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In Thurins, park in the bean-shaped car park near the town hall.
Please note! This route is not marked as such
(S/E) From the car park, take the path south towards the church, whose bell tower is visible. Turn right along the church to reach the square. Cross the square in front of the church and, on the opposite side, turn right, then take a small street on the left. Turn right to reach Rue de la Poste. Turn left onto this street.
(1) At the fork marked with a cross, turn right onto Chemin de la Plaine. Continue to a crossroads, with the cemetery opposite on your right. Turn left, then further on, at the fork, turn right.
(2) Go up to cross a bridge over the Garon and continue along this small road which turns left and then right. At the next intersection, before the place called La Herse, turn right and continue straight ahead on this small road until you reach a crossroads marked with a cross, the Croix des Barons.
(3) Follow the road a little further as it veers to the right, then climb the path on the left that runs alongside an orchard before entering the forest. Continue along this beautiful path as it continues to climb. Ignore a path that branches off to the left and, shortly after, at the fork, head left. Then ignore a path on the right.
(4) At the next fork, take the path on the right, still in the undergrowth. Shortly before a house, ignore a path on the left that branches off to the rear, then, just after, at a three-way junction, turn left. At the next fork, continue on the path on the left, which begins a wide left turn.
(5) At the next three-way junction, continue straight ahead. The path turns right. At the three-way junction, turn left. Ignore the next path on the right, then, just after, as our path turns sharply to the left,
(6) continue straight ahead on another path. At the next intersection, turn right. Then ignore two paths that branch off to the left. Near a pond, the path turns right. Shortly afterwards, at the three-way junction, continue to the right. You will come out of the woods. Continue on this path, which makes a wide right turn and crosses a stream, to reach the D628 road, which you will cross.
(7) Continue straight ahead on a small road to the hamlet of Pinay. Ignore the street on the left and continue north-west. Continue on this road until you reach the D122.
(8) Cross over and continue straight ahead on the path which, further on, enters the Bois de la Lienne. At the fork, turn right and, at the next fork, head left. At the next intersection, turn right.
(9) At the next intersection, continue to the right again. Further on, ignore a path that branches off to the left and continue straight ahead until you reach a small road at a place called Le Plat. Follow the road to the left and continue on this road until you reach the crossroads with another road, ignoring the paths to the left and right. You will arrive at the first houses of the village of Yzeron.
(10) Continue left on the road that runs alongside the cemetery. Just after the cemetery, turn right onto Chemin du Planil. Continue along this path, which veers left at the intersection, and continue straight ahead at the following intersections until you reach Route de Thurins.
(11) Cross (carefully!) and continue opposite on a small road that climbs uphill. When the road ends, take the path on the left that climbs very gradually. Continue along this beautiful path, ignoring a private path on the left, then a path on the right. The path turns left just before a fork.
(12) Leave this path and turn right and back to reach Crêt de Py Froid, a beautiful natural viewpoint over the Monts du Lyonnais. On the ridge, ignore the paths to the left and right, then turn left and back to take a small path that winds through the undergrowth. Further on, the path widens slightly. Pass under two majestic pine trees. Further on, the path descends to the hilltop village of Châteauvieux.
(13) At the fork, continue straight ahead on the path, which turns into a small tarmac road near a farm (and its curious inhabitants). At the intersection, turn right and continue on this road, which leads away from the village in a wide bend, until you reach a house and a cross on the left.
(14) Immediately afterwards, leave the road and turn left onto this path, which immediately turns left and then right before coming to an end. Then turn left onto a footpath. Continue straight ahead until you reach a complex crossroads marked with a cross.
(15) Take the second path on the right, which heads east towards the woods. Further on, ignore a path on the right and continue straight ahead. Further on, the path turns left before coming out onto a track.
(16) At the D666, turn right and you will come to an intersection marked with a cross. Take the path on the right. Further on, the path turns into a small road. Continue along this road until you come to another small road. Turn right to cross the hamlet of Jaricot. Turn left at each intersection until you leave the hamlet. After a left turn, ignore a path on the right and continue straight ahead to the next intersection, marked with a cross.
(17) Turn left towards the Matillon farm. When the road ends, turn right onto the path that descends towards the Vallière stream. Ignore a path on the left just before crossing the stream. Then climb back up through the orchards and raspberry fields for which Thurins is famous. You will come to a road and the first houses of Thurins at Rampau.
(18) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. Pass the fire station on your right, then the poultry farm on your left, and descend towards the bean-shaped car park, our starting point (S/E).
, which added a kilometre to the walk. As you can see, I don't use a GPS!
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