From Véranne to Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette

The walk starts from the village of Véranne. This village is situated in the south of the Loire department, on the northern border with the Ardèche, and is close to Maclas. Park in the car park by the church in Véranne, taking the Route de Maclas (road sign for Maclas).

(S/E) After walking downhill for about a hundred metres, turn left onto Rue du Drevet, which continues downhill. Then continue along Chemin du Moura. The road ends and becomes a dirt track.
You’ll come to a fork in the path where you should turn left and continue downhill until you reach a road.

(1) Cross the road. On the other side of the road stands the Paradis hiking signpost.
Continue straight ahead on the^GR® 65, which is also the Way of St James.

From here, you can follow the red and white markings and the numerous scallop shell logos to Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette without risk of getting lost.

(2) At the entrance to the motocross route, leave the straight path and take the track on the right, following the red and white markings. Ignore a turn-off to the right towards a farm and continue straight on until you reach a three-way junction with a hiking signpost (Choron).

(3) Continue on the^GR®. At the X-junction, take the path on the right, cross the hamlet of Chardonne then walk along the right-hand side of the hamlet of Pourzin. At the crossroads, turn left then, at the three-way junction, follow the right-hand branch to reach the hamlet of Curtil.

(4) Continue along the path opposite, cross a stream and pass through the hamlet of Mérigneux. At the right-hand bend in the road (elevation 524m), continue along the path to the left, pass the hamlet of L’Orme and reach the locality of Les Rotisses.

(5) At the “Les Rotisses” signpost, turn left and walk past the Way of St James marker indicating that there are 1,600 km left to reach Santiago de Compostela. Continue straight on until you reach a cross-path.

(6) At the Sainte-Blandine signpost, turn left. 300 m after passing the signpost and before the path curves to the right, look to your left and you will see the Sainte-Blandine Cross. Head across the meadow towards the cross to enjoy the view over the Rhône Valley.

(7) At the foot of the cross there is a picnic table.
Then retrace your steps to rejoin the path (^GR® 65) that you left to reach the foot of the cross, and continue along it. Stay on the path until you reach the hamlet of Combe Noire.

(8) Walk through the hamlet and, after passing the last house, take the path on the left consisting of steps, heading downhill. Continue along the^GR® 65, ignoring a turn-off to the left, and carry on to the hamlet of Le Chatagnard.

(9) Walk through the hamlet of Le Chatagnard along the tarmac section. After passing through the hamlet, at a left-hand bend in the road, leave the tarmac and take a dirt track leading uphill to the right, the Way of St James.
At the top of the climb, the path leads onto a road which you should take to the right. Not far from this junction is a bench with a plaque stating that it was donated by a pilgrim on the Way of St James.
Continue along the tarmac road and, at the first junction, take the road on the left downhill, Rue du Plateau Marchand, towards the centre of the village of Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette.

(10) At the bottom of the descent, on Rue du Faubourg, turn left. Continue your tour of the village of Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette by turning immediately right onto Rue Vieille. Turn right again towards Place de l’Ancienne Bascule.

Please note: from here on, you leave the Way of St James (^GR® 65) and the red and white markings.

Turn right once more into Avenue des Ateliers and cross the bridge over the river. After the bridge, turn left and, after the road bends to the right, continue straight on uphill, ignoring the turn-offs to the left.
The tarmac road ends and becomes a dirt track. This crosses a tarmac road; continue straight on, taking the dirt track uphill opposite.
At the next junction, where you’ll find the Château Marchal hiking signpost, keep going straight ahead. When you reach a tarmac road, take it on the left and continue uphill.

(11) The road ends and the walk continues by taking the dirt track uphill to the right. Ignore a path branching off to the right, then reach a fork in the path where you should take the left-hand path, which slopes slightly downwards. Be careful! It is easy to miss this junction as the path is not very visible at first.
Continue straight on until you reach the houses in the hamlet of La Rivory.

(12) In the hamlet of La Rivory, after passing the first house on the left, take the barely visible, uphill path well to the left, not the more visible, level one. This path gradually rises above the house and runs alongside a stone wall.
Continue along this uphill path until you reach a tarmac road where there is a hiking signpost. At the end of the dirt track, first take the road on the left, then stay on the flat section and continue straight ahead, ignoring the road that heads downhill to the left
You will soon reach another crossroads with a hiking signpost; here, turn left.

(13) About 60 m after this junction, there is another signpost. At this point, take the dirt track on the right, towards La Miellerie. Continue straight on along the dirt track, ignoring a turn-off on the left, until you reach a road. Take the road on the left to reach the houses at La Miellerie. Pass the houses, keeping them on your right, and continue straight on along the dirt track.
Continue straight on until you reach another road (D34). Follow this road to the right for about a hundred metres until you reach the first crossroads.

(14) Turn left towards the hamlet of Le Verdier.

From here, you can follow the yellow and white markings: Saint-Appolinard 2.

Pass through the hamlet, continuing straight on, and follow the dirt track. You will come to another track where you should turn right, following the yellow and white markings, and at the next fork, keep to the right.
After a descent, the track joins a road (D34). Take the road on the left for about 50 metres until you reach the hairpin bend.

(15) On the outside of the bend, just after the D34 road marker, you will find a path leading downhill on the left; take this path. It is marked in yellow and white. Continue downhill until you come out onto a road (D34) again. Cross this road and take the path leading downhill opposite. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead.

(16) You will reach a crossroads where the Maison Sabot hiking signpost stands.
Leave the Saint-Appolibard 2 yellow and white markings to follow another identical yellow and white route, this time marked Véranne 1, straight ahead, ignoring the paths branching off to the right and left.
You will soon come to a first fork in the path; take the left-hand path. At the second fork, take the left-hand path again.
Near a house, the dirt track turns into a tarmac road. Continue along this and take the small dirt track leading downhill to the right, marked Yellow and White.
At the bottom of the path, cross the tarmac road, Route de Nurieux, and take the dirt track opposite. Walk through the hamlet of Nurieux, following the yellow and white markings.

(17) After passing through the centre of the hamlet, leave the tarmac road and take a dirt track that climbs up to the left alongside a house fence. Caution! The markings here are poor and it is easy to miss the yellow and white sign indicating a left turn.
Follow this track until you reach a fork in the road, where you should turn right and then cross a small bridge over a stream. After the bridge, you will immediately come to another track where you should turn right.
The path joins a tarmac road, Chemin de Loye. Continue straight on until you reach the end of the tarmac section, then carry on along the dirt track.

(18) After passing a path on the left where a rusty electricity pylon stands, at the next junction, turn left, following the yellow and white markings.
The path will lead to a road which you must cross to continue along the dirt track opposite. You will reach a fork in the path where you should turn left uphill.
Continue until you reach Rue du Près de la Clé. Follow this road uphill until you reach Route de Maclas, which you took at the start, and return to the car park at Veranne church (S/E).

At the foot of the Sainte-Blandine Cross, there is a picnic table.