Castles, vineyards and golden stones

de fr

A lovely circular route with little elevation gain that takes you through vineyards and forests.
You’ll discover the village of Glay, built of golden stone, and pass by Courbeville Castle.
You’ll also discover the village of Chessy with its castle and its 12th/15th-century church.

Details

n°513625
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.94 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 663 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 666 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,286 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 719 ft
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Photos

mid-April 2026
mid-April 2026
rainbow
castle

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at Chessy Town Hall.

(S/E) Follow Avenue de la Gare towards the main road. An underpass allows you to cross the road and the railway line. Continue along Avenue du Stade.

(1) A path branches off to the left, running alongside the park; follow it. It turns into a dirt track, runs close to the railway line and joins Route du Fay.

(2) Take the road to the right. After the bridge, the road climbs straight ahead. Pass by the hamlet of Le Fay.

(3) At the junction, turn left onto the road. Leave this after 300m to take the path climbing up to your right through the vineyards. After leaving the vineyards, enter a small wood. Keep going straight on. The path widens and descends towards the motorway.

(4) When you reach the small road, turn right and then left after 100m. Follow the path that winds between the hedges towards the motorway. It will widen and run alongside the A89. Keep going straight on until you reach the house and the gas installation.

(5) Take the path branching off to the right, across the fields, straight towards the Bois des Oncins. Continue straight on, ignoring the first two paths branching off to the left, and join the third, taking care not to miss it.

(6) Turn left; this will take you to some houses and a tarmac road.

(7) Turn right, then immediately left, and follow the road down towards the village of Glay. Cross the D19 and enter the village. When you reach the small square, take the street on the right. Note the beautiful golden-stone houses. Continue straight ahead. The road turns into a track and descends to a bridge.

(8) At the junction, turn right, follow this track which turns into a road and leads to the D19. Cross over to the left.

(9) Take the first street on the right. It turns into a dirt track and leads you to Courbeville Castle. Leave the castle behind you and continue to the crossroads.

(10) Turn left, cross the bridge and walk straight on to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 732 ft - Town hall car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.16 - alt. 725 ft - Chemin du Baronnat on the left
  3. 2 : mi 0.71 - alt. 725 ft - Road on the right. Cross the - Azergue (rivière)
  4. 3 : mi 1.09 - alt. 912 ft - Turn left at the junction
  5. 4 : mi 1.93 - alt. 965 ft - Turn right
  6. 5 : mi 2.95 - alt. 1,148 ft - Dirt track on the right after the gas station
  7. 6 : mi 3.28 - alt. 1,198 ft - Path leading off to the left
  8. 7 : mi 3.51 - alt. 1,276 ft - Turn right onto the road
  9. 8 : mi 4.3 - alt. 850 ft - On the right before the bridge
  10. 9 : mi 4.74 - alt. 896 ft - Chemin du Jangot on the right
  11. 10 : mi 5.65 - alt. 745 ft - Turn left towards the bridge
  12. S/E : mi 5.94 - alt. 732 ft - Town hall car park

Notes

Chessy can be reached by train from Lyon Perrache, among other stations.

Worth a visit

(S/E) The village of Chessy and its narrow streets.

  • Castle.
  • 12th–15th-century church.

Courbeville Castle.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 52 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 19656414

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with not too much of an incline apart from the first 2 km... beautiful views around the Glay quarries... the 1 km stretch of path running alongside the motorway is the least interesting part... it would be nice to be able to avoid it

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Olivier.boutinaud
Olivier.boutinaud
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting route for anyone interested in geology and geography. Do take the time to explore this borderland between the Lyonnais and Beaujolais regions. A short walk enjoyed in glorious weather – very pleasant.

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christianlindknud@gmail.com
christianlindknud@gmail.com

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A brilliant outing in mid-April 2026. A very varied route through the picturesque hills of the Azergues Valley. Neither too hard nor too easy – just perfect and idyllic. It’s incredible that we didn’t do this hike sooner, given it’s just 30 minutes from the centre of Lyon! 👏

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jackandbab
jackandbab

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Well done and thank you

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User 2118527

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Just one problem with the directions between points 3 and 4, where the description makes it impossible to follow the route. Result: it took us an extra 40 minutes to find our way. The only solution was to follow the route on the GPS from the high point and start descending. A very enjoyable hike with no problems for the rest of the route before and after this incident.

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alain guyennon
alain guyennon
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk. Could be a bit better signposted on the ground. No problem following it on the app

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Derby 69
Derby 69

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice route

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Réjane Viallet
Réjane Viallet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant hike. The instructions are clear.

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monique.vidal
monique.vidal

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An easy hike (with little elevation gain) to discover the beautiful stone houses, the village of Glay, Courbeville Castle and Chessy les Mines
The vineyards had taken on their autumn colours.
It is easier to park on the school side (large car park)
The only downside is walking along the motorway, which isn't very pleasant, but you do discover a work of art under the A89 bridge, ORG MITRA, which is surprising and interesting

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Patoop
Patoop

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A pleasant hike with some nice views. It's pretty much the same as the Chessy Loop at the Glay quarries, but in reverse. You could park in the car park opposite the school, which would be easier.

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Solange EPITALON
Solange EPITALON
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is varied and fairly well signposted overall, except after Conzy, where you need to be careful because what is signposted as "tout droit" (straight ahead) in the forest (to get back down to the A89 motorway) actually means "follow the main road", so turn right at the intersection.
Best avoided when it's very hot, which was (unfortunately) the case for us, as the climbs are all in direct sunlight! On the other hand, there are some pretty sections through the forest and vineyards, and the village of Glay, with its golden stone buildings, is very well maintained!

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Cathnico
Cathnico

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

The description is not clear enough from the start: turn left, yes, but how far, for example? The first, the second?

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CNC
CNC

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk near Lyon, with very few hikers.
varied landscapes between vineyards and forests.
The section near the motorway is quickly forgotten.

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ASEB Marche-loisir
ASEB Marche-loisir

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short, easy hike yesterday to get back into shape after the holidays. Beautiful 'Pierres Dorées' houses in the village of Glay.

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bbarthuet
bbarthuet

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route that takes you through a variety of landscapes (valleys, meadows, vineyards, forests, and golden stone villages that are well worth stopping to explore). Good description, easy to follow.

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