Pennes-Le-Sec: Hiking, Climbing and Village History

If you’re looking for a hotel for a trip to Pennes-Le-Sec, activities and local history can help you decide where to stay. The area’s outdoor attractions include a waymarked circular hike, a climbing area and a horseback riding route in Pays Diois; the surrounding landscape is also shaped by rock formations, woodland and warm heathland habitats. These features offer different ways to experience the area. The hike can be assessed in practical terms by its distance, duration and ascent, while climbing and horseback riding offer their own distinct experiences.

Hiking among rocks and woodland

The waymarked Rochers des Blaches circular hike starts and ends in Pennes-Le-Sec. It is 7.34 kilometers long, takes 2 hours and 30 minutes, and has 340 meters of ascent. The start and finish in the village, along with the waymarking, complement the information on duration and elevation profile. The stated duration and ascent give you two separate points of reference for planning your day.

The route runs above the Gorges de l’Escaris. Distinctive rock slabs emerge among the oak woodland; the north side of the mountain near the Rochers des Blaches is covered in natural beech forest. The rock slabs in the oak woodland and the beech forest on the north side give the area around the Rochers des Blaches two distinct landscape features.

Nature in the Gorges de l’Escharis

The INPN data sheet dated June 12, 2024, lists Pennes-Le-Sec as one of the municipalities in the Gorges de l’Escharis area, a continental ZNIEFF type 1. The Gorges de l’Escharis are home to significant stands of Phoenician juniper; their warm heathland habitats are used by rock buntings and red-backed shrikes. Alongside the area’s official designation, this links a specific plant and two bird species to particular habitats.

Climbing and horseback riding

The tourist guide, updated on February 19, 2026, lists several sectors in the climbing area, each with 1 to 25 routes and grades ranging from 4c to 7b. The figures provide two different points of reference: the number of listed routes per sector and the range of grades given. Steep walls of high-quality rock offer views of unspoiled landscapes.

The Tour de la vallée de la Roanne et de l’Oule à cheval is one of the horseback riding routes in Pays Diois and runs between Saint-Benoît and Pennes-Le-Sec. Unlike the Rochers des Blaches circular hike, which starts and ends in Pennes-Le-Sec, it is a regional tour between two towns. This makes it possible to distinguish between a waymarked circular hike and a horseback riding route with named endpoints as different travel activities.

Village history

The restoration and development of Pennes-Le-Sec into a “model village” from the 1950s onward are associated with Charles Piot. He acquired 400 hectares of land in 1950 and established his company’s headquarters there the following year. As mayor, he oversaw the complete reconstruction of the village; he also paid for the water network and the road to Roanne to be built. The village temple in Pennes-Le-Sec was built on the site of an earlier chapel. This building points to another layer of local history alongside the 20th-century reconstruction associated with Piot.

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For the main travel overview: Drôme.