Circular walk from Nances

The route starts from the car park at Nances cemetery, 150 metres east of the church.
Nances can be reached from Novalaise by turning off the CD921 or from the A43 motorway junction.
Please note if returning late: the road to the cemetery is closed off with a chain at night for safety reasons; in this case, park near the church.

(S/E) Head north along the edge of the forest. The path climbs gradually at the foot of the slopes of the Montagne de l’Épine. After a brief descent, it climbs again to a junction where the return path descends to the right.

(1) Turn left, then right to go round the old Murgeret quarry. Join the access road to this site, follow it to the left, then leave it shortly afterwards to head up to the right, heading north-east. The slope becomes steeper before levelling out, at which point the path veers left to join the path leading up the Côte, which you should take to the right.

The climb resumes at Malpasset, then crosses over to the left again to join the road coming from L’Epinette. Cross this road to reach the Sainte-Rose Chapel, clearly visible above the road.

(2) After visiting the site, head up through the woodland behind the chapel to reach a forest track; follow it to the left, then turn right at the next junction to reach the Villa Doria viewing platform.

(3) You can take a round trip to see the Villas site and the viewpoint on the Route de l’Épine by turning left onto the path which joins the road after about a hundred metres. Follow this road to the right for about a hundred metres.

(4) Turn back towards the Villa Doria viewing platform.

(3) Resume the route to the left, heading east, initially on fairly level ground and, after passing a high point, descend in switchbacks through the forest, ignoring several paths branching off to the right towards the Chapelle Sainte-Rose, until you reach a junction after passing under a power line.

(5) Turn left towards the south-east for a fairly short but steep climb leading to the Château de l’Épine site.

(6) After visiting the site, head south-east again, initially on level ground, through a rugged area where you must take care to stay on the path. The descent begins on the mountainside in the Murgeret rockfall area and, after passing the vertical drop above the old quarry, veer westwards to descend via a series of hairpin bends through scree slopes until you reach the junction at the foot of the mountain that you passed on the way up.

(1) Turn left to return to the starting point via the route taken at the start of the ascent (S/E).

The route is signposted with yellow markings (on a green background) and directional signs are provided at the main junctions.

The entire route therefore follows marked paths and tracks. Only the descent from the Château above the former Murgeret quarry between (6) and (1) – which involves steep slopes – is slightly more challenging and requires suitable footwear.

There are views over the Novalaise Basin and Lake Aiguebelette as you climb up to the Sainte-Rose Chapel or from the Villas Doria and the area around the Château. The rest of the route is more wooded and therefore less open.

The walk passes several sites, some of which are now in ruins but have a rich history:
- the Murgeret area was the site of a major rockslide following an earthquake in 1248 (the same one that caused the collapse of the Granier).
- Sainte-Rose Chapel: built in the 17th century over a spring that still flows today, it was once an important stop on an old route over the Col de l’Épine.
- The Villas Doria: these formed a complex of buildings used as a guesthouse, built in the 19th century by a wealthy banker who was enamoured with the lake. Following the death of their builder and their subsequent abandonment, all that remains are a few walls by the Route de l’Épine and some retaining walls and ruins near (3).
- The Château de l’Épine: it is hard to imagine, judging by the ruins visible amongst the scree and the trees of the forest, that this château once comprised a dozen rooms spread over four to five storeys and was an imposing fortress, probably swept away by a rockslide from the cliff above it.