Lamastre – Mastrou, castle ruins and walking trails

Lamastre offers a range of options to help plan your trip: a ride on the Mastrou, castle ruins, walks and local produce. If you’re looking for a hotel in Lamastre, you can first consider which of these aspects of the town you’d most like to focus on during your stay.

Take the Mastrou to Lamastre

The Mastrou runs from the T. St Jean de Muzols station to Lamastre. The railway follows the Doux Valley for 28 kilometres, crossing bridges and viaducts and passing through tunnels. The journey links different sections of a railway line whose route is shaped by the valley and its structures. As the railway operates seasonally and operating days and timetables may change, check the information for your planned visit.

The Lamastre Tourist Office welcomes visitors in the town’s former railway station. If you plan to visit, check the latest visitor information. The station is also the setting for an activity in the Tag&Play app, which offers a fun introduction to how the railway works and its history. As the availability of digital activities may change, it’s a good idea to check before your visit.

Castle ruins and local history

The ruins of Château de Peychelard were built in the 10th century on a fortified rocky outcrop. They were the original residence of the Lords of Lamastre. Nearby, an information panel on Lamastre’s history traces the town’s development from its early days to the present. The age and former role of the ruins provide a historical perspective, while the panel adds an account of how the town has changed. If you’re interested in local history, you’ll find both a specific medieval structure and a story of the town’s longer development.

Walks with different points of interest

The Circuit des Châteaux runs from Lamastre to the medieval village of Désaignes through the Doux Valley, taking in four castles that are significant to local history. At Col de Montreynaud, a route offers views of Lamastre, Saint-Basile and Saint-Barthélemy-Grozon. A walk at the pass also takes you through the extensive wooded areas of the commune of Lamastre. The routes have different focuses: the Circuit highlights the route and its castles, while the pass is about the landscape and views of the three places mentioned. No walking times are provided, so use the information for each route to plan your trip.

Activities for different interests

Lamastre’s permanent orienteering course includes three routes with heritage-themed puzzles and quiz questions. Accompanying materials are available from the Tourist Office; availability may change. The activity combines orienteering with questions about local history. For a fun way to learn about rail travel, there’s also an activity in the Tag&Play app at the Train de l’Ardèche station in Lamastre. Both activities explore local themes, but in different ways: one through puzzles and quiz questions, the other through the workings and history of the railway.

The Retourtour water area in Lamastre is specially designed for swimming and is supervised seasonally. If you’d like to swim there, bear in mind that supervision is seasonal and check the latest information for your visit.

Weekly market and chestnut products

Lamastre’s traditional weekly market has a 400-year history. Every Saturday throughout the year, 15 to 30 very local producers gather at Place Seignobos. Market times and the number of producers may change; if the market is important to your visit, check the latest information. The market offers a direct connection to local producers, while its long history adds a distinct historical dimension.

At La Ferme du Châtaignier, the farm shop sells chestnut-based specialities as well as jams, fruit juices, honey and artisan-made soups. Product availability may change. Guided tours are offered at the workshop; dates are seasonal and may change. Separately, a freely accessible path runs through the chestnut grove and is suitable for a nature walk in the heart of the Ardèche. Access conditions for the path may change, so it’s a good idea to check before your visit.

Another walking option in the Pays de Lamastre

In the Pays de Lamastre, you can take La Dolce Via: a 90-kilometre developed trail along the route of a former railway line. This longer trail on a former railway line adds to the themes you’ll encounter in Lamastre. The route described is in the Pays de Lamastre; it’s presented here as a regional option.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Cirgues-De-Prades, Berrias-Et-Casteljau, La Rochette, Pranles, Saint-Clair, Saint-Christol, Berzème, Le Roux.

See the regional travel overview: Ardèche.