Saint-Romain loop via Poleymieux and Curis-au-Mont-d'Or

This double loop of around fifteen kilometres with a significant elevation gain will take you through some beautiful panoramas and places in the Monts d'Or.
Starting from the pretty village of Saint-Romain, it will take you to the summit of Mont Thou with its magnificent panorama, then to the village of Poleymieux with its church and some beautiful drystone shelters.
You will cross the grounds of Château de Curis and then walk through the woods to return to your starting point, passing by the enigmatic Demeure du Chaos.

Details

1815840
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.94 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 777 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 787 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 593 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 177 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Hautes Verchères car park on Route du Mont Thou in Saint Romain-au-Mont-d'Or.

(S/E) Leave the car park by going up the street to the left. Take the first alley on the right (Chemin de la Cabrette), which quickly turns into a small path.
Continue straight ahead, crossing two roads (Chemin des Vondières then Route du Mont Thou).
After a fairly steep climb, you will come to a crossroads.

(1) Turn right. You will soon come to a bend in the Route du Mont Thou: take it to the left. At the houses, after the straight stretch, leave the road and continue straight ahead (Chemin du Vieux Nid). The path enters the woods and leads you above a fountain.

(2) Climb up to your left (you can also descend a few metres towards the fountain, which is home to salamanders). The fairly steep path leads you to the spoil heap of a quarry. Continue climbing.
The climb, which is still quite steep, leads to a path on the hillside.

(3) Turn right and after a few metres turn left to cross the meadow.
On the other side of the meadow, you will come to a path. Take this path to the left (yellow markings). Continue climbing until you reach the road.
Follow the road to the right until you reach an inverted Y-junction. Leave the road and take the path directly opposite.
At the first junction, after a few metres, turn left and climb up a path through a very dense forest.

(4) At the next junction, turn left along the hedge. Cut across the yellow-marked path and climb straight up through the meadow. You will arrive at the summit of Mont Thou, below the Air Force radar.

(5) Descend by taking the path that runs along the left side of the meadow, at the edge of the forest (north-west). Continue descending, still straight ahead, for about one kilometre, until you reach a crossroads.

(6) Take the path that descends to the left into the forest (towards Poleymieux).
At a place called Hivernat, turn right towards the school car park. Continue downhill through the woods. Cross the road and further on, turn left. Descend towards Poleymieux.

(7) Take the Roche road on the right and quickly leave it for the narrow Mollard path. Cross the road on the left and take the Chemin du Grapillon. To the left of the wash house, take the dead-end road (Chemin des Côtes).
Leave the street and climb up the steep path on the left that leads to the church in Poleymieux.

(8) Go around the church and continue straight on Chemin du Nerbey. Walk along the cemetery, past a pretty drystone shelter and the old quarries, now climbing sites. Keep heading north-east and when you reach the D73, follow it for a few metres to the left. You will come to the crossroads with Rue René Tachon (plaque in memory of this hero of the Resistance).

(9) Take this road. You are now at the entrance gate to the grounds of Curis Castle. Enter and follow the path, marked in yellow, which climbs to the left of the castle (private property). The path winds to the left of the castle, then heads towards the bottom of the valley and joins Grand Platane.

(10) Turn left towards the south gate. Continue on and you will reach the Porte du Pinay.

(11) Cross it and take the path that branches off to the right (south), at the bottom of a small valley, climbing increasingly steeply. After a sharp right turn, you will come to a crossroads. Turn left towards the road, at a place called La Croix Vitaize

(12) Cross the road and take the steps on the path opposite you. Continue straight ahead until you reach the fork you passed on the way there.

(6) Head left along the edge of the meadow. At the hairpin bend, follow the road and you will come to another crossroads further on.

(13) Take the path on the left, which descends straight ahead. Cross the road, continue straight ahead and you will come to another crossroads.

(14) Ignore the path that branches off to the right and continue downhill. The steep path leads to the Croix du Tignat, then to the first houses of Saint-Romain.

(15) Take Rue Paupière to the right. Cross the crossroads and take the path to the right of the calvary. It leads to the square in front of the grocery store. Turn left. You can walk to the Demeure du Chaos on the left side of the square. From there, take Rue de la République on the right, which leads to the car park, passing in front of the church and then the Bessée manor house. You will then arrive at the Hautes Verchères car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 218 m - Hautes Verchères car park
  2. 1 : km 0.67 - alt. 328 m - At the junction, turn right
  3. 2 : km 1.27 - alt. 330 m - To the left, above the fountain
  4. 3 : km 1.68 - alt. 429 m - On the right, then very quickly on the left
  5. 4 : km 2.79 - alt. 549 m - Turn left along the hedge
  6. 5 : km 3.18 - alt. 592 m - Mont Thou - Table d'orientation du Mont Thou
  7. 6 : km 4.34 - alt. 491 m - Common intersection of the loop
  8. 7 : km 5.48 - alt. 341 m - Narrow Chemin du Mollard on the left
  9. 8 : km 6.13 - alt. 384 m - Poleymieux Church
  10. 9 : km 8.29 - alt. 223 m - Rue René Tachon. Enter the castle grounds
  11. 10 : km 9.06 - alt. 268 m - Grand Platane, on the left
  12. 11 : km 9.67 - alt. 329 m - On the right after Porte du Pinay
  13. 12 : km 10.54 - alt. 439 m - Opposite, via the stairs
  14. 13 : km 11.96 - alt. 494 m - Path on the left
  15. 14 : km 12.58 - alt. 422 m - Grand Platane, on the left
  16. 15 : km 13.86 - alt. 189 m - Rue Paupière to the right
  17. S/E : km 14.94 - alt. 217 m - Hautes Verchères car park

Notes

Small convenience store in the village of Saint-Romain.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 19 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
CATTIN
CATTIN
• Edited:

Route of moderate and variable interest, directions sometimes imprecise.

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Evax
Evax

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really enjoyable hike with a good climb

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PPJJMM
PPJJMM

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

not recommended in wet weather or the day after rain, as 50% of the route is very slippery
Presence of clay and pebbles

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boube22
boube22

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very beautiful, very shady hike with lots of forests and beautiful landscapes.
the passage behind Curis Castle is very pleasant.
a perfect hike for hot weather.

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mimiche1954
mimiche1954

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that is physically demanding but easy to do in dry weather
We pass through some beautiful villages

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cathdid
cathdid

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

we got a bit lost with the directions; you always have to look at the written map, which isn't easy to follow. It would be better to mark each fork in the road with yellow signs, as this would prevent people from getting lost. As a result, we didn't do the whole route; we went as far as Poleymieux and then did the route backwards. What a shame.

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Grand Voyageur
Grand Voyageur

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike starting from a location that is easily accessible by bike from the centre of Lyon (allow about 50 minutes to travel from Bellecour to Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d'Or along the Saône river, starting at point 15). Beautiful forest trails and a magnificent view of the city and the Ain plain from Mont Thou, with a slight incline, enough to make the hike challenging. There are also plenty of opportunities to take a break in the middle of the meadows. Highly recommended!

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Maryma
Maryma

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A varied route in slightly foggy weather, but you can't always choose! Although the view from Mount Thou was limited, we enjoyed some beautiful autumn colours!
There were lots of paths through the woods, which meant that the foggy weather didn't bother us too much! On the contrary, there was a lovely atmosphere in the woods. Although we didn't meet many hikers, there were plenty of mountain bikers!
Nothing to add to the other comments. The walking time was indeed shorter than advertised.
I recommend this route, which I loved!

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LucaF
LucaF

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike between Mont Thou, St Romain and Curis. Perfect route! However, allow 3½ hours rather than 6 hours.

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edwz69
edwz69

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike. The view from the top of Mont Thou is superb. The guidebook is accurate, but given that there are many paths, a map or hiking app is a good idea!
Thank you

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Bertrand Repellin
Bertrand Repellin

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk! Perfect weather on this spring Sunday. Nice climbs too, alternating with good descents. It's not always easy to find the right paths, as there are so many. The description of the end of the route isn't very clear, so we ended up walking 18 km instead of the planned 15! But that's all part of the charm of hiking.

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Myl009 _66
Myl009 _66

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike....

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VeroPat25
VeroPat25

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Interesting hike! Information about distances between two points is not always accurate. Signage is not always present. Paragraph 3 description is inconsistent - More precise commentary or signage would be necessary!
For your information: the car park is called BASSES SEGUINES in Saint Romain au Mont d'Or.

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jncd69
jncd69

Hello,
I haven't done the hike yet, but I appreciate the website, the descriptions and the information.
thank you.
jean

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princessemarcel
princessemarcel

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, not very busy on this freezing Sunday, with more elevation gain than advertised (850D+) and a nice climb right from the start to warm up.
The GPS track was perfect, thank you!

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