Around the Col de Malval

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant! Beautiful views and varied routes without too much busy traffic.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : May 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

However, it is more suitable for mountain bikers as there is quite a lot of tarmac. In addition, the route needs to be extended slightly as the passage at Rousseau is closed (private property). The route is not very difficult as the biggest difference in altitude is at the start of the descent. Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable route.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A bit unsettled when crossing the farmer's property.
Otherwise, very nice.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Dec 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

pleasant short walk

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jan 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A little tricky to find the path near the farm with its pile of manure... and perhaps a bit too much walking on tarmac... otherwise a very beautiful path through the woods.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Sep 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Pleasant hike. However, in the first stage, it is difficult to find the path after crossing the farm. You have to turn right immediately because the path is a little further on but not necessarily visible. The same applies when heading towards Roche Coucou: the sign says to turn left, but you have to continue along the road. Otherwise, the signage is satisfactory and it is a nice hike.

Machine-translated

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

Like the other comments, I also found this hike to be shorter than advertised.
It was very awkward when it came to going through the farm. Personally, I found it really difficult to get started, and afterwards it was very complicated to know where to go.
Honestly, I don't know if there's another way through, but it would be nice if there was.
I didn't see any animals, or very few, which is a real shame. On the other hand, the number of bicycles and dirt bikes on the trails is really excessive.
All in all, I'm a little disappointed in the sense that when I think of hiking, I imagine myself in the middle of nature, but we're often on tarmac roads...

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Dec 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Quite easy, I did it in 2 hours and 15 minutes, maybe walking too fast. Interesting for the views, but otherwise no animals to be seen apart from two black pheasants, certainly farmed, and a guy on a quad bike making enough noise to scare away the few remaining animals. All this makes me sad and angry at what we dare to call humanity...

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Hello,

Three hours seems quite long to me, without rushing, 2 hours 14 minutes of hiking. Crossing the farm must be approved by the owner... It's a detour, but not a very long one.
There are lots of mountain bikes, most of them electric and not very pleasant.

Kind regards

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant hike with magnificent views and magical autumn colours.
We completed it in 2 hours and 40 minutes, and the elevation changes are very gentle.
The route description is accurate, but we were very unsure about the path leading down to Vaugneray (D/À). It should be added that there is a fork in the descent and you need to take the path that goes down to the left.
Other than that, apart from the chicanes at the Vernay farm, which are actually small wooden passages that open the fence, you need to spot them carefully and they are lined up on the right-hand side of the field you need to cross.
Using a map to check you are on the right route is a definite plus.
Many thanks.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Beautiful views of the Monts du Lyonnais, very pleasant hike.

Machine-translated

Thank you, Kasandra 2006
Markings can be useful for hikers who cannot read a map and are afraid of getting lost. We don't discourage it, as long as it is maintained and present along the entire route (which is not always the case). But at Visorando, we also like to get off the beaten track where there are no markings. That's why it's useful to have a precise description that allows you to avoid getting lost and, if necessary, to compensate for the partial lack of markings.
This explains why we do not want the rating of hikes to be influenced by signposting.
Otherwise, have you encountered any problems with the description and route?

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Mar 12, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

You say not to mention signposting, but on a hike, signposting is the most important thing. The hike itself is fine, but you waste time trying to find your way. Not enough signposts.

Machine-translated

Thank you for this information, which I have just added to the description.
Kind regards

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very nice walk.
If you're not familiar with the area, a few details are missing.
At point 2, specify that you should not turn right but take the road to Cunieux, which actually is circular and loops to the right.
At bridge 6, specify that you join a tarmac road, which you should take on the left, and then join a dirt track that runs alongside the campsite on your left.

We had to search a bit, but we found our way.
Thank you.

Machine-translated