Lachapelle-sous-Aubenas combines hiking trails with a landscape shaped by garrigue, pine forests, and olive and wine growing. The Le Tinal et Chastrenas loop provides a clear reference point for hiking in the area; another trail passes through several municipalities. Local history can also be read in tangible traces: the ruins of a wine-making building, a dry-stone capitelle, and a fossil in the town hall. You can therefore choose your outings according to the type of trail, the landscape, and the topics that interest you most.

Hiking trails with different details

Le Tinal et Chastrenas starts and ends at Place Anthoine du Roure in Lachapelle-sous-Aubenas. This easy circular hike is 6.0 kilometres long and has an elevation gain of 140 metres. It passes through gentle limestone hills with a Mediterranean character and is described as family-friendly.

Hiking Trail 23—Le Serre de Vinobre - St-Sernin passes through the municipalities of Saint-Sernin, Lachapelle-sous-Aubenas and Vogüé. At its summit, there is an orientation table and an impressive panorama. The two trails can be distinguished by their respective features: Le Tinal et Chastrenas is defined by its circular route, length and elevation gain; Trail 23 is described in terms of the municipalities it passes through and its viewpoint.

Landscape between garrigue and pine forest

Lachapelle-sous-Aubenas stretches between garrigue to the east and pine forests to the west. Along the Le Tinal et Chastrenas trail, olive and wine growing shape the landscape at the foot of the Cévennes, which are covered in maritime pines. These details describe different features of the landscape: the east-to-west extent of the local area and the cultivated surroundings of the loop.

Other hiking trails in Lachapelle-sous-Aubenas pass through wooded hills to viewpoints with open panoramas. Those who consider the surroundings when choosing a route will find several described highlights: gentle limestone hills on the loop, wooded hills on other trails, and viewpoints with expansive views. The orientation table at the summit of Trail 23 is a distinct waypoint on that trail.

Traces of wine growing, silkworm farming and geological history

A ruin along the Le Tinal et Chastrenas trail is the remains of what is known as a tinal. This is a building used for wine-making within a vineyard, often shared by the community. The term connects the ruin with the agricultural use of the landscape. Along the Le Tinal et Chastrenas trail, there is a shelter built entirely of dry stone, locally called a capitelle.

Maison Auzas is another point of economic history. It was a silkworm-farming business specialising in the production of silkworm eggs. A fossilised marine crocodile of the genus Metriorhynchus is on display in the Lachapelle-sous-Aubenas town hall. These different topics sit side by side: wine-making and dry-stone construction along the trail, silkworm farming as a local industry, and a natural-history exhibit in the town hall.

The Voie verte and its connections

The upgraded Voie verte offers another route connection. The 9 km upgraded Voie verte links Vinezac and Lachapelle-sous-Aubenas; 8 km run along a dedicated route. Via Uzer, there is a 1.2-kilometre connection to the Voie verte du Val de Ligne. This route therefore focuses on the connection between the three municipalities, the section on a dedicated route, and the link via Uzer. This is a different way of planning a trip from Le Tinal et Chastrenas, for which the circular route, length and elevation gain are specified.

This gives you a practical range of options when planning an outing: you can consider a measured circular hike, a trail with a named panorama, other trails through wooded hills, or the Voie verte route connections. Cultural traces along the trail add wine-making and dry-stone construction to the landscape themes; Maison Auzas and the fossil in the town hall offer different points of interest.

Discover more destinations: Bidon, Saint-Jean-Roure, Issanlas, Chambonas, Félines, Rosières, Colombier-Le-Vieux, Saint-Paul-Le-Jeune

Return to the main travel guide: Ardèche.