The Villette-de-Vienne pond and the Combe des Brigands starting from Luzinay

Departure: Rue des Allobroges 38200 Luzinay. Partially shaded car park near the José Gomez multipurpose hall (4.95017" 45.58910").

(S/E) Head towards the village centre, then turn right onto Route de la Noyérée. Cross the D36 with caution (there is no pedestrian crossing or traffic lights). Take a path on the left, on the outskirts of Luzinay, just after the driving school. Follow the industrial estate for 250 m, turn right, then left to cross the Maras irrigation channel via a small bridge. Turn right and follow it for about 400 m. Turn right to follow the Sévenne river, join the road and turn left onto it. Cross the bridge over the Sévenne.

(1) Take the path on the right just after (sometimes a little muddy in wet weather). At the end of the path, turn right onto Chemin des Vernes (actually a small tarmac road), ignore the Route des Étangs on the right shortly after, unless you want to visit Étang Abel (private). Continue to the Villette-de-Vienne pond (basic toilets).

(2) Join Chemin du Maupas and follow it to the right, towards Villette-de-Vienne (road secured by a pavement). Continue straight ahead after the access to the waste collection centre. (Refreshments available at the supermarket on the left.)

(3) Cross the roundabout and take the road towards Luzinay for about 25 metres. Turn left and follow Rue de la Forge for 800 metres until you reach the crossroads.

(4) Turn right onto Chemin du Molaret and follow this road for 200 metres.

(5) At "Repère des Brigands", turn left towards Bois de Servanay. This section crosses the sandy bed of the Béal de Servanay. It may be impassable in the event of heavy storms (see alternatives in the Practical Information section).

(6) Leave the bed of the Béal de Servanay and climb up to the left! Caution! Do not attempt to climb up on the far left between the roots. It is pointless, difficult, and further on it is no better. Continue to the forest road and turn right onto it.

(7) Take the path on the right that descends towards Combe Charouin. Be careful, the junction is not very visible. Follow the very pleasant path through the woods, which is not particularly difficult. Beautiful views towards the south of the Lyon metropolitan area.

(8) Turn right onto Montée de la Rue, towards Ferme du Mas D'Illins, and continue towards Route de Chaponnay via Chemin de Revou-Bayard. Take the small path that leads to Rond-Point des Cinq Chemins.

(9) Opposite, follow signs for Luzinay centre (Route de Villeneuve), then take Impasse du Réservoir. Beautiful views towards Chartreuse, Vercors, the Belledonne mountain range, Oisans and La Meije. Continue along Chemin du Piot to the hamlet of Illins (be careful, the start of the descent is often wet and slippery). Join Route d'Illins and follow it to the left (the Illins chapel is almost opposite the junction).

(10) Turn left into the Illins housing estate to reach Chemin Jean-François Boisson, follow it to the left, continue along Rue des Allobroges and reach the car park (S/E).

(2) Summer 2025: the Villette pond is currently being emptied for maintenance. The operation will probably last a year or more. It is possible to make a small detour to see the Abel pond, located on the Route des Étangs: see description of the point.

Flood variants in (5)
1/ Continue from point (5) towards Château d'Illins and reach Luzinay via Chapelle d'Illins; the last few metres of the climb before Château d'Illins may also be muddy.
2/ Return to the point (4) by continuing right along the road (Chemin de Cugnet), then take the first road on the right (Chemin de La Forêt) and turn right again to descend to the point (7). Once you reach this point, you will obviously need to turn left to head towards Combe Charouin.

Toilets (2) and (S/E) in the centre of Luzinay village.

Food supplies (3).

Water and food supplies in the village centre (S/E).

Alternatives to avoid Combe des Brigands if it is flooded:

From point (4) total distance: 13.4 km.

From point (5) total distance: 9.2 km.

Outside visit to the Chapel of Illins. There are temporary exhibitions on certain weekends. This allows you to admire the interior. See the dates on the Luzinay Town Hall website.