Following the Ugine around Bernex

Departure from the large car park at Champ de Foire in Bernex. The car park is located behind the Bernex tourist office, near a tennis court and a covered boules court.

Directional signs at major intersections. Yellow arrow posts at intervals.

(S/E) From the car park, head east (towards the peaks) and walk along the boules court on your right. At the corner, turn right and go around an ochre-coloured building on your right. Turn right immediately to take the wooden bridge over the Ugine. At the end of the bridge, turn left towards the Pont de Morgon. Walk along the river on your left and the chalets on your right. Pass a sawmill and continue straight ahead.

(1) You will come to a road; follow it to the right for about 50 metres. At the roundabout, take the^first left onto Route du Télésiège. At a fork (car park for the chairlift), turn left. At the crossroads (elevation 988), go straight ahead and walk alongside the residences on your right. Ignore the "Pedestrians" sign on your left and continue slightly uphill on a small tarmac road under a beautiful beech forest with the river on your left.

(2) At the "Le Peret" signpost, continue along the road towards La Chevrette (ignore the footbridge over the Ugine on your left). When the road turns left (signpost "La Chevrette"), continue straight ahead on a wide path towards Notre-Dame de Maupas. At a fork (signpost "Le Maupas"), take the left-hand path and cross a bridge over the river. Walk briefly uphill to a road.

(3) Follow the road to the right and, after several dozen metres, pass a chicane of small rocks on the left and climb up to quickly reach the Notre-Dame de Maupas cave. Go back down and follow the road to the right.

(3) Continue along the road downhill. At the crossroads, turn right and cross the Ugine. At the end of the bridge, turn left.

(4) Just after the waste sorting bins, leave the road and take a stony path on the left towards Trossy. Follow the path slightly downhill with the river on your left. Ignore a path on the left that joins the footbridge seen on the way there, then ignore a footbridge not shown on the map. Continue along the path, which soon veers away from the river and gives way to tarmac. You will come out onto a road in the hamlet of Trossy. Follow it to the left towards the clearly visible chapel.

(5) At the chapel, continue along the downhill road. Cross Route de l'Ugine on the left and continue straight ahead, ignoring all the side roads. Join Route du Mont César coming from the right (plaque in tribute to resistance fighters who were shot) and continue towards the village of Bernex.

(6) At the "give way" sign (Bernex church on the left), cross Route de la Croix du Cœur (take care) and follow it uphill to the right. After about 200m, at number 1261, turn left onto a gravel path that leads to some houses. Continue along a good shaded path with the Bernex cemetery on the left below, then the sewage treatment plant. Descend and you will come to a crossroads at the entrance to the hamlet of Les Faverges.

(7) Continue to the right and ignore a path leading down to the left. Go straight ahead and cross the hamlet to the chapel.

(8) Retrace your steps.

(7) At the crossroads, follow a wide gravel path on the right (mountain bike signposting). Walk along the river on your right. Pass a small dam and leave the large buildings of the water treatment plant on your left. Continue under the shade and climb gently up to a road. Cross the road, continue straight ahead, pass a chicane of small rocks, walk along a playground on your right and return to the Champ de Foire car park (S/E).

Hiking boots or good sports shoes are recommended.

Water sources near the Chapelle des Faverges, between (7) and (8). Bars, restaurants and shops in the main town of Bernex.

Detailed map required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed twice by the author, the first on 13 August 2018, the second on 24 July 2019.

Superb views of the surrounding peaks: Mémises, Mont César, Pic de Borée, Dent d'Oche, Mont Baron.
- Pleasant walk along the Ugine.
- Several oratories along the way.

(3) Grotte de Notre-Dame de Maupas, with its carillon high above.

(5) In Trossy:
- Beautiful houses in the hamlet.
- Chapel of Trossy (mid-19th century).

(6) In Bernex
- Saint-Ours Church (mid-19th century), slightly off the route.

(8) In Les Faverges:
- Old drinking troughs and old milk weighing scales.
- Faverges Chapel.