Cublize Azur Nord route

Northern part of the Cublize Azure Route; take thePR®®7ato complete the circular route. A peaceful walk through the woods, far from the hustle and bustle of Lac des Sapins. View of Magny Castle, which belonged to Vauban's brother, and, on a clear day, the Alps, including Mont Blanc.

Details

79993
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.04 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 519 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 514 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 864 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 478 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from Magny, at the junction of the D10 and D94, between Cublize and Saint-Vincent-de-Reins.

(S/E) Follow the D10 towards Cublize and join the No. 20. Take the path that climbs just after the house and enter the forest. Continue to a crossroads.

(1) Turn left, go down to a road and follow it to the left to join the D10. Continue a few metres to the right until you reach a fork.

(2) Continue left onto Route de Saint-Vincent. Cross the bridge and immediately turn right onto the path. At the next fork, go left and follow the valley uphill until you reach a road. As you leave the forest, you will see the rear of Magny Castle on your right.

(3) Turn left onto this road and continue to the crossroads at Croix de Nuzières.

(4) Turn onto the second road on the right and climb up to the next crossroads. Leave the tarmac road and continue along the path opposite. At the road (D504), continue left for 200 metres and then, after the left-hand bend, take the path on the right. Continue straight ahead and, after crossing two roads, you will come to a fork at the edge of the forest.

(5) Continue right (GR®®7) until you reach the next fork.

(6) Turn left and continue along a wide forest road until you reach a road (D504). Turn right towards Col de la Cambuse, taking care to watch out for traffic.

(7) At Col de la Cambuse, turn left onto the D94, continue for about 100 metres and take the track on the right.
Follow the ridge, which is the watershed between the Loire (on the left) and the Rhône (on the right), and at the road, turn left until you reach the four-way intersection.

(8) Turn right onto Route de Roche Bas and, at the three-way junction that follows, keep left towards La Roche aux Fées (Chemin des Thessonnières).

(9) Pass in front of Roche des Fées and continue along the track. Pass the high point, ignore a turn-off to the right and reach the next three-way junction.

(10) Leave theGR®® and turn left (Saint-Bonnet-le-Troncy trail). Join the third forest path on the right (elevation 771).

(11) Turn onto this road, leave the forest, then re-enter it and arrive at a fork.

(12) Take the hairpin bend to the left and, at the crossroads at Barbery, continue downhill opposite, walk alongside the buildings on your right and then take the path on the right immediately afterwards. Cross the bottom of the valley and take the path on the right that runs alongside the stream until you reach Ronçon at the bottom of the valley.

(13) Cross the bridge and then the road and follow the Route de Lurcy opposite to reach the hamlet.

(14) Turn right onto Chemin du Souffle, then immediately left onto Route de l'Étang de Lurcy. Continue straight ahead, pass the enclosed pond and arrive at a four-way fork.

(15) Continue straight ahead, walk alongside a quarry and arrive at the hamlet of Munal.

(16) Continue straight ahead and, at the tarmac road, turn left onto Chemin de la Voie Ferrée. At the roundabout, turn right onto Route de Magny and continue to the junction of the D10 and D94 (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 489 m - D10 towards Cublize - Rhins (rivière) - Affluent de la Loire
  2. 1 : km 0.88 - alt. 556 m - Crossroads
  3. 2 : km 1.82 - alt. 486 m - Route de Saint-Vincent
  4. 3 : km 3.23 - alt. 567 m - Road
  5. 4 : km 3.68 - alt. 605 m - Croix de Nuzière
  6. 5 : km 5.06 - alt. 707 m - Fork at the edge of the forest
  7. 6 : km 5.52 - alt. 721 m - Fork
  8. 7 : km 6.64 - alt. 708 m - Col de la Cambuse (708m)
  9. 8 : km 7.99 - alt. 731 m - Route de Roche Bas
  10. 9 : km 8.95 - alt. 838 m - Roche des Fées
  11. 10 : km 9.81 - alt. 849 m - Three-way junction
  12. 11 : km 10.44 - alt. 770 m - Forest path on the right
  13. 12 : km 11.12 - alt. 666 m - Fork
  14. 13 : km 12.22 - alt. 553 m - Le Ronçon
  15. 14 : km 12.88 - alt. 611 m - Chemin du Souffle
  16. 15 : km 14.01 - alt. 602 m - Four-way fork
  17. 16 : km 14.6 - alt. 535 m - Le Munal
  18. S/E : km 15.03 - alt. 489 m - Magny

Notes

It is best to fill your water bottle before setting off.

Worth a visit

Rare blue and white markings.

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.

Reviews and comments

3.8 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.5 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
Denis26
Denis26 ★

Following your various comments, I have just revised the description.

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frederic.fautrelle
frederic.fautrelle

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 21, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route, but you need to use the map carefully to follow the route. The description could be clearer and more detailed in several areas where there is some doubt... In terms of difficulty, I would have rated it as moderate.

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Crapahuthiker
Crapahuthiker

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for sharing this beautiful route with its varied landscapes.
It is best to follow the GPS track as signposts are few and far between and/or non-existent.
We did this hike in mixed weather, so we weren't able to see the Alps.

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MOMAB
MOMAB

Overall rating : 3 / 5

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

No markings or signs (3 on the entire route). The markings were supposed to be blue and white.
The description is more detailed... We managed fine thanks to our knowledge of the area and the map.
Admittedly, following the route via the live smartphone app prevents any mistakes, but... personally, walking in the countryside with my nose glued to my phone isn't my thing.
Superb walk: the nature and landscape are so beautiful.

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MHM
MHM

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Many thanks for this wonderful walk in the heart of nature. We were there during the week, so of course we didn't meet anyone. The views and landscapes are very beautiful. We had a moment of confusion on the path from point number 4 to the edge of the woods (there are many paths that cross and recross), but as soon as we found the signpost indicating Lurcy (curiously placed well before Barbery), there was no longer any doubt about which path to take. So no problem.
The countryside is beautiful. We had sunshine and a few drops of rain. What more could you ask for?

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lucreceneige
lucreceneige

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A lovely walk.
A bit of tarmac road.

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you, lapinette15
I don't understand why you put "Disappointing" in the description.
I recommend that you always take the description and the IGN map extract with you to avoid this problem.

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mariequimarche
mariequimarche

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello
This is the first hike we've done using the Visorando downloadable maps; we usually follow the Haute Azergue and Haut Beaujolais guidebooks; we mainly do circular hikes. On this route, there are very few markers on the ground and the description is sometimes misleading. We didn't go all the way and cut the hike short, which is a shame. We will try to do it again soon. One of our first mistakes was to take the D94 instead of the D10 at the PR7 exit. A marker or more precise information on the sheet would have been welcome there!
The blue markers are unreliable (and certainly old) and, given the number of routes that cross and recross, it would be better if they were clearer and, above all, placed at strategic points (trail junctions).
Finally, there is still the pleasure of walking in beautiful surroundings.
Thank you.

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colin69
colin69

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A superb hike, except that at the start, leaving the road at the end of the village and turning right adds nothing (except that you get lost), since you descend 200 metres further on. The blue route markings must not have been redone for a very long time, as they are barely visible...
But it's a walk worth doing again.

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gl38
gl38
• Edited:

Did you start from the same place as me, namely Magny?
In that case, I suppose that at Lurcy you climbed up to the Souffle ridge, but it seems to me that the map is clear and that you should follow the farm wall and turn left instead of going up. That said, the view is better from the top and there are 11 hiking trails that pass through there!
For me, the most complex area is around the Col de la Cambuse, where there are an incredible number of marked trails.
The Azure route is old and its markings have not been redone for a very long time. On the other hand, the trail has been partially taken over by other routes, in particular the Meaux-la-Montagne hiking trails, which are very well signposted and attract a little too much attention.
Best regards,
Guy

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bibi
bibi ★

And what additional information would be needed at the end to better guide hikers?
Thank you.

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marchecampagne
marchecampagne

Yes, we got lost because the description wasn't very clear at the end of the route.
I completely agree with NeoCha's comment about the signposting.
But it was still a beautiful walk that will remain in our memories because we walked 20 km!

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bibi
bibi ★

Thank you for your feedback. Did the fact that it wasn't an easy walk lead you to rate the description as average? Did you get lost or were you unsure about which route to take? Thank you for these details, which will help us improve the guidebook.
Kind regards

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marchecampagne
marchecampagne

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful walk with stunning views. But it's not an easy walk.

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Christian69210
Christian69210

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant, easy hike, with elevation and distance measurements that are fairly reliable compared to my Foretrex.
Lacks a bit of a view of the ridges, but overall a pleasant route.
All that was missing was sunshine to bring out the autumn colours.
Not too much tarmac and we discovered another place not far from home.

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