Vaudevant and Montplot from Saint-Victor

A pleasant hike in the Ardèche foothills and the lands of the legendary "L'Ardéchoise" cycling race.

Details

19121595
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 18.34 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 509 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 507 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 792 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 511 m

Photos

Description of the walk

In the village of Saint-Victor, park in the car park near the cemetery to the east.

(S/E) Head west to reach the main street and the south side of the church with its steps. Turn left and follow the Grande Rue.

(1) After passing the school on your left, leave the main road and take the road downhill to the left. Near a housing estate, ignore the roads to the right and left, as well as an uphill road to the right leading to a house.

(2) At the fork with a cross, take the road to the right. Ignore the road leading off to the right towards La Planta. At the fork opposite a house, turn left, continue along the road and then cross a stream over a bridge. You will reach a four-way junction on a slight incline.

(3) Take the road uphill to the right. Reach the hamlet of La Collange and at the first house, keep right for 50 metres, then ignore a path on the right and take the path uphill on the left. The path crosses meadows and then a forest. At the edge of the forest, ignore a path coming from the left and reach the hamlet of Balayn.

(4) Ignore a path leading off to the right in the hamlet and follow the road. You will reach a main road (D532).

(5) Carefully follow this road to the left for 200 m and pass the dairy facilities on the right. Follow the right-hand side of the road. At the fork, leave the main road and turn right onto a small road, ignoring the access roads to the left and right leading to houses. After 800 m, follow the road downhill to the left. The road then makes a sharp right turn to reach the D532.

(6) Follow it carefully downhill to the right, cross the Pont de la Gerle bridge and, at the end of the bridge, take the steep path alongside a house on the left. You will reach a tarmac section of a residential area and come to a road.

(7) Take this road, which turns sharply to the right, and follow the D115 for 800 metres until you reach a road descending to the right towards Létrimaille.

(8) After 50 m, take the path opposite, below the road. The path leads straight to the village of Vaudevant.

(9) You can take a detour through the village with its beautiful stone houses.
Cross the village. As soon as you leave the village, turn right onto the path leading downhill, cross a stream and then follow the path opposite. After passing a house on the left, ignore the path that continues straight ahead and turn onto the path leading off to the right towards the east. After 50 m, the path climbs towards the north-east. Reach a road and cross the hamlet of Liverset via the road.

(10) After crossing a stream, you will reach an uphill road. Take this new road to the right and you will reach another road coming from the left.

(11) Take this road on the left, which climbs slightly. Walk past a house and then some farm buildings on the left and continue for about 150 metres.

(12) Leave the road and take the path that curves sharply to the right and heads north. The path climbs almost straight up, passing a meadow and a hunting cabin on the left. You will reach a wide, flat path.

(13) Turn right onto this forest track, which first turns right then left, then turns back to the right, reaching some roads. Ignore the road climbing to the right towards the Granges farm and continue towards the Col de Juvenet crossroads.

(14) Ignore all roads and follow the path uphill opposite. Pass the Le Maître buildings on your right and follow the path that turns sharply left. You will reach the hamlet of Montplot.

(15) Cross the hamlet and continue eastwards, following a water reservoir on your left. After 200 m, leave the main road descending to the left and follow the path ascending to the right. After 400 m, you will reach a flat section. Ignore the path coming from the right, then ignore the steeply ascending path opposite and follow the grassy path on the right towards the south-east. You will reach a tarmac section near Gonnon.

(16) Follow this road downhill until you reach a road near some houses.

(17) Turn left onto the road that climbs towards the pylon. Cross a section of forest and look out over the village of Saint-Victor with the orientation table on your left.

(18) 50 m after the orientation table, take the path leading directly down to the village. This path is a Way of the Cross. Cross a tarmac section and continue straight ahead between low walls. Descend towards a road and follow it to the left towards the village. Pass in front of the church and return to the starting point near the cemetery (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 610 m - Cemetery car park.
  2. 1 : km 0.23 - alt. 605 m - Fork in the road at the school.
  3. 2 : km 0.65 - alt. 558 m - Fork with cross
  4. 3 : km 1.72 - alt. 523 m - La Collange crossroads
  5. 4 : km 2.97 - alt. 620 m - Le Balayn hamlet
  6. 5 : km 3.42 - alt. 611 m - Crossroads of the dairies
  7. 6 : km 4.88 - alt. 528 m - D532
  8. 7 : km 5.58 - alt. 544 m - Hairpin bend
  9. 8 : km 6.36 - alt. 553 m - Fork in the path
  10. 9 : km 7.41 - alt. 591 m - Village of Vaudevant
  11. 10 : km 8.7 - alt. 639 m - Hamlet of Liverset
  12. 11 : km 9.3 - alt. 647 m - Satillieu road junction
  13. 12 : km 10.14 - alt. 692 m - Fork in the path
  14. 13 : km 10.89 - alt. 777 m - Forest path
  15. 14 : km 13.23 - alt. 680 m - Col du Juvenet (681m)
  16. 15 : km 14.6 - alt. 780 m - Hamlet of Montplot
  17. 16 : km 16.03 - alt. 783 m - Road to Gonnon
  18. 17 : km 16.93 - alt. 724 m - Fork in the road towards the pylon.
  19. 18 : km 17.47 - alt. 698 m - Orientation table in Saint-Victor
  20. S/E : km 18.34 - alt. 610 m - Cemetery car park.

Notes

Standard hiking equipment.
No shelter.

Worth a visit

Villages of Saint-Victor and Vaudevant.
View of Saint-Félicien.
From Montplot, views of the Annonay Basin and the Pilat Massif.
From the orientation table above Saint-Victor, beautiful views to the east and south.
The Way of the Cross in Saint-Victor.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
Richard D288
Richard D288
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Beautiful panoramic views towards the Rhône Valley and then the Annonay basin.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of tarmac until point 8 (the path leading from the hamlet of Juny would be a good alternative if it is passable) and would avoid the very unpleasant section on the D512 at Pont de la Gerle (we also avoided the first section on the D512, point 5, by following the yellow/white marked path to Montpeyroux at point 4). the yellow/white marked path towards Montpeyroux).
Thesecond part is much more pleasant, with quite a few paths through the woods.

It should be noted that the dogs mentioned in 2022 were not present.

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Bondom59
Bondom59

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

There are four dogs: three Patous and one Border Collie. Please be very careful, as one Patou jumped over the fence and became aggressive.
What a shame.

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db38
db38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you to the author of this walk. Done in the sunshine, it was a real pleasure.
I made a few changes to shorten the walk and adapt it to my group. (14.6 km with an elevation gain of 365 m).
At point 4, Le Balayn hamlet, we took the path on the left towards Montpeyroux, which avoids the D532 road.
We then crossed the hamlet of Juny, following a very pleasant path to rejoin the route at an elevation of 537 metres.
After Vaudevant at point 11, we went directly to the Col de Juvenet along the D115. In this section, the verges are wide enough to walk safely. This allowed us, without knowing it, to avoid the "danger" of dogs...
These Ardèche mountains are an inexhaustible source of beauty and pleasure. Thank you again for this suggestion.

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cathyferrer
cathyferrer

Please find attached an email I am sending to Vaudevant Town Hall:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I have described a hiking route starting from St Victor, then Vaudevant and Montplot.

When I completed this route, on the road to Valet near Le Vert farm, I noticed the presence of dogs.

However, since people have been hiking this route and leaving comments, they are now reporting

the presence of aggressive dogs right on the road. The latest reviews report running away from three dogs.

Can you do what is necessary to prevent the problem from escalating into physical incidents involving people?

Thank you in advance.

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gigidu07
gigidu07

Yes, three came out of the field, one from a gate in a farm building. Three ran after us. One on our right, one on our left and one behind us. We were very, very scared.
Our group of three had never walked so fast.

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cathyferrer
cathyferrer

Were the dogs on the road?
If so, I will contact the local council.

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gigidu07
gigidu07

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful walk, but be careful between points 11 and 13, where there are four large Patou dogs running loose that are very, very aggressive.

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TII
TII

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A tricky section with two aggressive sheepdogs between points 11 and 13.

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MICHEL PETIT
MICHEL PETIT

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

One small criticism: there are a lot of tarmac roads. Be careful between points 11 and 13 as there are large, rather aggressive white dogs. Hike completed in 4 hours 45 minutes.

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gilbert.agnes@orange.fr
gilbert.agnes@orange.fr

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A beautiful route with some steep sections in places, but sites such as Monplot, Vaudevant and the orientation table are well worth the effort.

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