Pertuiset Circular - Grangent Dam

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Located on the outskirts of Saint-Étienne, on the border between the Loire and Haute-Loire departments, the Loire Gorges, a 4,000-hectare nature reserve, charms visitors with its peaceful wooded landscapes, remarkable flora and fauna, rocky outcrops, beautiful Lake Grangent, medieval castles and traditional villages.

Details

n°10563904
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 23.24 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 8h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 797 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 804 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 747 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 399 m
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Photos

Towards the end
Le Guet
Grangent Castle
Path through the broom bushes

Description of the walk

Park at Pertuiset or just after the Bicentennial Bridge of the Revolution.

(S/E) Take Rue Henri Barbusse, then at the first fork, follow the path to the right, following the GR®. Walk along the Loire to the entrance to Saint-Victor sur Loire.

(1) After a few metres on the road, leave theGR® and take the Lizeron path on the right. The descent into the forest joins the Liseron, which you cross before turning immediately left to join thePR®. Follow it to Condamine.

(2) Follow thePR® straightahead. Stop at the edge of the village for a view of Essalois Castle and the Grangent dam. Descend thePR® and ford the Grangent stream. Climb back up to the D32 road, turn left, still on thePR®, following or crossing the road several times until you reach the dam.

(3) Turn left behind the EDF building onto the steep path that climbs up to Essalois Castle. Continue straight ahead on a carriage road which eventually becomes tarmac until you reach La Garde.

(4) Turn left, then right after 500 m at the crossroads with a cross. Continue to Les Chambles. Climb to the top of the tower for exceptional views.

(5) Turn back, heading west, and cross the D108 to the small road opposite. After 200-300m of slight uphill, turn left onto the road.

(6) Follow the road to Biesse

(7) Follow the clear path out of the village. Take the path on the left after 500 metres. Follow the flat path through the woods until you reach a small road, which you should quickly leave on the left. The descent to the bridge is quite steep and a little unpleasant.

Follow thePR® from WP7, which is partially marked, to Pont du Pertuiset to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 428 m - Le Pertuiset - Ondaine (rivière) - Affluent de la Loire
  2. 1 : km 4.89 - alt. 505 m - Saint Victor-sur-Loire
  3. 2 : km 7.28 - alt. 556 m - Condamine
  4. 3 : km 11.25 - alt. 422 m - Grangent Dam - La Loire
  5. 4 : km 13.71 - alt. 589 m - La Garde
  6. 5 : km 15.36 - alt. 646 m - Chambles
  7. 6 : km 16.04 - alt. 661 m - Biesse Road Crossroads
  8. 7 : km 17.82 - alt. 732 m - Biesse
  9. S/E : km 23.24 - alt. 428 m - Le Pertuiset

Worth a visit

Grangent Dam
Grangent Island and 12th-century castle
Issolois Castle
Chambles Tower
Bicentennial Bridge of the Revolution

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 9 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
User 28396521
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

25 km including a detour, taken in 5 hours 55 minutes with just a few stops for photos and coffee. Everything was great, really great, except after Chambles. Just road. Boring. It would be good to find an alternative route. Otherwise, turn back at Chambles. But anyway... No difficulties apart from the length. And towards the end, a detour that was fortunately not too long as it ran through a field of bulls.
Apart from that, very beautiful views. Lovely castle. Magnificent. Thank you
We were able to have a coffee in Essalois on a sunny terrace. Very nice

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Olivier Dollfus
Olivier Dollfus
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A beautiful route that winds its way along the riverbanks and across the plateaus on both sides, offering a variety of landscapes: sandy banks, small tributaries to cross, deciduous forests, rocky plateaus, heath, open meadows... Magnificent panoramic views stretching into the distance. The view to the west as you leave Les Condamines or to the meanders of the Loire to the south from Les Chambles are superb (the climb up the tower is quite adventurous, but well worth it).

The sections on roads are short and do not detract from the route, except perhaps for the descent to the Granjent dam along the departmental road, which is not particularly impressive at the end. Be careful, as the yellow/red markings (PR) suggest that you should follow the departmental road to the dam once you have climbed up from the Granjent stream: you must cross and walk above it (see track).

You need to be in good physical condition: apart from the overall elevation gain, one or two sections require a bit of effort: the climb from the dam to Essalois Castle, which is very steep and rocky in the first part, and the descent on the ridge towards the Bicentennial Bridge, a short but fairly technical section, especially with 20 km already under your belt.

Between 6 and 7: shortly after passing the sign for the hamlet of Glières, you can turn directly left when you reach a crossroads with a stone cross. You arrive directly in the heart of the hamlet, a small square with another cross in the middle. On the other side of the square is the obvious farm track leading down to the Bicentennial Bridge and then Pertuiset. Follow it: yellow (obviously recently redone) and yellow/red (PR) signs and markings.

Be careful a little further down the descent route, follow the sign for Liaison Rive droite Pertuiset.... From there, follow only the yellow/red markings (PR) all the way down.

Enjoy!

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abouamine42
abouamine42

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

MAGNIFICENT!
A very beautiful hike that takes 5 hours.
Caution ⚠️ lots of elevation changes.
Dangerous descent.⚠️
Numerous spectacular views of the Loire Gorges.
Thank you to the author for this wonderful experience.

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JEPit
JEPit
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route along the Loire River in the first part.

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Isabelle_Lyon
Isabelle_Lyon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent, little-used hiking trail with varied landscapes. The climb to the Chambles tower is an added bonus. Best done in May-June when the broom is in bloom all along the route. When the dam is low, an old railway line creates an additional passageway in the middle of the lake, shortening the hike.
Thank you for this route, which allowed us to enjoy a wonderful day.

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Rolsoul
Rolsoul

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Satisfactory

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caro4242
caro4242

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful and varied route.
Please note that work on the dam (until March 2022) prevents cars and bicycles from passing, but not pedestrians.

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Pipit42
Pipit42

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Hello,
A very pleasant hike with superb views.
Towards the end, you need to pay attention to follow the PR markings between point 7 and the finish.
The route is busy at certain spots (Essalois Castle, the banks of the Loire at the start, etc.) but quiet for most of the way.

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grandin
grandin ★

Keywest

Thank you, it's done.

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Keywest
Keywest

Hello,
Route modified. Difficult section removed.
Description adjusted.
Please remove your moderating sentence from the general description.
Enjoy your hike.
Patrick

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grandin
grandin ★

Keywest

Can you amend your itinerary/description accordingly?

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Keywest
Keywest

The passage between 6 and 7 is indeed a problem. It seems that the trail has been closed by the owner. I therefore recommend taking the road on the left towards point 7 instead of following the unmarked trail before point 6.
As for the rest of the route, I don't remember having any problems getting back to the bridge (the slope is a bit steep and uneven at the end, but it avoids the busy road).

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marcelleelise
marcelleelise

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is fairly well described up to Chambles. From point 5 onwards, the explanations are insufficient. Between points 6 and 7, there are no paths or signposts, so you have to cross meadows and fields and climb under fences to reach the Biesse road. And the best is yet to come! From point 7 onwards, there are no more explanations... unacceptable. The PR BIEN BALISEJUSQU'AU PERTUISET mentioned in the description does not exist or no longer exists. The return journey was quite difficult.
A beautiful route, but the explanations need to be reviewed.

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