Madone Circular Route

This circular route will take you to the statue of the Madonna, installed in 2009 to replace another Madonna that was stolen. Along the way, you will see the Saint-Antoine hermitage, the tomb of the hermit Benoît Rousset, and a drying shed. You may encounter horses and mountain bikes. Be careful in rainy weather as the paths can be slippery and muddy.

Details

971120
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.25 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 320 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 320 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 536 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 238 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the car park at the lake in Chasselay.

(S/E) Walk up Rue de l'Etang for about 50 metres, turn left, then right onto Rue des Darbonnières.

(1) Follow the path on the left for 200 metres, then turn right onto Chemin de la Forêt. Ignore a path on the left and, at the fork just after, keep to the right. When you reach another fork, turn left and follow the path, which makes a hairpin bend further on.

(2) At a junction, turn left for a few metres to see the statue of the Madonna, slightly below the path. Be careful of the steep drop, which can be dangerous.

Retrace your steps for about 50 metres, then turn left and follow the path that zigzags uphill; as you pass, you will see a collapsed drystone shelter.

(3) Ignore the paths branching off to your left and continue to a T-junction.

(4) Turn right onto rural path 12 to reach the Geological Trail.

(5) Turn left onto the Geological Trail, rural path 27. Follow this path, ignoring the paths and trails on your right and left, and continue to the Mont Py road.

(6) Turn left onto Chemin de la Carrière, then left again 30 metres further on to go around it. Continue straight ahead to the end of the path, which leads to a small road.

(7) Turn left onto Chemin de Chasselay, then keep right at the next fork.

(8) Take a path on the right that leads to the Ermitage Saint-Antoine. Turn back and continue to the right. Ignore the two paths on the left and you will come to a fork. Take the path on the left, which goes downhill. Ignore the path on the right (elevation 289) and continue for about 100 metres until you reach the tarmac Chemin de la Collonge.

(9) Turn left for 150 metres, then turn right onto Chemin de Poleymieux and continue straight on until you reach the junction with Chemin de la Forêt. Turn right, then continue left onto Rue de Génévréant. Then take the first left, Rue des Darbonnières, then two right turns to return to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 243 m - Car park by the lake
  2. 1 : km 0.25 - alt. 253 m - Path on the left
  3. 2 : km 2.3 - alt. 407 m - Madone trail on the left
  4. 3 : km 2.82 - alt. 448 m - Drystone shelter collapsed
  5. 4 : km 3.14 - alt. 482 m - T-junction, on the right
  6. 5 : km 3.57 - alt. 486 m - Geological trail on the left
  7. 6 : km 4.07 - alt. 532 m - Route du Mont Py, on the left
  8. 7 : km 5.25 - alt. 447 m - Turn left onto Chemin de Chasselay.
  9. 8 : km 5.7 - alt. 427 m - Start of the trail to the hermitage
  10. 9 : km 7.05 - alt. 273 m - Tarmac path, on the left
  11. S/E : km 8.25 - alt. 243 m - Car park by the lake

Notes

Walking shoes and poles recommended.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
cailloutin
cailloutin

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

a beautiful 45-minute climb
There are no signposts at various crossroads
Lots of horse manure!
Monotonous return journey with very stony paths
When Nordic walking, closer to 1 hour 45 minutes than 3 hours
done in dry weather. Be careful if it rains, as the climb can be slippery when muddy.

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Regis6971
Regis6971

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike through the woods, but very muddy on the way up. Worth doing again in summer to enjoy the coolness of the site.

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4187993
4187993

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Nothing to report.
Thank you.

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roliche
roliche
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very difficult to start.
Need to try again as soon as possible.
Otherwise, it's great and takes you along paths I didn't know yet, even though I walk in the Monts d'Or very often.

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UnaFantasia
UnaFantasia

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Be careful to do this hike in very dry weather. We did it in January. It hadn't rained the day before (or during the day) and we walked in a thick layer of slippery mud for the first hour. It wasn't pleasant.

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veroberni
veroberni

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

complete lack of indication on the ground

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Fabrice0869
Fabrice0869

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Nice hike, not much to see apart from the Madonna and the Hermitage, but nice with lots of undergrowth, which is pleasant when it's hot.

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momo5338
momo5338

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant walk in the woods. Particularly recommended in hot, dry weather.
It's a shame there aren't many clear viewpoints, because you can see some beautiful views through the trees on the way down.
The first part runs alongside orchards, so you'll have to try again when the fruit is ripe!

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Nutstreck
Nutstreck

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant hike that allows you to discover this Madonna in a charming spot that invites you to take a break, with rocks you can lean against... A very pleasant trail then leads us to discover the hermitage of St. Anthony, a beautifully restored site... The trail is used by horses, and some sections are a little muddy...
Thank you to the author for this beautiful walk...

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