Saint-Laurent-sous-Coiron: the learning path

A route starting at a hilltop village, Saint-Laurent-sous-Coiron, with a wonderful, panoramic 180° view over the Ardèche mountains and plains, from Villeneuve de Berg to the Col de l'Escrinet (the Cham du Cros, Rocher d’Abraham, Montagne Sainte-Marguerite, Mont Lozère). In addition, educational panels depicting the history, geology and life on the Coiron adorn this hike.

Technical sheet

4098516
A Saint-Laurent-sous-Coiron walk posted on 16/04/15 by LB_Neil. Last update : 23/03/16
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.45 km
  • ◔
    Calculated time: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 247 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 251 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 679 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 450 m

Description

Park in the viewpoint car park, near the war memorial (S).

Markings: White-Yellow, Yellow arrow, wooden pole with a descriptive drawing of two pedestrians.

Initially, follow the White-Yellow markings.
Walk along the wall, facing the plain of Lussas. Go towards the Romanesque chapel (from the tenth century). Go up to the houses. We pass a house built in 1834 (inscribed on its front) and then to the main section of the course. Turn right. Pass the cemetery, a place that serves as an amphitheatre-shaped car park.

At the “Impasse” sign, turn left just behind the house in front of this panel. Go up the path: follow it to visit the castle ruins and then return by the same path. Head back to the main track.
Continue straight until the end of the village. Pas through a door through an ancient city wall (east door).

Turn immediately left; head up by the road with large stones as far as a cemented path. Turn right and follow it. At the end of the cemented part, continue straight passing between two hedges. Pass a water tank. Approximately 500 m further on at (1), just before a gate, turn left (yellow arrow marker post).

Now, follow these Yellow arrow markings.
Cross the small cleared area, go up the red dirt road. At the top of this road after about 200 m turn obliquely to the left.
This is the trickiest part of the journey to reach the road. The new track has not been very popular with hikers. It is discreet, travels between the bushes. It is therefore necessary to be very careful on the trails left by previous hikers, Yellow arrows painted on rocks, sometimes red and white plastic ribbons hanging from the branches.

Arrive on the road (2) and turn left and walk on this road to educational sign No. 5 on the theme of the local flora.
You have to take the track right behind this panel. To achieve this, either switch between the barbed wire installed on the roadside or back a few metres to the house and go through the meadow along the barbed wire.
This shady path between the black stone walls facing north and Leads as far as Aven de la Combe Rajeau (3).

Continue west and join a nice track (4); then turn left.
100 m after educational sign No. 8, look for a small cairntheon the left, an arrow composed of stones and a small wooden sign that reads “Mehnir": take the left path and after about fifty metres, reach the Peyregrosse standing stone (5). Retrace your steps and turn left to continue on the main track, south and then south-west. Passage in front of two other educational signs.

After a loop on the left and the path turns south-east, reach a fork. The left trail is marked with yellow arrows; on the right, a small sign with the word “Tombe” (tomb) hangs from a branch. Momentarily abandon leave the marked path and take the right path to reach the dolmen of Devès de Serre located approximately 100 m away (6).

Retrace your steps and turn right at the yellow arrow marked trail. The path loops back and forth until it reaches a road on a hairpin bend (7). Turn left and follow the road through the locality of Perret, until the main access road into Saint-Laurent-sous-Coiron (8). Turn left, go up this street as far as an electrical transformer, located just outside a farm.
Turn right and take the alley between two walls; reach the Yellow-White markings that lead to the car park.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 544 m
  2. 1 : km 2.01 - alt. 655 m - Marker post
  3. 2 : km 2.86 - alt. 615 m - Small road
  4. 3 : km 4.71 - alt. 581 m - Avenue de la Combe Rajeau
  5. 4 : km 4.92 - alt. 567 m - Track
  6. 5 : km 5.56 - alt. 525 m - Peyregrosse Menhir
  7. 6 : km 7.31 - alt. 471 m - Dolmen du Devès de Serre
  8. 7 : km 8.87 - alt. 462 m - Road - hairpin bend
  9. 8 : km 9.94 - alt. 516 m - Route D324
  10. S/E : km 10.44 - alt. 543 m

Useful Information

Make sure to close the pasture gates properly.
No drinking water refill point.

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.

During the walk or to do/see around

Mirabel, another hilltop village opposite, equivalent to Saint-Laurent-sous-Coiron. Visit these two villages by car, via Darbres making for a nice half-day trip. Note that these two villages are located close to 500 m above sea level and still enjoy the fresh air, especially refreshing in the summer.
Lussas, with its documentary film festival week in August.

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The GPS track and description are the property of the author.

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