Pompignac: Vineyards, Heritage and Trails

Anyone looking for a hotel in Pompignac can get a sense of the place through its vineyards, heritage and trails through woodland and countryside. Wooded hills and broad plateaus shape the landscape, while viewpoints offer vistas of the surrounding area. A municipal notice dated February 16, 2026, prohibited access to Bois de Cadouin after Storm Nils until the safety of the trees had been checked. Whether access has since been restored is unclear; check the current access status before visiting. The trails mentioned differ considerably in length for planning your day: the Ceinture Verte is 6.5 kilometres long, while the Parcours VTT de la Laurence offers options of 23, 36 or 46 kilometres. This puts a loop around the town centre alongside longer cycling options.

Church, Mills and Wine Country

The Church of Saint-Martin stands on a promontory and an ancient Gallo-Roman site, overlooking the Laurence valley. It is originally Romanesque; its surviving portal appears to date from the 12th century. Its location and history provide a tangible anchor for the area’s heritage. Traces of that heritage can also be found along the Laurence: among the remains of up to six mills is Fanfan. The church and the mill remains point to different aspects of local history, from sacred architecture to the mills along the river.

The vineyards of Pompignac cover more than 400 hectares. Wines produced there carry the protected designations of origin Bordeaux, Bordeaux Supérieur and Entre-deux-Mers. The area covered and the three designations give a concrete sense of winegrowing as part of the local landscape. Together with the wooded hills and viewpoints, it offers a different focus from the history of buildings and mills. This makes it possible to shape a stay around a particular theme without combining winegrowing and heritage into a single excursion.

Walking Trails

The Ceinture Verte is a signed 6.5-kilometre trail that loops around the centre of Pompignac and passes through countryside and woodland. Anyone looking to include a named route with a clearly stated distance in their plans will find a specific option here. Another route is the Boucle de Pompignac – « La découVerte »: it is easy, accessible to everyone, and links woodland, meadows and municipal heritage. The trails therefore differ in focus as well: the Ceinture Verte loops around the town centre, while « La découVerte » explicitly brings together landscape and heritage.

Cycling and Exercise

The Parcours VTT de la Laurence passes through Pompignac and offers routes of 23, 36 or 46 kilometres, depending on the option. Within the commune, most of it follows the Ceinture Verte. A footbridge near the waterfall makes it possible to avoid paved roads. The three distances make it easy to compare the options. Trail conditions can change seasonally, so check local conditions and access to the footbridge before setting off.

For a different kind of exercise, there is a fitness trail in Vallon de la Capéranie, also known as Vallon de Bel Horizon. The listed stations and equipment include a pull-up bar, a hurdle jump, a wall bars and parallel bars. This offers a different focus from cycling the Parcours VTT or following the walking routes centred on landscape and heritage. The activities mentioned range from longer route options to individual stations in the valley.

Getting There

Pompignac can be reached from the Bordeaux ring road via exits 24 or 26. Check the current route before setting off.

Discover more destinations: Artigues-Près-Bordeaux, Cazats, Le Bouscat, Margueron, Blasimon, Marcillac, Pyla Sur Mer, Sainte-Terre.

For the main travel overview: Gironde.