Medieval ruins of Cotteughes and Marilhou Waterfall

Pleasant circular walk through the woods in the Marilhou Valley, where you can see a small waterfall and the ruins of a medieval village.

Details

3458833
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.27 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 184 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 189 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,175 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,032 m

Description of the walk

Access to the start from Trizac, via the D30, towards Le Falgoux. Drive through the hamlet of Freydefont and, about 1 km further on, park at the side of the road, where you will see a wooden sign indicating thePR®® on the left-hand side of the road.
Follow the PR®® signs.

(S/E) Follow the path on the left, markedPR®, through the undergrowth. The path makes a wide right turn. Ignore a path on the left that makes a hairpin turn. Further on, join a track.

(1) Follow it to the right and you will arrive at the D30. Walk a few metres to the right, then follow the path leading off to the left.

(2) Cross the footbridge at the Marilhou waterfall. Enjoy the site, then continue along the path. At the T-junction, turn right for 80 metres, then turn left onto the path. Cross a stream via a footbridge and you will arrive at the Vestiges de Cotteughes site (an abandoned medieval village of dry stone huts).

(3) Enjoy the site (information panels), then continue along the path. At the T-junction, turn left.

(4) At the junction with a path leading off to the right, keep left, then turn right 50 metres further on, at the ruins of other medieval huts (incorrectly known as the Château de la Plounque site).

(5) Take a footbridge over the Marihlou, then arrive on the D30. Follow it to the right to quickly find the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,044 m - D30, south of Trizac
  2. 1 : km 2.11 - alt. 1,147 m - Trail x path intersection
  3. 2 : km 2.5 - alt. 1,113 m - Cascade du Marilhou
  4. 3 : km 3.2 - alt. 1,175 m - Vestiges de Cotteughes (Saint-Vincent-de-Salers)
  5. 4 : km 5.47 - alt. 1,087 m - Trail intersection
  6. 5 : km 5.92 - alt. 1,032 m - Footbridge over the - Marilhou (rivière) - Affluent de la Sumène
  7. S/E : km 6.27 - alt. 1,044 m - D30, south of Trizac

Notes

Easy hike, standard hiking equipment required.

Worth a visit

Discover more hikes in this area with descriptions or the Visorando app here

Some photos of this hike and the Marilhou Valley hike in the Bois du Fayet can be found here. As these two hikes are short and close to each other, it is very feasible to do them on the same day.

Ruins of Cotteughes

Bois du Marilhou: download the discovery trail booklet here

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Babs Sirène
Babs Sirène

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very original hike that we thoroughly enjoyed during this heatwave.
The small streams crossing the path and the river allowed the dogs to cool off.
There were lots of flowers in bloom at this time of year.
A magnificent walk!

Machine-translated

Mélanie Gelhausen
Mélanie Gelhausen

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in the cool forest, with a spring along the way, a beautiful waterfall, and some lovely ruins. We stayed in a lodge in Trizac, a magnificent area. We didn't see anyone else, it was very quiet and peaceful.

Machine-translated

Thib lher
Thib lher
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Great, very few hikers even in August on this wooded and refreshing hike, which is ideal in hot weather. Very nice waterfall and very different from other hikes in the area.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.