Loop between the Col de la Croix du Ban and the Col de la Luère

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this walk on Saturday 31 May with my dog in very hot weather. A route with few viewpoints but very suitable for hot weather. No difficulties.
Nice walk.

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Date of your route : Jun 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short hike mostly through the woods, perfect for hot summer days. A few nice climbs and descents. We completed it in less than two hours. I used the GPS track from Visorando, which was perfect, rather than the description, which seemed a little complicated (at the Croix du Ban, I hesitated, but after reading the comments, I realised that I had to take the path on the far right. To avoid having my nose glued to the comments, I preferred to use the GPS track). Late on Sunday afternoon, we didn't come across any hikers, just a few mountain bikes and motorbikes.

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Date of your route : Apr 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike, but the car park isn't very big. We had to park a little further away. There may be a few bikes.

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Date of your route : Apr 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Good tracking of the route based on GPS positioning, but some difficulty knowing which path to take at the start from a fork in the road with three paths (you really need to zoom in on the IGN map to distinguish the "side" paths).
Another thing: the app kept sending me notifications about the GPS route (unclear messages), which was rather annoying. I had to turn off all notifications from the mobile app on Android.

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Date of your route : Dec 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Well done for following Erpat's instructions from 5 June 2023. It is indeed completely on the right that you begin the descent, which will eventually take you back up to complete this lovely walk without too much difficulty.

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Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant Sunday stroll in the forest on a warm day

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Date of your route : Sep 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, best enjoyed on hot days as it is mostly in the forest. I particularly liked the first half, which is in a beautiful pine forest. The duration is greatly overestimated: it took us 3 hours and 20 minutes rather than the 2 hours and 15 minutes advertised.

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Date of your route : Jun 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

From the car park at the Col de la Croix du Banc, it's easy to find: opposite, there is only one path leading southwards, so it's hard to go wrong.
At the cross , follow the sign to the right. There is a path slightly to the right (this is the GR trail that leads directly to the Col de la Lueur). Keep to the right and then turn completely right. This is the path you need to take for the walk described. At the reservoir, don't hesitate to go to the nearby orientation table (in front of the reservoir, it is indicated at the crossroads) before taking the path that climbs towards the Col de la Luére. A well-shaded hike. Perfect for getting back into shape.

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Date of your route : May 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

hike with very few views (only two), mostly through forest, so pleasant in summer. Fortunately, there were markings (yellow and red lines), as the description was not clear enough

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Date of your route : Jan 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk combining descents and ascents.

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Date of your route : Mar 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant route.

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Date of your route : Mar 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

This route is mainly through woods, so there are very few views. It must be nice in summer to cool off.
The usual Croix du Ban/Col de la Luère route is very busy, so this route is a good alternative to avoid the crowds.
Same comment as Randolaguille on 17 January 2021 regarding the points... (especially point 1!)

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Date of your route : Jan 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Some clarifications regarding the description:
(1), (2) and (3):
- in point (1), specify that the path that branches off to the right of the cross is a steep, continuous descent (the term "mountain side" could suggest that it follows the contour lines)
- the sign "Chemin Malatray" does not appear anywhere
- however, at point (3) there is a sign indicating the Col de la Luère
(4): Caution. Immediately after leaving the road, be sure to turn right, otherwise you will end up directly at the Croix du Banc.

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

A very pleasant hike for an afternoon (3 hours allowed!!!).
We started at an altitude of 482m between points 5 and 6, which had the advantage of allowing us to climb straight away and then descend from the Malval pass.

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Date of your route : Sep 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk. A few mountain bikes.

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