La Combe Oternaud and the Bois de Sizay - Pays de l'Herbasse

A short route offering a taste of the main types of trails found in the Drôme des Collines: sand, gravel, woodland, valleys... The two main climbs are relatively steep and lead to some lovely views.

Details

1214135
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Mountain biking
    Activity: Mountain biking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.50 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 2 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 242 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 238 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 363 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 216 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Dauphiné
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 45.126096° / E 4.998386°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3135SB

  • ◶
    Type of surface:
  •  
     
     
     33% Road  34% Byway  33% Path
  • ⇧
    Bike carrying: Not specified
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Not specified
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the route

Mountain bike route no. 10

(S/E) From the Pont de Chabran car park, set off along the gravel track. At Les Bâties, head straight up and then turn right. Join the road and continue to Balayer.

(1) Turn left onto the road, which turns into a track. Continue to Combe du Frêne.

(2) Turn left to take the very enjoyable descent leading to Combe du Loup. Continue towards Combe Oternaud then turn right to reach the Bois de Sizay car park.

(3) Cross the road: watch out for cars! Take the small path uphill opposite.

(4) At the Combe de Sizay crossroads, head up the path on the right. Pass through Le Nordmann and continue to the Fontaine du Loup.

(5) Head down to the left and join the track at La Limite (alt. 330m), follow it to the left as far as Gros Chêne.

(6) Continue along the track to Les Fauries, turn right and reach the road a little further on. Head down towards the hamlet.

(7) After the hamlet, take the path on the left. Continue through the woodland and then across the fields.

(8) Reach the road, turn right onto it: watch out for cars! Turn left at the next junction.

(9) Turn right to cross the housing estate, then turn left at the end.

(10) At the top, turn left to go downhill along the fence. Continue through the woods to reach the road. Take the road to the left: watch out for cars! Head to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 220 m - Pont de Chabran signpost - Herbasse (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 2.69 - alt. 330 m - Poteau Balayer
  3. 2 : km 3.69 - alt. 304 m - Combe du Frêne signpost
  4. 3 : km 4.9 - alt. 271 m - Bois de Sizay signpost
  5. 4 : km 5.72 - alt. 328 m - Combe de Sizay signpost
  6. 5 : km 6.39 - alt. 359 m - Fontaine du Loup signpost
  7. 6 : km 7.62 - alt. 339 m - Poteau Gros Chêne
  8. 7 : km 9.59 - alt. 319 m - Les Fauries
  9. 8 : km 10.85 - alt. 280 m - Turn right onto the D584
  10. 9 : km 11.18 - alt. 277 m - Chemin des Mûriers
  11. 10 : km 11.56 - alt. 296 m - Turn left before the last house
  12. S/E : km 12.5 - alt. 220 m - Pont de Chabran signpost

Notes

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
luc.ghis
luc.ghis

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant, easy walk.

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nicolas26100
nicolas26100

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little route I went on this morning on my mountain bike.
No real difficulties, just a short climb at the start after setting off.
I set off at the entrance to Saint Donat coming from Romans, just after the bridge over the Herbasse on the right.
Starting here means you can ride a few hundred metres further along the river before tackling the climb.
On the way back, I recommend going a little further up the path along the river to relax by the shores of Lake Champos.
Signposting is fine except at point no. 2, where tree felling has removed everything; however, if you look at the map, it’s impossible to go wrong as the junction is very clear.
The final part of the ride is fine; the local council has taken the necessary action following @duchier’s comment in 2019.

An ideal ride with children on mountain bikes – short and fun, taking around 1½ to 2 hours including breaks.

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mariluce38
mariluce38

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Une route de randonnée.
It was very hot that day, so we really enjoyed this shaded walk.
Thank you for uploading this lovely walk.

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pianovelo
pianovelo

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very well-signposted route, taking 2 hours and 45 minutes to walk. Beautiful views.

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Département de la Drôme
Département de la Drôme

Hello,

Thank you for your feedback. The routes in this area were created several years ago, so it is indeed possible that a housing development has been built since then. I will pass on your comment to the site manager so that an alternative route can be found.

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duchier
duchier

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely, easy walk along pretty paths with lots of flowers in spring

The only problem was that at the end of the walk we couldn’t find the path; instead, a housing estate had been built

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