La Chapelle des Pas

Start from Place du Champ Dunant in Lyaud. There are two large car parks around the square, one tarmac and one gravel.

No signposting

(S/E) Head north-north-east and follow the road between the two car parks (bus stop), Rue du Sommetant. At the roundabout, continue straight on along Route des Devants. It is recommended that you use the designated footpaths: on the right-hand side before the roundabout, and on the left-hand side after it. Then take the^first right, Chemin des Chevrys, and head uphill. After the last house, the tarmac gives way to a stony track.

Red and white markings (sparse)

(1) You’ll come out onto a small road; follow it to the right uphill (you’re now on the “Thonon” variant of^{the GR®5}). At a place called Les Jossières (oratory), turn left towards the Chapelle des Pas. When the road bends to the left, carry on straight ahead along a stony track (the Chemin des Pas). Climb gently until you reach a junction (signpost; a rubble dump opposite on the left).

(2) Carry on straight ahead uphill. The path is lined with vegetation before entering the forest. After a very slight descent, you’ll reach the Chapelle des Pas, which is in fact an oratory.

(3) Retrace your steps back to the junction with the rubble. On the way, note the beautiful views of Lake Geneva and the Dranse Gorges on the right.

Blue arrows on a white background

(2) Leave the^GR® and take the path on the left, which climbs into the forest (this path is not shown on the IGN map but is marked on the OSM map). Pass at the foot of a medium-voltage pylon. Then ignore a path branching off to the left and cross a recently felled area. Enter the forest again and head downhill. At a fork in the road at the end of a gentle bend to the right, take either of the two branches; both lead to a crossroads just before the edge of the forest.

(4) Then turn left and walk along level ground through a stand of spruce trees. The path veers left and climbs slightly.

No signposting

(5) At the T-junction, follow a stony path to the right which descends steeply (Red Cross on a white background). Pass the base of another electricity pylon, then head down through meadows, hedgerows and copses. You’ll come out onto a road; follow it to the right (with a view of Lyaud church and, in the background, the two castles of Allinges). At the ‘give way’ sign, turn left onto Rue du Sanjhon. Walk gently down into the village, ignoring the side paths, and note two fountains and some beautiful old houses as you pass. This will take you to Place du Champ Dunant (S/E).

A good pair of trainers is sufficient for this short walk, which follows well-maintained paths or quiet country lanes.

No information is available regarding the potability of the water from the fountains in Lyaud on the return journey.

A detailed map is useful (at the very least, the one accompanying this description).

Hike undertaken by the author on 25 August 2020.

- Between (1) and (3), there are beautiful views of Lake Geneva, the Allinges castles, the Dranse Gorges and the peaks around Bernex (Mémises, Borée, Oche).
- Oratory at a place known as Les Jossières.
- Chapelle des Pas (2): a wayside shrine dating from 1793.
- Fountains and old houses in Lyaud, before returning to the starting point.