Friends of the abbey of Saint-Maurin > Introduction

Introduction

Welcome to the site of the Friends of the Abbey of Saint Maurin (Les Amis de l’Abbaye de Saint-Maurin). The association, formed in 1993, was born of the goodwill and enthusiasm of the people of the village for their heritage. After creating a museum tracing the traditional activities and customs of the villagers of Saint Maurin, the association has embarked on the development of this heritage by the creation of a route linking several remarkable sites : the Guyenne-Gascogny Cluniac walk.

Different sections of the route already existed; they needed only to be linked to make a single route, one that combines tourist, historical and cultural interests.

Today the route links four major Cluniac sites: the abbeys of Moissac and Saint Maurin and the priories of Layrac and Moirax. It is around 100 kilometres long, and links two of the St James of Compostella paths, which it partially follows: the GR 65 to the west of Moissac and the GR 652 to the south-west of Agen. The route crosses 25 communes, 9 in Tarn-et-Garonne and 16 in Lot-et-Garonne, and two regions: Midi-Pyrénées to the east and Aquitaine to the west. The route is regularly maintained by the communes through which it passes, and offers a varied panorama of hills and forests with very few stretches of tarmac.

The way-marking is provisional : the French Walkers’ Federation (Fédération Française de Randonnée) should sometime this year define the way-marking to be used specifically for Cluniac routes. An information panel displaying the whole route is set up in each commune through which it passes. Except for Moissac and Agen (departure and arrival points), the local section of the route is also shown on the panel for each individual commune. On the panels you will find QR codes allowing you to download detailed maps in PDF format, as well as GPS for the entire route.

Available on the site is practical information (refreshment points, board and lodging, services) and maps for every section of the route for selecting your points of arrival and departure.

A leaflet containing all the information mentioned above will be available in tourist offices and mayors’ offices (mairies).

We invite you all: tourists, walkers and cyclists to come along and practice your favourite activity along our route and, if possible, to stay a while in our villages to discover our cultural and patrimonial riches.

We hope that many of you will follow this pleasant walking route.

Some facts about the route :

  • Total length : 99.6km
  • Total accumulated difference in height gain/loss : +2111m and  – 2127m
  • Highest point above sea-level : 188m. Lowest point : 42m
  • Uphill : 43km. Downhill : 42.2km. Flat : 14.4km
  • Average steepness of uphill slopes : 6%
  • Difficulty : Average, suitable for walkers of every level
  • Sections of other routes used : GR 65, GR 652, GRP Quercy-Pays de Serres.

SIGNALETIQUE INERNET