Brou Forest in Ternand

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This loop, starting from the old village of Ternand, winds its way through the vineyards of the Beaujolais region and the deep Brou forest.
The circuit begins with a visit to the pretty medieval village of Ternand.
The route follows small roads and easy paths and offers beautiful views of the surrounding Beaujolais mountains, from Létra to Oingt.

Details

n°739694
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.34 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 405 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 407 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 620 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 299 m
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Photos

village
Ternand
Ternand
Ternand

Description of the walk

Car park at the entrance to the old village of Ternand.

(S/E) Leave the car park and head towards the old village of Ternand. Enter the village via Rue du Vieux Bourg. At the second intersection, take the street on the left. You will pass the Romanesque church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste. The street turns behind the church. Take the stairs down to the Chemin de Ronde road.

(1) Take the Chemin de Ronde road to the right. You will soon see a small path downhill on your left. Follow it to the D31E road, which you follow to the left for a few metres.

(2) Take the narrow road downhill on your right and follow it to the crossroads after crossing the stream.

(3) Take the small road that climbs to the right, towards Les Paletières. The road turns into a dirt track and winds its way through the vineyards. Ignore the paths that branch off to the right.

(4) At the crossroads in the middle of the vineyards, leave the road and take the one on the left towards the forest. The path climbs gently through meadows and then into the forest.

(5) At the crossroads in the vineyards, continue straight ahead, downhill towards the hamlet of Le Donjon, which you will reach after a short descent through the vineyards. In the hamlet, ignore the road that climbs up to your right and continue to the hamlet of Le Gonin.

(6) At the fork, leave the paved road and take the path in front of you. After about 500 metres, it will take you to a road.

(7) Turn right and continue along the path that climbs straight up towards the Brou forest. After about a kilometre, you will enter the forest. Continue, ignoring the path that branches off to the left. After 500 metres, walk along a large clearing on your left. Ignore the first path that branches off to the left.

(8) Take the second path (marked) on the right. This path runs through the forest and leads you to the road at the Croix de Brou.

(9) Follow the road to the right for about one kilometre.

(10) Before a hairpin bend, take the stony path that descends to the left of the road into the forest. Be careful, it is quite steep and very stony. The path gradually leaves the forest and runs alongside vineyards.

(11) Leave the path you are on and follow the trail that descends to the left.

(12) When you reach the road, turn right. This will take you back to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 357 m - Car park at the entrance to the old village
  2. 1 : km 0.34 - alt. 346 m - Street to the right
  3. 2 : km 0.53 - alt. 313 m - Downhill road on the right
  4. 3 : km 0.78 - alt. 300 m - Road climbing up on the right
  5. 4 : km 1.97 - alt. 439 m - At the crossroads, take the left-hand path
  6. 5 : km 2.91 - alt. 488 m - Go straight ahead at the crossroads in the vineyards
  7. 6 : km 3.54 - alt. 468 m - Path opposite on the left
  8. 7 : km 3.97 - alt. 476 m - Road climbing to the right
  9. 8 : km 6.2 - alt. 600 m - Marked path to the right
  10. 9 : km 7.83 - alt. 613 m - Turn right at the road
  11. 10 : km 8.78 - alt. 541 m - Downhill path on the left side of the road
  12. 11 : km 9.69 - alt. 418 m - Downhill path to the left
  13. 12 : km 10.12 - alt. 339 m - Road to the right
  14. S/E : km 11.34 - alt. 357 m - Car park at the entrance to the old village

Notes

(S/E) You can easily park your vehicle in the car park at the entrance to the old village.

(11) Instead of turning left, you can continue straight ahead towards the village of Ternand, which is clearly visible.

Worth a visit

The medieval village of Ternand and its Romanesque church.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 43 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Patrixdemex
Patrixdemex

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Mablehome managed to find a trail in the Beaujolais region where there isn't too much tarmac, for which I am grateful. It's a lovely little hike and the village of Ternand is worth seeing.
To avoid the tarmac, at point 12 you can take the path immediately to the left of the road indicated by the route. Follow the path, keeping to the right, and you will find yourself on the road (the author's route) about 400 metres before the car park, avoiding almost 1 km of road.
Thank you for the track
I recommend it

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Regis6971
Regis6971

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An interesting route, but best done in clear weather to enjoy the many views.
Otherwise, the first third of the route is uphill, long but not difficult.

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samboune31
samboune31

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a very beautiful trip in early December. The weather was clear and we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Alps.

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FLAMENT XAVIER
FLAMENT XAVIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk.

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henri974
henri974

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Once in the car park, there's no point going into old Ternand, as it's not easy to pick up the trail again. The village is definitely worth a visit, but you can save that for the return trip.
We met two people from Besançon who made the same comment.
This hike is not recommended in hot weather, as there is very little shade at the start of the trail.
Between the time lost in the village and the steep climb in the heat, we had to give up (one of our hikers felt unwell).
We rescheduled it for the end of September.

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HélènO
HélènO

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did the circuit in reverse, extending it westwards between 10 and 9 towards the Brou forest (yellow markings). Return to the route at around 9.
In total, 17.9 km and 730 m of elevation gain

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lionel3938
lionel3938

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A stroll through a small village in the Beaujolais region

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Phil69
Phil69

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route, fairly well described.
The first part is difficult in the heat

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Phil69
Phil69

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route, fairly well described

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Floflo01
Floflo01

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk with beautiful views but avoid in hot weather: very little shade from points 1 to 7. We are not experienced walkers, but it took us 3½ hours.

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ln@alb
ln@alb

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, varied walk: vineyards, forests, fields with a few sections on paved roads.
I didn't see anyone except two little fawns bounding along!

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toposrandos
toposrandos

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very cold and cloudy day despite a few rays of sunshine for our picnic!
at point 11, we headed straight back to Ternand
A pleasant loop despite the bad weather

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sophie liagre
sophie liagre

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely loop with beautiful unobstructed views; a very pleasant and easy walk.

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CHIPIECOCO
CHIPIECOCO

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

For a Sunday, we didn't see many people, hardly anyone in fact. The medieval village is beautiful. The route is very well signposted. Lovely views. There's a bit of tarmac on the climb up to Les Paletières but it can't be avoided. There are no difficulties on the paths, except that walking sticks are recommended for those who are afraid of the descent at the end of the route. When you arrive, take the time to enjoy some tea (or hot chocolate) at , a lovely café with exquisite flavours and a warm welcome.

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mauricefontaine
mauricefontaine

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Correct explanation. After the hamlet of Le Gonin, (6) continue along the road on the left for 100 m before taking the small path on the right. At point 8, take the path on the right that leads to "La Font Gelée"
No particular difficulty apart from the steep climbs on tarmac at the start towards Les Paletières.

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