Circular in the woods of Cuvat and Pringy

A family walk in a circular route around the small village of Cuvat, through the countryside and undergrowth, along the Viéran and Genon streams.
Moderator's warning on 25/08/2020: Please note! A GPS device may be useful for this walk (see reviews).

Details

n°3168815

Creation:
24 Apr 2020

Last update:
23 Apr 2025

Last review:
18 Aug 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 9.05 km
Average duration: 3h 20
Difficulty: Easy
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 247 m
Descent: - 250 m
Highest point: 697 m
Lowest point: 497 m

Country: France
District: Cuvat (74350)
Start/End: N 45.9763° / E 6.116497°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3430OT
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Description of the walk

Park near the village hall or school.

(S/E) Head south-west towards the cemetery, passing in front of the school. Continue straight ahead at the Gorgy cross between the houses.

(1) At the Gorgy houses, the road becomes a path. Beautiful view of Lake Annecy and Parmelan.
Continue straight ahead along the path to the edge of the forest.

(2) When you enter the forest, follow the path on the left.
Follow the small stream until you reach a road.
Cross the road and continue along the path directly opposite.
The path becomes a trail.
Continue along the path down to the Viéran stream.

(3) Turn right and follow the Viéran stream to the old mill.

(4) At the old mill, turn right. The path climbs back up towards some houses.
Cross a field and then the Cuvat road and take a small road opposite between the houses in the hamlet of Les Devants, just around the bend.
Continue straight ahead where it becomes a path.

(5) At the sign, turn left to follow the marked trail (blue arrow). Cross the stream over a small wooden bridge.
Join the tarmac road (very little traffic) and turn right onto it, leaving the path that leads to Les Trembes further on and continuing for 200 metres.

(6) Leave the path on your right, which you will take later, and continue straight ahead.
Before the end of the road, just before a house, take the path on the left to the Chapelle de Ferrières.

(7) Stop at the chapel (picnic table, geocaching point). Return to the tarmac road and turn right.

(6) Shortly after the descent, take the path on the left that leads into the forest.
The path overlooks the stream and winds through the undergrowth with a few short steep sections.

(8) As you approach a field, take the path on the right that descends towards the stream.
Cross the small ford and continue along the path that climbs up the opposite slope to the village of Cuvat.

(9) At the junction with a street, turn right then left and reach the car park via a small path between the school and the Cuvat marsh.
Beautiful view of the church and its typical bell tower. (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 684 m - Car park at the village hall in Cuvat
1 : km 0.99 - alt. 667 m - Path at Gorgy
2 : km 1.49 - alt. 631 m - Intersection at the edge of the forest
3 : km 2.38 - alt. 533 m - Viéran Trail
4 : km 3.39 - alt. 498 m - Former Moulin du Viéran mill
5 : km 4.29 - alt. 530 m - Sign (blue arrow)
6 : km 5.33 - alt. 570 m - Path to the forest
7 : km 5.83 - alt. 590 m - Chapel of Ferrières
8 : km 7.12 - alt. 640 m - Intersection near a field
9 : km 8.48 - alt. 687 m - Entrance to Cuvat
S/E : km 9.05 - alt. 684 m - Car park at the village hall in Cuvat

Notes

The route starts from the centre of the village of Cuvat.
Several parking spaces are available in front of the village hall opposite the church or in front of the school.

Part of the route is visible on OSM but not on IGN.

Worth a visit

Cuvat Church:
The current church was built in 1821. Its bulbous bell tower was erected in 1854. The church was restored in 1975. During this restoration, the appearance of the bell tower was modified, with the Savoyard bulb becoming Byzantine. The interior decoration was entrusted to Japanese artist Paul Fujino in 1980.

Former Viéran Mill:
The Viéran stream rises in the north of the commune of Cuvat and flows into the Fier in the commune of Meythet. All that remains of the old Viéran mill is a small L-shaped building with an adjoining vegetable garden. It is now a private residence.

Ferrières Chapel:
The Ferrières Chapel was built in the 15th century on the road known as "l'évêché" (the bishop's road). It is located in the woods of Ferrières. With its rural architecture, it is distinguished by the shape of its bell tower, which is extended by a spire. It was restored in the 1960s and has been well maintained ever since.

Reviews and comments

3.8 / 5

Based on 20 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5

Ease of following the route
3.5 / 5

Route interest
4.1 / 5

Chloé74

18 Aug 2025 at 08:51 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk through beautiful forests
It is important to download the app so you can see the route online, as there are virtually no signs
At one point, there are too many branches and you can't get through, but it's easy to see how to get around the obstruction and get back on the trail

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Jessica du 74

21 Jul 2025 at 09:14 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice loop with a pretty view of the lake at the start. Then the path goes through the woods, which is pleasant in summer.

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lemarcheur65

28 Apr 2025 at 13:31 7200

Hello
The author replied.

Message sent by Gougouge to you • 23 April 2025 at 7:42 p.m.

Hello,

As I am no longer in the area, I am unable to verify this hike.

However, a very good review from the day before leads me to believe that the hike is still feasible. In any case, the hike is not marked. The app is therefore very useful for tracking the hike.

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Zute

28 Apr 2025 at 11:34 7200

It's a very pleasant walk with no difficulty in beautiful forests.

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lemarcheur65

23 Apr 2025 at 18:07 7200 • Edited: 23 Apr 2025 at 18:10 7200

Hello Graziell
Thank you for letting us know.
Regarding the QR code, that's very surprising!
What's more, the track matches the various map backgrounds!
Message sent to the author.

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Graziell

23 Apr 2025 at 11:07 7200

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We chose this easy hike because we had three children, including a six-year-old. The explanations are very average, but the worst thing is the QR code: the route is completely wrong! Please note that I think this hike is old and the route is no longer up to date.

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rubidou

22 Apr 2025 at 20:37 7200 • Edited: 29 Apr 2025 at 20:27 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for describing the route so precisely and for including the IGN map.
In fact, apart from the section between 4 and 7, there are no signs. And there are still no signs for 6. Even between 4 and 7, there are only small arrows.
This walk is not necessarily recommended with small children, as between 6 and 8, it is steep and slippery.
But it's very nice, surrounded by nature, more or less constantly alongside streams.
One clarification: on the way back from the chapel, there is a large red arrow on the road and a large mark of the same colour on a tree. These two signs are very useful for finding the path upstream from the road that leads to Les Trembles. Following this path, which runs more or less parallel to the road, there is a gymkhana course over and under fallen trees.
The path leading to the mouth is marked by a small cairn.
Now that I know the way, I will happily return.
I already went back three days later, but without the stress of not knowing how to find the path. It was even more enjoyable.

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Crapet

08 Mar 2025 at 17:49 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike that we completed without any problems thanks to the very accurate description (and without a GPS). One small detail: the blue arrows no longer exist and have been replaced by yellow arrows on a green background!

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Stef74

27 Jan 2025 at 11:22 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I read many comments mentioning difficulties with navigation. The hike went smoothly thanks to the Visorando GPS app. And it's really worth it. Varied trails, different landscapes, very pleasant and unexpected just a few kilometres from Annecy. Thank you for the discovery.

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Véronique Ro

22 Apr 2024 at 10:55 7200 • Edited: 22 Apr 2024 at 12:51 7200

Unmarked route, to be followed with a GPS.
Take care at points 5 and 8 (do not leave the forest).
Otherwise, a superb route.

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Electrofroid

16 Oct 2023 at 09:16 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful route on varied narrow paths through the woods with small streams and some hills, very few tarmac roads.
This route is best done with a GPS device due to the frequent changes in direction.

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Dinli

18 Aug 2023 at 14:18 7200 • Edited: 19 Aug 2023 at 10:49 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Some people complained about the instructions for following the hike, but I found it to be quite smooth and that everything went well.

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Marc Moissat

14 Mar 2022 at 08:19 3600

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Erdnaxela

13 Mar 2022 at 16:27 3600

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Everything goes well at the beginning, until you reach the Ferrière chapel and then the famous meadow, where you are supposed to turn right. There are electric wires, making it very difficult to turn right. Very good at the beginning, but a disastrous ending. If you go on this hike, be sure to bring your GPS.

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les colibris

26 May 2021 at 18:38 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : Yes

very poorly indicated as a note on the description

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Author

Gougouge
1 Walk

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