Vineyards, small villages and dovecotes around Château du Cayla

A hike between vineyards and hills which enables you to discover a gently undulating landscape where pretty small villages and lovely dovecotes, enhanced by their careful restoration, nestle. The Château-Musée du Cayla which is located on the walk could also provide amateur historians and literature buffs with a splendid cultural stopover, following in the footsteps of Maurice and Eugénie de Guérin, whose correspondence is still famous.

Technical sheet

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.84 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 225 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 226 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 280 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 181 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park on the roadside of the D1 on the way into Vieux (many parking spaces available).

PR Yellow Waymarking

(S/E) Head towards the village centre and the church. Once you've gone past the church, turn right onto the small tarmacked road and go alongside the cemetery, continue on until you reach the houses in le Chapître.

(1) Leave the road and take the wide path on the right which climbs up a valley, partially planted with vines, and joins another wide path coming from the right. Turn left and continue on to the village of Andillac.

Ignore the access road to the village centre on the right and instead, a few metres further on, turn right onto the tarmacked road going gently downhill. Keep to the left at the next two intersections until you reach the crossroads in Savignats.

(2) Follow the road to the left, going past the front of a magnificent and very well-restored dovecote, ignore the wide path which heads off the left. Coming out of the marked bend to the right, leave the road and take the path on the left which leads to a small tarmacked road.

(3) Turn right two more times. At Pausadou, ignore the road leaving off to the right, which returns to Andillac, and instead continue on the left. Go past the entrance to Château-Musée du Cayla, cross over a small bridge and you will arrive at a crossroads in the turning just after.

GR White and Red Waymarking + PR Yellow

(4) Head to the right and climb up the valley of the small Saint-Hussou river by staying on this wide, partially-paved, path.

No waymarking

(5) Turn right in the sharp bend onto a path which quickly reaches a plateau, providing beautiful views over the surrounding countryside. Once on the tarmacked road, turn right in order to reach Lintin, where you cannot fail to appreciate the magnificent dovecote, topped with a really remarkable pointed roof.

(6) Opposite the church, take the small road going downhill to the right. Go past the access road to the Mérits farm on the right. Continue on to the fork and take the right which leads to a star-shaped crossroads.

(7) Follow the tarmacked path to the left which pleasantly circles round the plateau, ignore the two roads which appear one after the other on the right.

(8) In the curve of a wide bend to the left, leave the road and continue on the slightly grassy path on the right and then turn onto the first path on the right. This path goes between the vines and heads down to a lower point. Continue on the left, ignoring the access route to the hill and the telecommunications tower on the right. The path heads into a wood and then quickly comes out of it again to go alongside a vineyard (the route shown on the IGN map is wrong at this point).

(9) Turn 90° to the left and go between two vineyards until you reach a wider, well-marked path, turn right onto this. When you reach a ruin which is nearly completely buried under moss, turn to the right and go alongside a property until you reach a tarmacked road. Follow the road to the right going downhill until you reach the D1 at the entrance to the village of Cahuzac-sur-Vère.

(10) Cross the road (be careful as it's a very busy road), go alongside the changing rooms of the football stadium and cross over the small bridge over the Vère (it is not shown on the IGN map, but is definitely there on the ground).

PR Yellow Waymarking

Turn left and follow the small tarmacked road which quickly turns into a wide, level path. This goes alongside the Vère and, past the bridge on the right, turns 90° to the left and climbs uphill going alongside a wood until it reaches a tarmacked road.

(11) Turn right, go between several beautifully-restored houses in Comberouzal and continue on for about 300 m.

(12) In the curve of a bend to the left, leave the road and take the wide path opposite you which goes downhill along the Vère and ends up on the D26.

(13) Turn right, cross the bridge over the river and re-join the D1. Follow this road to the left, taking good care walking on the very narrow pavement (a bend to the left with no visibility and the traffic can be quite heavy) to return to your vehicle (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 189 m - Vieux, parking alongside the D1
  2. 1 : km 0.66 - alt. 222 m - Le Chapître, take the path on the right
  3. 2 : km 2.18 - alt. 231 m - Crossroads, follow the road to the left
  4. 3 : km 3.23 - alt. 270 m - Tarmac road, turn right twice
  5. 4 : km 4.18 - alt. 216 m - GR junction, turn left
  6. 5 : km 5.49 - alt. 231 m - Leave the GR and turn right
  7. 6 : km 6.14 - alt. 277 m - Lintin church, turn right
  8. 7 : km 7.01 - alt. 272 m - Star junction, take the road on the left
  9. 8 : km 8.1 - alt. 271 m - Leave the road and continue slightly to the right
  10. 9 : km 9.22 - alt. 224 m - Turn left at 90° between the vines
  11. 10 : km 9.82 - alt. 230 m
  12. 11 : km 10.89 - alt. 190 m - D1
  13. 12 : km 12.78 - alt. 212 m - Tarmac road, turn right
  14. 13 : km 13.3 - alt. 227 m - Leave the road, continue on the path opposite
  15. 14 : km 14.42 - alt. 183 m - D26, turn right
  16. S/E : km 14.84 - alt. 189 m - Vieux, parking alongside the D1

Practical information

Hiking shoes recommended because of the stony sections.

Water point in Vieux - at the start, turn left heading towards the church.

Parking is possible in the church square in Vieux, but there are only one or two spaces.

The waymarking is good quality and plentiful. A little before point (8), you will find the GR waymarking, before leaving it behind about 450 m further on in order to turn to the right. Take account of the very short distance as the waymarking in this section is not mentioned in the description.

The route alternates between sections on dirt paths and small tarmacked roads. The latter (except for the D1) are not often used and do not detract from the rural charm of this hike.

In the nearby area

The villages of Vieux and Andillac.

Two beautiful and well-restored dovecotes.
In Andillac, the first is in the meadow to the left of the road where you go past the front of the church and the second is higher up on the left, 250 m after point (2).
In Linton, around twenty metres on the right after the church.

Several pretty, tastefully-restored houses.

The Château-Musée du Cayla, associated with Maurice and Eugénie de Guérin whose correspondence is still famous.
Château de Cayla

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

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

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Clarity of route map
4 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
patrickdml
patrickdml

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A few waymarkers between 9 and 11 would make progress easier. At point 11, after crossing the footbridge, turn right and not left as indicated in the text.
Otherwise, a fairly pleasant walk with little tarmac.
The beautiful dovecote at Lintin deserves to be restored.

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fcazals
fcazals

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

However, the circuit runs on private land...

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grandin
grandin ★

nuscor, I'm sorry I misspoke.

Thank you very much for this information, but moderators can't make major changes to hikes, only authors can if they live in the area. However, for this hike, the author is also a moderator, so a follow-up will be ensured.

Have a nice evening

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nuscor
nuscor

Hello
I fully understand the meaning of your message, but it just so happens that I live two hundred and fifty metres from the offending passage.
My neighbour, Mr Boissel, bought this passage from the Cahuzac sur verre town hall. I think it's been about twenty years now, and I know this because one Sunday afternoon when I was walking along it, he called out to me and told me that it was private.
As he knows me well, he asked me to continue my journey.
To be even more precise, the route indicated passes through his courtyard between 2 very close buildings. And I can't see myself driving around with my club and 30 or 40 people behind!
My intention was in no way to offend anyone, but simply to provide some constructive information.
To prove my point, look on geoportail and you'll see that this passage is closed at both ends. On ign, however, the black trace is still there!

Finally, I really appreciate visorando and I hope that your opinion of me will change after this message.
Sincerely
Jean Cornus (nuscor)

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grandin
grandin ★

Thanks for the information. The author can modify his route if he wishes.

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nuscor
nuscor

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

Hello,

This route is a great local classic, but beware, on the way back it passes through a totally private sector.
From km 9.7 to km 10.3 this section has been sold by the municipality of Cahuzac/Vère to the owner of the house.
At km 9.7, instead of taking the wooded path on the right, continue due east until you reach the gravel path (you pass the beehives), which you take due south to reach the tarmac road at km 10.3.

Kind regards
Nuscor

(It's a shame I can't, or don't know how to, send a modified route!)

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AR&Ré
AR&Ré

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

I recommend using a GPS for this walk.
Long stretches without signposts or markers make the route difficult to follow.
very difficult to follow.
Otherwise a nice walk on the Gaillacoi hillsides.

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domaniale
domaniale

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 01, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Lovely walk between vineyards and hillsides, with some very beautiful houses and dovecotes.
A must-do in spring.

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cesc59
cesc59
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : May 02, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Nice 4-hour walk around the vineyards and picturesque villages, with a good break for lunch. I found that there were a lot of tarmac paths and we had to read the instructions several times as we weren't sure of our way, fortunately the GPS application helped us a lot. I don't think there's any special interest in this walk, but it's very easy.

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domaniale
domaniale

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 01, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Easy walk, pleasant viewpoints, beautiful houses and well-restored dovecotes.
To be done in spring

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Paul SD
Paul SD

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 07, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Easy hike, pleasant views, to be done in fine weather, not too hot, road sections to be discovered

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jfcouture
jfcouture

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : May 05, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

It's a variation on the route we took, with interesting, fairly undulating landscapes and a variety of pigeon lofts, making it a great walk for our group.

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ropierfil
ropierfil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 26, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

It's not a difficult walk. The scenery is pleasant and the village of Andillac, which has been completely renovated, is superb. There are some beautiful pigeon lofts along the way.
Can be done with the whole family.

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visorando
visorando ★

Hello,

to make sure we're talking about the right thing, have you used the pdf with description and IGN map proposed by Visorando: https://www.visorando.com/index. php?compo...? It seems to me that the description is accurate. We can understand that there may be errors or inaccuracies, but as it stands, this very negative review is unjustified.

Arnaud

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Arnaud

Sur les sentiers des Vosges...

TROUVE Jean-Jacques
TROUVE Jean-Jacques ★

Hello,

Thank you for your comments, which I have to admit have left me a little confused. Having done this route several times, most recently in March 2016, I've been very careful to ensure that the information given in the description and the route are accurate.
So I'm not going to settle for these highly critical comments without the slightest explanation. If only to avoid misleading other visitors....
Accuracy of the description: very disappointing: where exactly is this description wrong? Where on the route is it wrong? How can it mislead hikers?
Accuracy of the route: very disappointing: idem? Where is the route wrong, where is it misleading, and on which sections? Are there any right-left errors, etc.?
Interest of the hike: as this is a very subjective assessment, I won't dwell on it.

You'll understand that it's not enough to criticise, you also need to back up your criticisms with specific examples, so that they prove useful and any errors can be corrected.
I also see that you haven't posted any hiking, cycling or walking yet. I'm reminded of the famous saying: "Practice is easy, but art is difficult".

I look forward to hearing from you and wish you a good day. I'm available on the site as a moderator. Incidentally, I wonder how my colleagues could have trusted me, given the apparent mediocrity of my contributions.

Jean-Jacques TROUVE

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