain where it is incorrect!
Thank you

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fontaneau
fontaneau

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

the route is incorrect on one section

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TCK
TCK

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with children aged 6 and 10, taking the time indicated by Visorando (including drink breaks). The setting is very nice, and dogs will love being able to go for a swim.
Two points to note:
- At the old mill, you can stay on the left bank in summer; a few spots are a bit muddy but it's fine.
- There is a crossroads that is not indicated in the notes but is clearly marked on the ground and on the Visorando map. On the hills, follow the arrows and orange circles (the colour has faded in some places).

I recommend doing it in the opposite direction if it is very hot, so that you end with the coolest part.

NB: I'm leaving the photos showing the two fords to be crossed (in dry weather in summer).

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Gauthier m
Gauthier m

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Visorando does not rank the most interesting hikes, which is a shame. You have to look at each user's comments to see.

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larzac
larzac
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Prominent mountain bike trail markers,
It had rained in the previous days.
The paths were soggy, and we had to cross streams by placing blocks of stone to prevent everyone from having to go barefoot.
A first crossing after the partially collapsed mill
But a magical valley floor with its abandoned mills and mossy vegetation created an atmosphere worthy of The Lord of the Rings.
A cathedral of green
Hike done with children aged 4 and 8

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Graciette JC
Graciette JC

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Reliability was average because the map did not sufficiently take into account the newly established and marked trails for mountain biking.
Given that, in fact, the mountain biking route is now by far the most visible and therefore authoritative, it would be better to indicate this in the description and on the map.
We had to search for the route in places to be sure, as the IGN map we also had presented the same difficulty.
Otherwise, it was a superb walk, lasting as long as stated in the description, given the numerous stops to look around... and the crossing of the Jouyre at two points without any particular facilities (two of us got our feet wet... but the weather was fine!).

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sabe81
sabe81

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Be sure to follow the description and don't focus on the yellow or mountain bike markers, as this hike is a beautiful mix of all these trails! I recommend using an app that records your route so you can find your way around, as there are a few tricky sections. There is a picnic table near the church. The hardest part for me was finding the starting point (it's located below the church).

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Alaure1
Alaure1

Overall rating : 1 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

Passage blocked by construction work; trail not maintained and overgrown with vegetation in its first section
Really cool site

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valkiry82
valkiry82

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Lovely walk in the woods near the stream.
Small picnic table near the car park next to the church.
Not a single hiker in sight.
The instructions and map are clear, except for one point at the end where a crossroads is not mentioned. May be muddy and slippery in winter. Worth doing....

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annemartial
annemartial
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb walk, ideal in warm weather in the woods near the stream.
Small picnic table near the car park next to the church.
Dogs can run around freely, not a single hiker in sight.
We will gladly return.
Many thanks to the person who wrote the description on this website.

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AnneGrose
AnneGrose

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The descent at the start of the walk is quite steep but the return ascent is gentle and therefore this walk is really very pleasant and not that hard.

The instructions and map are clear, except for one point at the end where a junction isn't mentioned, but the path is clear from the map. A lovely walk that we enjoyed in the autumn sunshine. It is quite muddy and slippery, so good boots are definitely needed.

The descent at the start of the walk is quite steep, but the return ascent is gentle, making this walk very pleasant and not too difficult.

The instructions and map are clear, just one point at the end where a junction isn't mentioned but the path is clear from the map. A lovely walk that we enjoyed in autumn sunshine. It is quite muddy and slippery so good boots are definitely needed.

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babeth007chat
babeth007chat

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike to do again in summer...
we had a little trouble with the signposting, especially towards the end

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randodimanche
randodimanche

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant walk in the woods with the river in the lowlands. The climbs were a bit tough, but it was very enjoyable. This route is very shady, so I recommend it in hot weather.

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