Criel de Renage via La Roche and Le Garin

Renage church car park.

(S/E) Walk between the church and the cemetery, cross the town hall car park and the community hall car park to reach Boulevard du Docteur Valois. Turn left and head east towards Chemin Montessuy.

(1) At the right-hand bend, leave the tarmac road and head towards Chemin Montessuy, continuing to the next junction. Turn left to head down towards the Pont de la Guillonnière bridge over the River Fure. Cross the bridge; a flight of steps leads to the start of the Sentier de la Roche.

(2) Take the Sentier de la Roche, which can be very wet and slippery if it has rained. Pass the Chemin du Crocodile on your right and, when you reach the road from Renage to Criel (Rue Alexandre Raphaël), carry on to the right. Follow this stretch of road for 800 metres, until you reach the junction with the Chemin du Marais Fleury (tarmacked).

(3) Turn left, pass an old bread oven and then the school in Criel to reach the next junction with the Chemin de la Sûre.

(4) Turn left onto Chemin de la Sûre, then, after 200 metres, turn right onto Chemin des Écureuils; head downhill, turning right, and you’ll rejoin the tarmac at the end of Chemin du Garin.

(5) Turn sharply left to head down towards the Fure. As you walk down the path, you can see the water intake for the Socamel hydroelectric power station on your right.

Cross the River Fure, with the water intake for the Revex hydroelectric power station on your left, at the foot of Alivet Castle and the ruins of the 12th-century blast furnace. Pass under the arch of the blast furnace and join the Descente d’Alivet, then head up to the right.

About forty metres after the sharp bend to the right, turn almost right round and take the Chemin des Taillandiers, which climbs gently up the hillside to your left. At the end of this path, cross the Renage road towards Grenoble. Turn left and continue until you reach the entrance to the Impasse des Cités on your left.

Cross the road and, opposite, take the path alongside the tennis courts, then turn right at the end of the path into a car park. Walk to Rue du Verdon, continue for 100 metres, then turn left onto Rue des Écoles. Ignore Avenue de la Piscine on your right and walk to the end of the primary school. Turn right, then left to return to the church car park (S/E).

Take care for a few dozen metres at the start of Chemin de La Roche (2), which is very often damp and slippery.
Hiking on our trails is an outdoor activity and carries certain risks: you may slip and fall, or find yourself in the path of a mountain bike or a falling branch… Please be careful. Warning: global warming is affecting the vegetation. Trees have been weakened and may uproot unexpectedly: do not venture into the undergrowth in windy or stormy weather. Walking with poles is recommended. Keep an eye on your children and stay on the path. Enjoy your walk.

On the Route du Marais Fleury, there is an old oven where the residents of Criel used to bake their bread.

The school in Criel was established to spare the young people of Criel the need to walk all the way to the school in Renage. It is now used for other activities.