Fontaulière Valley in the Ardèche

The Fontaulière, also spelt Fontolière on official maps, is a tributary of the Ardèche.
It rises at La Vestide du Pal and joins the Ardèche in the commune of Pont-de-Labeaume. Zoom in on the valley of the same name, carved out by the river over time.

The Fontaulière river

With a total length of 21 kilometres, the river has several tributaries, all of which are streams with the exception of the Bourges, which flows through the village of Burzet.

To date, there are no official hydrological sensors for measuring the river’s flow. However, it is possible to calculate an approximate measure from the flow rates at the Meyras* station on the Ardèche, located upstream of the confluence with the Fontaulière, and the Pont-de-Labeaume* station, just downstream of the same confluence: the difference between the two, before and after the confluence, corresponds to the flow rate of the Fontaulière.

Aux sources de la Fontaulière, Vestide du Pal / Photo Webzine Voyage

Tributaries

There are 19 of them, 18 streams and one river, the Bourges. Here is a list of the Fontaulière’s tributaries, from downstream to upstream :

Rivière de la Bourges (19 kilometres after the source)
Ruisseau de Vauclare (7 km)
Ruisseau de Pourseille (6 km)
Ruisseau de Brunissard (3 km)
Ruisseau du Bosc (3 km)
Ruisseau de Rieugrand (2 km)
Ruisseau des Brugettes (2 km)
Ruisseau des Achas (2 km)
Ruisseau de la Vernatelle (2 km)
Riou Grand (2 km)
Ruisseau de Combe Moulin (1 km)
Ruisseau des Grisières (1 km)
Ruisseau du Fesc (1 km)
Ruisseau des Marions (1 km)
Ruisseau de Bourefège (1 km)
Ruisseau de Chante-Merle (1 km)
Ruisseau de la Combe (1 km)
Ruisseau des Chirouses (1 km)
Ruisseau Durand (1 km)

Cartography

The Fontaulière catchment area extends as far north as Lachamp-Raphaël, as far south as Meyras and as far west as Mazan-l’Abbaye.

Here is the full map of the catchment area: (extract from the SANDRE* file)

Fontaulière catchment area

Along the Fontaulière

From its confluence with the River Ardèche to its source at the Vestide du Pal crater, here are the villages, localities and remarkable sites crossed by the Fontaulière.

Local authorities

The valley is dotted with small villages, the main one being Montpezat-sous-Bauzon.

Commune of Pont-de-Labaume

The downstream part and the entrance to the Fontaulière valley, if you are coming from the RN102, is at Pont-de-Labeaume.

Municipality of Meyras

The Château deVentadour overlooks the junction between the Ardèche and Fontaulière valleys, with the village of Pont-de-Labeaume at its foot.

The RD 536 takes you along the valley, with the Massebeuf textile factory at the first bend on the other bank of the Fontaulière.

After the Pestrin factory, which has been producing mineral water since 1868, comes the Pont-de-Veyrières area, opposite the village of Chirols, home to an EDF dam, themilling eco-museum and the Co’pains bakery.

The road runs parallel to the Fontaulière river, which can be seen below and at every bend, before heading in a straight line from Le Plot to Champagne, the boundary with the commune of Montpezat-sous-Bauzon.

Municipality of Montpezat-sous-Bauzon

The road through Champagne continues in an almost straight line, with a succession of houses and small hamlets along the way. Only the municipality changes, from Meyras to Montpezat-sous-Bauzon.

Gradually, the vegetation changes to give way to more chestnut groves, some of which are still in use, as far as the car park with its view of the ruins of Pourcheyrolles castle , the village and the foothills of the Ardèche mountains.

The road crosses over the river on the Montpezat bridge, a former suspension bridge, and continues towards the village after a short straight stretch.

On the left stands a Virgin on a concrete promontory known as the Temple.
To the right, a narrow path leads to the Clastres priory , with its magnificent rose garden, the listed church of Notre-Dame-de-Prévenchère , the chapel of Saint-Roch and its calvary .

Roseraie de Clastres at Montpezat in Ardèche

At the entrance to the village, which was once dominated by the Chateau de Montlaur , a rounded temple marks the intersection with the lower town on the left. A little further to the right, another junction leads to the meadow, the primary school, the secondary school, the post office, the parish church and the banks of the Pourseille stream .

The main road crosses the village, lined with houses on either side, passing in front of the bakery and then the small town hall square with thegrocery shop and butcher.
It then continues towards the edge of the village, winding its way to the junction that joins the banks of the Fontaulière valley.

After a few bends and a little over a kilometre, a fork in the road on the left, recognisable by the Fontaulière goat farm sign, takes you off the main road and plunges you towards the locality of Villaret.

The Fontaulière river meanders underneath this winding road, making it difficult for two cars to pass each other, so be careful! Numerous steep side roads, more or less accessible by car, lead you to the banks of the river, with many possible walks and hikes.

Municipality of Le Roux

As you pass through the hamlets and villages of Le Villaret, Malfaugère and L’Air, you reach the village of Le Roux, before rejoining the main road to continue on to the source of the river at Le Pal.

A final bridge over the river marks the highest point on the route and the proximity of its starting point, the Vestide du Pal.

La Vestide du Pal

Once again in the commune of Montpezat-sous-Bauzon, the Vestide du Pal is the source of the Fontaulière.

A major volcanic site, it is a maar crater* located at an altitude of around 1,200 metres. With a diameter of 1700 metres and a depth of 150 metres, it is said to be one of the largest in Europe*. This site is part of the Monts d’Ardèche UNESCO Geosite.

A great place for walking and hiking, with the small Lac Ferrand and beautiful deciduous and coniferous forests nearby, it is also ideal for snowshoeing and tobogganing in winter.

The rise of the Pal

And for lovers of hiking, cycling and other sports, here’s the training sheet for the Pal climb:

Maps and practical information

The reference IGN map of the Ardèche for the Fontaulière valley is 2837 OT / Lac d’Issarlès, Thueyts.

Geoportal

Between Pont-de-Labeaume and the Vestide du Pal via Montpezat-sous-Bauzon, here is a map of the area:

Tours and itineraries

You can also consult the fullitinerary for the discovery tour below, from Route Nationale 102 and the town of Pont-de-Labeaume in the Ardèche valley via Montpezat, Le Roux and La Vestide: