Between the Roman aqueduct of Gier and the unfinished railway line

Date of your route : Apr 10, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely spring walk through valleys and meadows, with panoramic views of the Pilat, and the chance to explore the aqueducts, the old ‘ghost railway’ and the pretty village of Riverie.
Thanks to the author

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Date of your route : Mar 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Due to a lack of time, and also because the climb from point 6 to point 7 is quite steep, we didn’t make it all the way to Riverie. Instead, we headed straight down to Cleyrieux.
I suggest a short detour: a round trip to the imposing church of Saint Didier sous Riverie, which is very close by. After rejoining the railway track (“Route de la Gare”), 100 metres before the recycling centre, there is a path marked by a yellow sign that climbs steeply up to the village.
A very beautiful walk. The route is very varied and, at this time of year, you can also enjoy the cherry orchards in bloom.

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Date of your route : Feb 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant hike with frequent unobstructed views of beautiful scenery.
Muddy terrain at this time of year!

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Date of your route : May 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant hike. However, it took place on 10 May during the Coursières trail run. So there were a few trail runners, but it was great to be cheered on by the crowd at the refreshment stations :-) The walk has many points of interest: an aqueduct, an old bridge pier, beautiful views, the village of Riverie, etc. I'm a good walker, but I still found the climb very steep and long (perhaps because I was walking at a good pace). So I would recommend going to point 12 at the start of the hike, as there is another significant climb, albeit a short one: personally, I didn't have the legs for it after a week of hiking.

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Date of your route : Nov 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk, mainly on paths.
I recommend it.

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Date of your route : Apr 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The first part went smoothly, but on the way back from Riverie, Chante Grillet missed the sign for Cleyrieux, so we ended up in La Richaudière and had to ask for directions several times to get back on the route at the St Didier waste collection centre.
Coming from Villeurbanne, we were familiar with aqueducts but not these ones, which were very interesting.

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Date of your route : Apr 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

There are few or no landmarks at turning points; only the map and the description will help you. But the best thing is GPS, whatever anyone says.
Especially at point 6... we made a fatal mistake and walked 2 km too far.
Be sure to follow A-Marie's advice at point 6
cross the small road and take the small path slightly to the right opposite, which will take you to Arzelier
Another note at point 7 on the way back from Riverie: make sure you return to the Ste Catherine road, turn left, walk about ten metres and then turn right onto the path towards Cleyrieux.

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Date of your route : Feb 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant trail that winds through woodlands, farmland and orchards.
This walk also allowed us to discover the beautiful medieval village of Riverie in the heart of the Monts du Lyonnais, which rises to 730 metres and offers an exceptional panorama of the Pilat and the Alps.
Here we discovered the Château de Riverie, located in the heart of the village.
For the history buffs, in the Middle Ages, Riverie was the fiefdom of a powerful lordship.
A very beautiful walk.

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Date of your route : Feb 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Thank you for this very varied route with magnificent views. At the beginning of February, we had a picnic "on the terrace" on the Riverie rampart walk, facing south and sheltered from the north wind, with a superb view (the space can easily accommodate a group). If you have a QR code reader on your phone, you can enjoy a very well-done audio-guided tour of the village (11 information plaques).
The route is busy in the ghost railway section. If you are mainly using the description to guide you, be sure to check your position on the map. Otherwise, here are a few additional points where we had to "think" a little to find our way:
at point 4: "keep parallel to the Petit Bozançon valley," cut across a wide track and take the path opposite "to reach ...
at point 6: "... a path that runs alongside fields and orchards," cut across a small tarmac road and continue on the path opposite, which becomes tarmac, "to reach the hamlet of L'Arzelier"
at point 7 (after Riverie): take the Ste Catherine road on the left; before the bend, turn onto the small tarmac road to reach the hamlet of Cleyrieux...
10: "...Reach the hamlet of La Chandelle." At the tarmac road, take the gravel path opposite, which leads to the old part of the hamlet of La Chandelle.
11: "Take the grassy path opposite" on the right "to go to the aqueduct bridge"....
but if you look closely at the map, there's no need to worry.
Enjoy your walk!

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