Route north of Thoissey

Start at the MJC. Car park on Rue de l’Hôtel de Ville.

(S/E) Continue along Rue de la Grande Mademoiselle, following the Canal des Échudes. At the junction, carry straight on along Rue Louis Marchand and turn left into Square de la Galandière.
Take the path that runs alongside the Chalaronne and, just before the bridge over the Saône, head towards the water sports centre so that you can pass safely underneath it.

(1) Head up to the right along the Saône for nearly 4 km (passing under the Saint-Romain des Îles bridge).

(2) Leave the towpath by crossing the embankment to the right and follow the tarmac road. When you reach a triangular-shaped square lined with poplar trees, turn left twice. Then turn right into the bend. Continue straight on for 1 km.

(3) After passing through Merèges (old farmhouses and manor houses, beautiful architecture), turn right. Turn left at the bend to reach a junction. Turn right and continue to the Stop sign.

(4) Turn right onto Rue Joseph Berlioz towards Parc Actival, continue for 150 m, then turn left towards Bel-Air. Leave the road on your right and continue alongside the large farmhouse. When you reach the cross, turn right.

(5) At the Y-junction, continue to the right. Walk past Bel-Air College, passing the two roundabouts in succession. On the right, you can see the 17th-century Château de Challes (private). A very ancient historic site, with extensive grounds featuring moats, a wash house and a neo-Gothic-style well. When you reach a junction, head towards the town centre. Walk past the local schools and continue straight on along Rue de l’Église, then Rue de l’Hôtel de Ville. Walk past the storeroom of the Ursuline Convent. At the crossroads, turn left to return to the starting point (S/E)

57% tarmac.

The nearby picnic areas along the walk are located in Marchand Municipal Park, at the campsite, on Avenue du Port near the Tourist Office chalet, and in Square de la Galandière.
The drinking fountain is at Place du Collège Royal and public toilets are on Avenue du Port, at the northern entrance to Marchand Municipal Park and along the footpath at Place du Duc du Maine.

This walk is organised by the Val de Saône Centre Tourist Office in collaboration with the Ain branch of the FFRandonnée.

The Ursuline Convent
The Ursuline convent was founded in Thoissey in 1666. Its buildings occupied a significant part of the area within Thoissey’s historic walls. It was the Revolution that dispersed the 32 nuns and led to the sale of the community’s property.
The Ursulines’ Cellar is an exhibition space open to the public, providing access to the south gallery of the convent’s cloister.

The church of Thoissey
Seven monumental paintings were commissioned between 1706 and 1713 from the Lyon-based painter Daniel Sarrabat to embellish the former chapel (located on Rue de l’Hôtel de Ville opposite the Ursuline convent), which had become the parish church.
They are dedicated to Mary Magdalene, the town’s patron saint. The Church of Sainte-Madeleine, completed in 1872, replaced the old chapel and now houses Daniel Sarrabat’s works in its ambulatory.

Challes Castle
A private 18th-century château, built on a site of great historical significance. The large wooded grounds still feature a washhouse and a well (both in the Neo-Gothic style), as well as the remains of an orangery.