From Véranne to Sainte-Blandine

The hike starts from the village of Véranne. This village is located in the south of the Loire department, on the northern border of Ardèche. It is close to Maclas.
Park in the car park of Véranne church and start the hike from there.

(S/E) Follow the signs for Maclas at the crossroads near the church car park. After walking about 100 metres along the Maclas road, turn left onto the second road (Rue du Pré de la Clé) and follow it for about 80 metres. Then turn right onto a dirt track. At the fork, turn left.
Continue down the path until you reach a road. Cross it and continue along the path opposite. You will arrive at a crossroads.

(1) Turn right, go straight ahead, ignoring a path on the right, then cross over a stream. Continue straight ahead (Chemin du Vallon). When you reach a crossroads, continue straight ahead on the tarmac road (Chemin de Loye).
At a right-hand bend in the road, after the first houses in the hamlet of Loye, continue straight ahead, leaving the tarmac road and taking a dirt track.
At the first fork in this path, take the left fork and cross a small bridge over a stream. Then continue straight ahead, ignoring a path on the right. At the end of a short descent, you will arrive at a road.

(2) Follow it to the right and cross the hamlet of Nurieux. At the first road junction, leave the tarmac road and take a dirt track on the right going uphill.
After about 100 metres, this path joins a tarmac road. Cross this road and continue along the path opposite.
A few metres further on, the path joins another tarmac road. Continue straight ahead on this road, ignoring a path branching off to the right.
After about 40 metres, the path becomes a dirt track. Continue straight ahead on this track, ignoring a path branching off to the right.
The path first turns left then right to cross a ford. Immediately after, turn right at the crossroads (not shown on the map). You will arrive at a crossroads with a hiking signpost (Maison Sabot).

(3) Ignore the paths branching off to the right and left and continue straight ahead uphill.
At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead, ignoring the paths branching off to the right and left.
The path will join a road. Cross it and take the dirt track opposite uphill.
The path will once again lead to a tarmac road at a hairpin bend. Keep to the right of the road and follow it for about 50 metres.

(4) Then take the dirt track on the right that goes uphill. Another track joins the one you are on. Ignore this track and continue straight ahead. When you reach a fork in the track, take the left-hand track

(5) Cross the hamlet (Le Verdier). At the end of the hamlet, the path joins a road. Cross the road and take the dirt track opposite, which descends.
During the descent on this path, ignore a path on the left, then a few metres further on, continue on the path that makes a hairpin bend to the right, ignoring a path that goes straight ahead.
Continue straight ahead downhill until you reach a crossroads at a signpost for the "Sainte-Blandine" hiking trail.

(6) Turn right here (^GR®65). After about 500 metres, continue straight ahead on the wide main path (ignoring the paths branching off to the left and then to the right) and leave this path to head across the fields towards the Croix de Sainte-Blandine, visible on the left.

(7) After pausing to admire the view of the Rhône valley at the foot of the cross, turn back to the crossroads where you will see the "Sainte-Blandine" signpost.
(On this path, you are on the^GR®65, the Way of St James. From this point, the red and white markings will now take you almost to your destination).

(6) This time, turn right and head downhill. (On the right is the Sainte-Blandine lodge for pilgrims.) After passing a stone marker for the Way of St James on your left, you will come to a crossroads where you should ignore the path on the right and continue straight ahead downhill.
The path leads to a tarmac road where there is a hiking signpost (Les Rôtisses).

(8) Take the road on the right downhill. At a bend in the road before a farm shed, leave the road and take a dirt track downhill on the left. Continue along this track until you reach another road.
Continue straight ahead on the road, ignoring a road branching off to the left.
Cross the hamlet of Mérigneux, continuing straight ahead on Route de la Branche and ignoring another road on the left.
When you reach a fork, take the left fork (Impasse du Curtil). The road ends and becomes a dirt track. Continue along this track until you reach a road and the hamlet of Le Curtil.

(9) Go straight through the hamlet, staying on the Route de Pourzin and ignoring the two roads branching off to the right and left, then at the next crossroads, ignore the roads branching off to the right and left again. At the crossroads about 50 metres further on, turn right instead of continuing straight ahead. Continue along this road (Rue du Lavoir) until you reach a bend.

(10) Take the dirt track opposite. Continue along this track, ignoring all the turnings on the right and left, following the red and white^GR® markings until you reach a road after passing the boundary wall of a house garden. Here, immediately turn left onto a dirt track and continue straight ahead, ignoring the turnings on the right.

(11) Pass at the foot of a hiking signpost (Choron) and continue straight ahead.
You will come to a fork in the path where you should take the left-hand path uphill. Then ignore a path branching off to the left. Walk alongside the motocross track. You will arrive at the entrance and near the motocross route car park.

(12) Take the path on the left uphill until you reach a road with a hiking signpost (Paradis) (all the variants on this path lead to this point).

(13) Leave the^GR®65, cross the road and take the path opposite uphill. Continue uphill, ignoring a path on the right, until you reach the first houses in Verannne. Continue straight ahead uphill.
Ignore the first path on the left and then a second on the right to take, a few metres further on, a dirt track on the right uphill between houses. Take a few steps to reach a car park below the church (S/E).

The Visorando catalogue includes a hike called "From Véranne to Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette". This hike is 18.42 km long with an elevation gain of 603 m and is rated as difficult.
The hike suggested above, entitled "From Véranne to Saint Blandine", follows the same route but is shorter and has a lower elevation gain, making it moderately difficult and offering an alternative.
(Both hikes are by the same author).

There is a picnic table near the Sainte-Blandine cross halfway along the route.