7 tales on a walk: the lost mermaid

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent view of the turquoise waters of the lake and refreshing swim after the effort if you hike in the suggested direction.

Like other hikers who have commented, we stopped at the sawmill car park and not the one indicated.

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Date of your route : Aug 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike that provides an opportunity to swim in the first few hundred metres.
Then the route climbs, offering beautiful views of the lake

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Date of your route : Aug 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello, this hike is perfect for children, once you get started!

There is a real problem at the start: the entrance gate to the hike takes us to the finish, so we had trouble finding the actual start of the hike.
In fact, the start is at the back of the car park, right in the forest, next to the timber company, so not at all at the start sign for the hike, which instead indicates the return from the town and the castle.
Once you've figured out the right direction, the hike is really nice for families. Children can look for crabs, there are magnificent views of the lake in some places, and swimming in the cove is very popular (although it was quite crowded). The return trip after swimming is a little harder, with a steep climb, but much shorter than the outward journey, so we preferred to do it that way!

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Date of your route : Jul 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

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Date of your route : Feb 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb walk, fantastic views.
A bit of a climb for the children, who loved it (aged two and a half and seven).
The crab-shaped markers are easy to find.
Whether you're going forwards or backwards, it's hard for adults to get lost

In short, go for it!

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Good evening.
Thank you for your comment about this hike.
However, I would like to point out that this is a "Visorando" hike, proposed by a Visorandonneur, which is different from the hike proposed by the tourist office.
I suggested this hike in the opposite direction for the following reason:
==> I recommend this hike to families, including those with children (as stated in the introduction)
==> I suggest a picnic at the Belvédère (this is indicated in point (2))
==> I suggest swimming (this is suggested in point 4)
==> Finally, having done this hike several times with my grandchildren, I can assure you that in the direction you suggest, the climb from point (2) becomes difficult for children, especially after a picnic and a swim.
On the other hand, to be sure you are going in the opposite direction, I have placed the car park near the castle and I have hikers pass in front of the castle to find the gate. (At no point do I mention the sawmill car park!)

Furthermore, the direction I suggest does not detract from the history of the count or the interest of the route.
You cannot therefore rate the reliability of the route as "very disappointing" or the reliability of the description as "poor" since it corresponds in every respect to the hike I propose.

To be fully satisfied, you should have gone to the tourist office and bought the corresponding hike information sheet.
Kind regards
Alain

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Date of your route : Feb 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

First of all, thank you for the description and this beautiful hike. However, the map is misleading.
1-Firstly, the car park indicated on the map (S/E) is not the one at the sawmill mentioned in the commentary. To find the sawmill car park, simply follow the pink signs in Maisod indicating "7 contes en ballade" (7 tales on a walk).
2- The direction of the story, which ends with the book, is the opposite of that shown on the map. You start by going down through the village and then to the lake, then you go back up to the viewpoint and finish with the book just before you reach the sawmill car park.

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Date of your route : Sep 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very good. Be careful on certain sections of the route, as they are a bit narrow and slippery. Otherwise, we struggled at the beginning by taking the route backwards. Leave the book and 'the city' behind you and head in the other direction

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Date of your route : Aug 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

As is often the case, the starting point is never clear...start at the top of the car park to the right of the sawmill, to be specified more precisely. You can see the castle on the way back, which saves you from retracing your steps to start the hike to the right of the sawmill.
Other than that, it's a superb walk with the obligatory extension (+4 km) to the beach and the port of La Mercantine

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Date of your route : May 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, with just one slight drawback on the road/main path section.

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Date of your route : Sep 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I recommend it especially with children, easy hike

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Date of your route : Aug 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello, as usual, I'm struggling to get started... so we did the course backwards and as a family.
It was brilliant, with great views, and the boys loved it. However, I would recommend doing it in the direction indicated (if you're better than me and have the choice, haha), because finishing with a swim in this breathtaking lake is a great reward
Thank you for this short, easy route that's suitable for the whole family.

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We did indeed park in the sawmill car park and came out onto the same car park, where we found the book with the story of the mermaid at the end of our walk. Thank you for the information.

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Hello Martine 75.
Thank you for your comment
You had to walk past the castle gate on the little gravel path. The gate is located about 50 metres from the entrance to a large plain where there is a large carpentry workshop.
In my opinion, you did the walk backwards.
It's definitely a walk to do with young children, and it's ideal for picnics and swimming. Be careful though, as there are no lifeguards at this spot.

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Date of your route : May 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We had trouble finding the starting point, which was described as a book-shaped entrance gate, but we couldn't find it! We walked past the castle entrance, then along the castle gardens and turned left onto the road going downhill (red crab on the ground), then left onto the forest road with an iron crab at the entrance.
I went ahead to scout the area and will return with my grandchildren, as I think we can have a lovely day there with a picnic and a dip in the pool.

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