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Park on the Port de Saint-Gervais esplanade, along the Isère river. The Port de Saint-Gervais is located south of Vinay, on the left bank of the Isère.
(S/E) Leave the Port de Saint-Gervais esplanade by taking the dirt track on the dyke towards the north-east (against the flow of the river). Follow the Isère on your left. The mountain will be on your right.
(1) Pass the first barrier (sign saying "no vehicles"). Pass the second barrier, ignoring the path that branches off to the right.
(2) Very quickly, you will come to a fork. Take the right, leaving the riverbank and winding your way through the walnut groves.
(3) You will reach the D1532, which you will cross (although visibility is good, please be careful. Traffic travels very fast. Here, 90 km/h is the minimum speed limit).
Opposite, take Chemin du Lignet. When you reach another small road, turn right to arrive at the Chapelle Saint-Roch.
Go past it and then turn left (signposted "Le Lignet 2 min"). Go through the hamlet. You will now see yellow/green signs, which you should follow until the end.
(4) At the end of the hamlet, take the dirt track on the right which climbs steeply up the mountain. You will climb for 2.4 km along a magnificent mule track. Stay on this track, ignoring any tracks that may branch off to the right or left.
(5) When your path comes out onto a wide gravel track, take it on the right. Further on, the signpost confirms that you are on the right track.
Roadworks have disrupted the climb. A pipe has been buried.
- Either take the esplanade covering the pipe, straight up the slope. You will arrive slightly to the left of (6).
- Or you can be careful and rejoin the old path as soon as it branches off from the pipe (this happens three times).
A little further on, a local resident would like you to go around his house on the left. Do so.
Once you have passed the house, take the path that climbs steeply to the left. You will then arrive at a walnut grove.
(6) You come out onto a small road (signposted "Les Monts"). Take this road on the right. When you reach the pass, ignore the small road that branches off to the left. Continue straight ahead. Your small road descends for a long time. Follow it.
(7) After a hairpin bend, you will come to the D35. Take this road on the right. It crosses a stream at the same time. Be careful! It is not easy to see. As soon as you have crossed the stream, turn left (at the end of the stone wall). The road descends steeply and is quite difficult at first, but it gets better after that.
You will follow the stream for a while (it's very pretty...). You will come out into a meadow. The path disappears when the grass is high. Look for a kind of old wooden fence on the other side of the meadow. If you have good eyesight, you will see the marker from a distance (I didn't...). Head towards it, taking care not to disturb the hay (walk in single file if there are several of you).
Climb over the fence to take a nice, well-marked path.
You will then come out into another meadow where the path is once again not very clear. At first, walk alongside the pylons (electric?) then pass underneath them and turn left. You will quickly find the path again. You will come out onto a path which you take on the left.
You will arrive at another path (there is a ford on the left). Turn right.
(8) Very quickly, take the first small road on the left (after the old bread oven). Follow it until you reach a pig farm in a place called Le Moléron (advertising sign on the left). Immediately after the farm, take the path that climbs steeply to your right. You will come out onto a track, which you take on the left.
(9) You will soon come to a sign for "Le Moleton". Continue straight ahead (Chemin de la Gaffe). You will climb up a very pretty valley.
(10) You will hear that you are approaching a stream. On your right, below, you will see the La Gaffe footbridge, which you must cross. Take the time to enjoy the location. It is a place that I appreciate greatly (on the day I visited, there was no one else there...).
Once you've crossed the footbridge, continue on until you come to a first path, turn right, then take a second path. Turn right again.
You are now on a path along a cliff edge. In places, it is quite impressive. Without wanting to sound alarmist, if you have children with you, please be careful as there are no railings in some places.
Follow the small road until you reach the hamlet of Les Rez. Ignore a path that branches off to the right and another to the left.
(11) At the first crossroads, turn left (Impasse des Rez). The tarmac quickly gives way to a track. Follow it for a while, ignoring any tracks leading off to the right or left. When you come to another track, turn right. Pass the hamlet of Les Buissières.
(12) You will come to a small road. Turn right to reach the Rovon cemetery.
(13) There is a water source along the outer wall of the cemetery. Feel free to use it; I don't think the residents will mind... At the next crossroads (Croix de Mazuit), turn left, then right. When you reach the wash house, turn right down Chemin du Lavoir. You will come to a narrow street. Turn right, then left at the next crossroads to rejoin the D1532.
(14) Cross the D1532 and continue straight ahead, then turn right to return to your starting point, the Port de Saint-Gervais (S/E).
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