From Longe to Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez

The village of Longes, situated in the Pilat Mountains, can be reached from the Gier Valley via the D502 through the village of Trève, or from the Rhône Valley via Condrieu towards Rive-de-Gier. In the village of Longes, park in the Place de Verdun car park. The walk starts from this point.

(S/E) Leave the car park (with the church behind you) and take the Grande Rue on the right, heading downhill.
Ignore Rue du Dauphiné on the right and take the next street on the left (Rue de Suzieu). The tarmac section ends and gives way to a dirt track. Continue straight ahead along this track.
Ignore a path branching off to the left and carry on straight ahead, heading downhill.

(1) At the bottom of the valley, you’ll come to a stream and a footbridge over the water (Passerelle de la Broie). Cross the stream and continue uphill on the other side. Carry on straight ahead, ignoring a path branching off to the left. Pass through a crossroads, continuing straight ahead. You’ll reach the hamlet of La Balasserie and come to a road (Chemin de Fontblanche).

(2) Turn left. Carry on straight ahead along this road, which leads uphill. The road ends and turns into a dirt track. Carry on straight ahead along this track. Ignore a path branching off to the right, then another to the left, and carry on straight ahead until you reach a road (D625E) where there is a hiking signpost (Croix du Trève).

(3) Take this road on the right. Continue for just twenty metres, then leave it to take a small road on the left (Route de Sainte-Croix). About twenty metres further on, you’ll come to a fork in the road; take the path on the right here. Then ignore a path branching off to the right and continue straight ahead.
Walk through the hamlet of Marlin, turning right at every junction. Once you have passed through the hamlet, ignore a path branching off to the right and then one to the left, until you reach a junction with a hiking signpost (Marlin).

(4) This signpost points towards the Roches de Marlin. Turn left towards them. Along the path, a few metres before reaching an information board about the Roches de Marlin site, turn left to reach the Croix de Marlin.

(5) Once you have taken in the view from this spot, retrace your steps to rejoin the original path at the information board.

(6) At the crossroads, where there is a signpost (les Roches de Marlin), continue straight on for about fifty metres to reach the end of the Roches de Marlin site.

(7) Then retrace your steps back to the crossroads.

(6) Turn right downhill, towards Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez.

(8) At the crossroads, by the hiking signpost (Champ du Peu), turn right and continue along this path. The dirt track then becomes a tarmac road (Chemin de Vienne) and leads to a crossroads.

(9) At this crossroads stands a hiking signpost (Jurieux). Turn right, then, a few metres further on, turn left (Route de Jurieux). In the hamlet of Jurieux, take a short detour to the right to admire the old chapel, then continue down the same road.

(10) Walk through the hamlet of Thesay and continue along the road until you reach a main road. Cross this road carefully and turn left onto the small path on the opposite side, at the corner of the cemetery wall, which leads downhill towards the Carthusian monastery. Turn left onto the path that runs alongside the buildings for about fifty metres, after crossing a tiny bridge (Chemin des Viviers). At the first junction, turn right towards a tunnel-like passageway that leads straight into the middle of one of the Carthusian monastery’s courtyards (Cour des Pères). Cross this courtyard, keeping to the left.

(11) Take the Passage des Voûtes, which leads into the second courtyard of the Chartreuse (Cour des Frères). Continue towards the main gate, then leave the Chartreuse. Cross the road and turn left opposite; a few metres further on, turn right onto the Route de la Conty, which leads uphill.

(12) You’ll reach a crossroads where, on the right, a street sign indicates ‘Route de la Conty’. Walk through the hamlet of La Conty. When you reach a junction at the end of the hamlet, turn right and follow the road round a bend. At the end of the bend, turn left (on the inside of the bend) onto a dirt track. Continue straight on along this track until you reach a small stream.

(13) Cross the stream by wading or using the footbridge, and continue uphill on the other side.

(14) You’ll come to a junction of paths where there’s an unmarked hiking signpost; carry on straight ahead. You’ll reach a road and a T-junction on the left about ten metres further on, where the Croix du Trève stands.

(15) Cross the junction and take the road directly opposite which is the one furthest to the right of the two. After about sixty metres, leave the road and take a dirt track on the right, heading uphill. Continue straight on along this track until you reach a crossroads where the Croix de la Garde stands.

(16) Turn left and carry on straight ahead until you reach the hamlet of La Garde

(17) Walk through the hamlet, keeping straight on at the junction. You will then come to a fork in the road; take the left-hand fork. There is another fork further along the road; keep to the right. Continue along this path until you reach a road.

(18) Take the road on the right and carry on straight ahead. The road will turn into a dirt track. Carry on along this until you reach the first houses of the village of Longes. Carry on straight ahead, ignoring a turn-off to the right. When you reach a junction (Rue du Château), turn left. Carry on straight ahead at the next junction. Join the main road that runs through the village, and turn left downhill. Carry on until you reach Place de Verdun (S/E).

Restaurants on the square at the entrance to the charterhouse.

Roches de Marlin.
Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez Charterhouse.
Chapel in the hamlet of Jurieux.