Monbazillac-Colombier

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Circular walk through the vineyards of the Périgord Pourpre region, south of Bergerac (Dep. Dordogne). This route merges two marked trails (yellow signs) in the Bergeracois: Boucle de Monbazillac and Boucle de Colombier , a.k.a. Boucle des Deux Moulins.



The route departs from the square in front of the church Église de Saint Martin in Monbazillac. Take the road in the direction "Les Pezauds - Les Maules" and turn after 250 m left to follow a grassy path between the vineyards. After 300 meter, just before arriving at the D13, take a sharp turn right and follow the path until a crossing paved road. Turn left (beautiful views on vine yards, see WPT "postcard view") and at the intersection with the D13 turn right. After about 50m take a small path at your left in the direction "Les Croux". Turn left at Les Croux, which is actually a renovated farm and after 50 meter you will see a sign on your right hand side indicating a connecting path to "Boucle des Deux Moulins" (see WYPT "start connecting path")

The connecting trail is about 1 km. When leaving the forest (see WYPT "end connecting path") you find yourself on the other "boucle", which we will follow clockwise; so turn left here.

After passing a farm house we turn right and immediately left and walk through a vine yard, slightly uphill, towards the village Labadie. After arriving at the paved road, we follow this road for 160 m and after the last house we turn left and after 100 m right again. This is a nice small trail with a fig tree, a source and a little bech (see WYPT "Source, bench andd fig tree"). Unfortunately the source was dry when we were there, but the fig tree was full of ripe figs, so we took a little break to eat some of this delicious fruit.

The traile ends at a paved road where we turn right. We walk quickly through Labadie (nothing to see there) and at, what is supposed to be the town hall we turn left. We are off-road again and after passing some nice farm houses (mind the characteristic roof!) we continue towards the first of the "deux moulins" (WYPT Windmill-1). Continue the route to Colombier. This is a small village like many other French village, but here the mayor has decided to spend some money and effort in the restauration of the church (Égiklse Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul) and its surrounding buildings, as the result bears witness (see pictures at WYPT "Colombier")

We leave the village by a small stairs on the left hand side and walk through the fields untill arriving at a paved road where we turn right. After 150 m we take the unpaved road to Chateau Jaubertie (WYPT). Mind especially the original (not used anymore) access road flanked by Italian cypresses.

We continue on the unpaved road and when entering a small woodland we encounter the second of the "deux moulins" (WYPT Windmill-2). There is a panel close to the windmill from which I undertood that some Dutchman bought this windmill a few years ago in order to renovate it, but apparentlky he ran out of money and had to stop the project... Continue the route untill returning at the connecting trail and go back to "Boucle de Monbazillac"

We follow the original trail of this part of the oute, turn left on the paved road and turn left again after 50 meter. This path ends at a paved road where we have to turn right. However, if you turn left there is a bar at 70 m (cross the D13): the only place in the entire route where you can have a drink and and something to eat.

After this break, we follow the oad for some 150 m and turn left. We follow the path, turn left on the road and in the beatifull hamlet "La Cattie" we turn left again. This path turns into a small trail (WYPT "trail") from which we have a beatifull view on the Chateau de Monbazillac on the left and on the Dordogne valley and Bergerac on the right (WYPT). We walk further around the castle untill reaching the main entrance. Quite touristic, but that is to expected for such a famous wine. The last part back to Monbazillac goes through some kind of park.



Many more hikes in the Bergerac area can be found on the site of Pays de Bergerac.

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- Time in movement: 3 hr 05 min

- Average velocity in movement: 4,5 km/hr



- Recorded on 04/10/2014