The Grand Birieux Sensitive Natural Area

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It was quite a long drive, as expected, but it was still very pleasant.
However, the large pond at Birieux has been drained, so the main purpose of the walk is somewhat diminished.

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Date of your route : Mar 30, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Quite a bit of tarmac, but quiet; not many cars, except on a short stretch

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Date of your route : Feb 22, 2026
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A simple route that we shortened a little by starting from Birieux and skipping the section in St Marcel. However, there is a lot of road. The real highlight of this route is the section near the ponds where you can see birds.

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

A pleasant, peaceful walk among numerous ponds (unfortunately not always accessible). Far fewer birds than at the Versailleux ponds.
Between points 5 and 6, the departmental road (D2) is very busy (lots of lorries) and very dangerous (high speed). Fortunately, this section is short. The other small roads are not very busy.
After point 6, it was impossible to cross the small wood via the path due to heavy rain. However, you can go through the small wood nearby.
In summary, a peaceful walk to stretch your legs (no elevation gain).

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Date of your route : Feb 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did the route backwards because there were no places to picnic except for some tables in the village of Birieux.
Quite a lot of tarmac, but advantageous as the paths were muddy and even flooded in early February. Very little traffic on the small roads (4-5 cars encountered) and a little more on the departmental road.

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Date of your route : May 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

I completely agree with TotoB. What's more, the ponds are quite low and difficult to access, so the Birieux observatory remains the main attraction.
The section on the local road is still dangerous.

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Date of your route : Jul 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Uninteresting walk, nothing to see except tarmac.
Unlike other walks in the Dombes, the roads used are very busy and even dangerous.

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Date of your route : Mar 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful spring afternoon. A lovely walk with no elevation gain. A small mistake in the route – perhaps we were distracted? An extra 5 km! You need to be careful halfway through (5) to avoid this mistake. Flooded area, detour through the woods (7).

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Date of your route : Mar 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The first part of the hike isn't very interesting. It's just a straight stretch along a tarmac road with a few cars passing by. Fortunately, there are beautiful ponds and birds to watch and listen to, then the Birieux observatory. On the way back, after following and then crossing the main road, the route continues straight ahead. But you eventually leave it at point 6 to take a path through the fields and then pass between two ponds. In several places, the path was impassable because it was flooded, but you can easily get around this by going through the woods on the right. There are even branches laid down in some places to avoid getting your feet wet. While walking shoes weren't necessary before, they are preferable here.
Fortunately, this part at the end of the route gives it a bit of a nature hike feel.

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Date of your route : Feb 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The main attraction of this route is the Grand Birieux nature reserve, otherwise there is a lot of tarmac...

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Date of your route : Oct 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

A 100% concrete hike with no access to the ponds 😕
If you like roads and cars travelling at 80 km/h, you might like this🤗

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Date of your route : Sep 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

An easy walk, mainly on tarmac roads.
The view of the ponds is pleasant.
It's a shame there's a dangerous section on the main road.

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Date of your route : Sep 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Views of some ponds too distant or non-existent.
Too much walking on roads.
On the other hand, the observatory is superb and the view of the pond is very nice.

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Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

An interesting hike, but mainly on tarmac roads, so not recommended in hot weather. There is a fairly long stretch on a busy road with fast-moving traffic, so avoid this hike with young children.
You can stop for a break in Birieux halfway through the hike, where there are picnic tables.

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