Hiking tour : Gates of the Ardeche Gorges

Description

This route begins by gaining height to offer you very beautiful views of the arrival of the majestic gorges of the Ardèche; then go back down to the edge of the river to admire the cliffs that border it before it joins the Rhône.

Departure: Saint-Martin d'Ardèche Tourist Office (near the church).
Car parks: Quai des Pescadoux or one of the car parks accessible by Quai des Bateliers.
From the hiking info panel, which is to the right of the tourist office (opposite the church), take the vaulted passage; then turn to the left. Cross the square diagonally and continue 25m
in the narrow street. Then turn right (Chemin Neuf). After 160m, arrived at the "Le Village" campsite, turn right onto rue du Nord. Arrived at the domain La Mazade, turn left and follow
the small road that goes up to the left. Pass the small tunnel under the departmental road then continue to climb to the left. When the road makes a right angle to the left and runs along a
wood, take the path on the right. This curves to the left and leads to a small crossroads, take the very rocky path in the middle and which climbs steeply.
When the path leads to a tarmac road, turn right and right again just after. You continue to climb the path until it comes to another wide track: take it to the left until you reach the ”Ranc des Banastres” post (1). To see the dolmen, follow the direction "Dolmen du Ranc des Banastres".
It's a round trip of +/-1km on a path that also brings you to a beautiful viewpoint over Aiguèze and the end of the Gorges de l'Ardèche.
Back at the post take the track back to the “Plaine du Feuillet” post at 0.3 km (2). It is at a crossroads of 5 paths.
2 options are available to you: finish the walk or extend it by +/- 2 km to cover the end of the Louby valley and the Ardèche Gorges trail (variant).
For the 1st option, take the path that descends diagonally to the left (not towards the small building) to go to St-Martin via Sauze. Stay on the main path and follow the PR markings.
100m after leaving a large antenna on your left continue down to the left. Cross the road carefully and go down the street "Chemin du Louby" to the post "Sauze" (4) shortly before the beach. Head towards St-Martin and take the path parallel to the river. Arrived at Grain de sel beach (large rock under the cliff on the other side), go up the road to reach the center of the village and your car park.
Variation: can only be done in dry weather and when the Ardèche is not high. Be careful there is a narrow and somewhat difficult passage as well as very slippery places in wet weather. It's necessary
have good shoes and be careful. For this beautiful route, at the “Plaine du Feuillet” post, take the path towards Le Louby (in the axis of the track coming from the “Ranc des Banastres” post). Arrived at the post “Le Louby” (3), turn left, the wide path which leads back to the Gorges road. Cross it, take the path that goes down in the undergrowth, you come out in the gorges. Go along the river to the left and follow the yellow markings on the limestone platforms. At the end, you meet 2 handrails before finding the easy path to reach Sauze. From the Post "Sauze" (4), follow the directions above.

Vincent's wise advice:
do not miss the viewpoint near the Ranc des Banastres Dolmen and take your swimsuit and a towel to swim in the Ardèche where the Louby ravine joins the Ardèche.