The Chapel of Saint-Sabin at the start of the Colombier route

Following unpaved footpaths and a few very quiet tarmac roads, this walk takes you to a beautiful 16th-century chapel with a lovely view over the Rhône Valley.

Details

31039013
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.40 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,568 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,565 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,691 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,513 ft

Description of the walk

Start from the car park near the church.

(S/E) Head west, reach the mission cross visible from the main road and take the Chemin du Calvaire at its base. At the road, continue climbing to the right and, at the three-way junction, continue to the left. Reach a path junction on the right, about fifty metres before the woods.

(1) Follow it to a four-way junction.

(2) Turn right towards Mizérieux and reach a crossroads.

(3) Follow it to the right, ignoring the sign for Véranne, then, at the household waste bins, take the small road on the left, which is a no-entry road except for local access. Walk downhill until you find the path on the right which leads to the mill.

(4) Follow this path, cross the Ternay, pass the old mill and continue along the path to the hamlet of Mas de Cheval. Walk through the hamlet and look for the start of a path almost opposite the semi-circular livestock building.

(5) Follow this path and, at the end, turn left, cross the road and continue between two low stone walls.

(6) At the hamlet of Le Sauzet, walk past the houses on your left and continue straight on uphill. At the road, keep left and, at the three-way junction at Le Roure, turn right to reach the start of a grassy path on the right, about twenty metres before a small building below the road.

(7) Climb up through the field, following the hedge on your right (barely visible path), and join the path through the undergrowth. Continue climbing almost in a straight line, facing the slope. At the track, turn right and reach a three-way junction.

(8) Turn right onto the narrower of the two tracks and continue along the ridge to the Chapelle Saint-Sabin.

(9) Enjoy the view over the Rhône, then head down the path on the left which leads to the Croix de Saint-Sabin. At the road, continue left and reach an inverted Y-junction, with a few picnic tables in the undergrowth.

(10) Take a sharp right, cross a gully and then pass a house. Immediately after, turn onto the path that descends to the left and leads to the hamlet of Girodet.

(11) At the three-way junction at the end of the hamlet, take the right-hand path towards Mamey. Pass through this hamlet and head for Les Roches.

(12) At the entrance to the right-hand bend, take the path on the left and descend, following the crest of the ridge to the four-way junction passed on the way out.

(2) Continue straight on and follow the path back to Colombier (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,697 ft - Car park near the church
  2. 1 : mi 0.24 - alt. 2,779 ft - Path on the right
  3. 2 : mi 0.75 - alt. 2,897 ft - Four-way junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.07 - alt. 2,772 ft - Cross-country route
  5. 4 : mi 1.49 - alt. 2,559 ft - Path on the right - Ternay (rivière)
  6. 5 : mi 1.84 - alt. 2,677 ft - Semicircular livestock building
  7. 6 : mi 2.25 - alt. 2,815 ft - Le Sauzet
  8. 7 : mi 2.62 - alt. 3,071 ft - Grassy path to the right
  9. 8 : mi 3.21 - alt. 3,533 ft - Three-Way Junction
  10. 9 : mi 3.66 - alt. 3,678 ft - Chapelle St Sabin
  11. 10 : mi 4.45 - alt. 3,235 ft - Inverted Y-junction, picnic tables
  12. 11 : mi 5.44 - alt. 3,133 ft - Girodet
  13. 12 : mi 6.32 - alt. 3,068 ft - Les Roches
  14. S/E : mi 7.4 - alt. 2,700 ft - Car park near the church

Notes

Lovely, easy paths, with a slightly steep climb to reach the chapel.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
pierre2505
pierre2505

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk – note the very steep climb on the slope between points 7 and 8. Magnificent views of the Rhône Valley from point 9 (St Sabin Chapel)! I highly recommend it

Machine-translated

bikette
bikette

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A wonderful walk with some lovely stretches through the woods, especially in this heat
I would qualify the term ‘easy’
We had some doubts at point 4
Some words, such as ‘thalweg’, were unfamiliar to us
but I would definitely return to your site to go hiking
Thank you for this lovely walk

Machine-translated

Tine74
Tine74

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

A rather uninteresting walk; I wouldn’t recommend it to passing hikers. Lots of tarmac roads (albeit with little traffic), paths overgrown with brambles or nettles, often in the blazing sun. Note that I didn’t do the section between the start and point 2.
Point 7: the field on the left was fenced off (cows), so I took the field on the right (just before) as close as possible to the hedge on the left, and was able to reach the path in the forest at its entrance by crossing through the broom (and past the end of the barbed wire between the two fields). Suggestion between 11 and 12: perhaps try to reach the “Crêt de Mamey” ridge on the IGN map? Seen from below, on the tarmac road amidst the barking dogs, it looked tempting! (But it adds elevation gain and distance).

Machine-translated

GIGI971
GIGI971

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, with no real difficulties apart from a very steep climb on the slope between points 7 and 8. Magnificent views from point 9 (St Sabin’s Chapel) over the Rhône Valley (we could just make out the snow-capped Alps despite the rather poor weather). Thank you for this walk.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.