Léchères Pond

An easy route that takes you past the many ponds of the Dombes. Bring your binoculars.

Details

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Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.02 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 9 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 9 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 276 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 260 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The walk starts from the car park at Domaine de la Dombes.

(S/E) With your back to the car park, turn left towards Étang Neuf. Follow the road for about 400 m until you reach the junction with the C6.

(1) Continue straight ahead. On your left is the Étang Neuf with a beautiful view. Cross the main road with caution and continue straight ahead on the C4, following the Étang des Léchères.

(2) At the La Léchère signpost, turn right towards Saint-Paul-de-Varax. At the next junction, turn right onto Chemin de Migeleine and follow the road through a small wood. At the end of the wood, there is a pond on the right. Continue to Croix de la Sablonnière.

(3) At the La Sablonnière signpost, turn left onto Route des Étangs towards Paul-de-Varax and continue straight on to the village centre with its church.

(4) At the Saint-Paul-de-Varax signpost, go around the church and turn into Impasse de la Maternelle, then Rue du Vieux Jonc on the right. Leave Rue du Vieux Jonc and take the path across the green space. At the end, take Rue des Frères Lumières on the left and you will reach the edge of a wood.

(5) When you reach the edge of the woods, take the small path on the right (Ancien Chemin de Saint-Nizier) and continue straight ahead for about 1 km. You will come to a small road (Chemin de Vacquant).

(6) Turn left and follow the road. On the right is a pond. A little further on, the road passes a typical farm and reaches the crossroads you passed earlier.

(1) Turn left and return to the Domaine de la Dombes car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 267 m - Parking at the Domaine de la Dombes - Vieux Jonc (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.71 - alt. 269 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 2.5 - alt. 275 m - Étang des Léchères
  4. 3 : km 3.92 - alt. 264 m - La Sablonnière signpost
  5. 4 : km 4.76 - alt. 276 m - Église Saint-Paul (Saint-Paul-de-Varax)
  6. 5 : km 5.28 - alt. 263 m - Edge of a wood
  7. 6 : km 6.18 - alt. 269 m - Road junction
  8. S/E : km 8.02 - alt. 267 m - Parking at the Domaine de la Dombes

Notes

90% tarmac
Be careful when crossing the main road towards La Sablonnière

Worth a visit

(S/E) At the start of the walk, the Domaine de la Dombes campsite offers many leisure activities such as fishing, tree climbing, etc.
(4) In Saint-Paul-de-Varax, the Le Duverger restaurant serves local cuisine.
Also in Saint-Paul is a museum with paintings by Louis Jourdan, a local painter from the early20th century. Along the walk, there are also information boards explaining his inspirations.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
3.9 / 5
mwerlen
mwerlen

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 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 but lovely walk, accessible from the Domaine de la Dombes.

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User 8852116

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very good guidance by Visiorando, very few signs and markings on the route.
Lovely little walk.

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User 8396365

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 26, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very well signposted and a very pleasant route.

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GERARD MARYSE
GERARD MARYSE

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, except when crossing the village (housing estates).
Some of the directions in the description are incorrect (turn left instead of right as indicated). However, the route is very well marked in yellow and described on a sign at the starting car park.
Interesting bird watching on the ponds (storks in particular in October)

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Dombes Tourisme
Dombes Tourisme

Thank you for your feedback. We are delighted that you enjoyed the scenery and tranquillity of the route, as well as the visit to the church of St-Paul-de-Varax.

We have taken note of your comments about the signposting and will ensure that the directions at the start of the route are clearer to improve the experience for walkers.

Please feel free to try our other routes to discover other parts of the Dombes region!

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MargueriteD
MargueriteD

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

too much tarmac but pleasant scenery - very quiet - we were lucky enough to visit the beautiful church of St-Paul-de-Varax, listed as a historic monument (except for the bell tower).
please note that the start is on the left. It is preferable to do the hike in the morning when it is cooler.

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MORISSEAU
MORISSEAU

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely, peaceful walk... but not rural enough for our taste... Follow the directions carefully, otherwise they'll tell you to turn right when you should be turning left... The explanations in the brochure aren't great... Thank goodness for the phone! PS: It would be nicer to return to the other side at the end to make a proper circular loop... there are paths!

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route66
route66

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

short, leisurely walk

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SYLVIE MONTBARBON
SYLVIE MONTBARBON

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,

Sorry to point this out, but " , when leaving the car park, turn right__" can be confusing; as a result, we saw La Carronnière, the Château, the Moulin, etc.; no matter, we picked up the route at point 5 and did part of it backwards; perfect!
Thank you for all your hiking ideas!

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sylvie.guichardon
sylvie.guichardon

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A beautiful hike among the ponds, but a lot of tarmac for those who prefer trails. That said, there is no traffic as these are small country roads.
Very pleasant overall, I was able to admire herons and other birds, even in the middle of the afternoon.

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Roropasteur
Roropasteur

I did not do this hike.

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Louise38
Louise38

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk offering a good overview of the Dombes and its birds.

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maryse.leti
maryse.leti

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is interesting, but it's a shame that it's a mostly on roads and doesn't go through the marshes.

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