The Pierre de Onze Heures and the Barthélemy Fountain

A short, quick walk at the foot of the Ruchère cliff, along a narrow path that climbs steadily and crosses the Chemin des Bœufs, which you’ll take on the way down.
This leads to the impressive Pierre de Onze Heures and the Barthélemy Fountain, which is always flowing, along a path that runs entirely through the forest.

Details

n°922181

Creation:
06 Jan 2018

Last update:
23 Jan 2018

Last review:
01 Jun 2026

Activity: Walking
Distance: 1.71 mi
Average duration: 1h 40
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 974 ft
Descent: - 968 ft
Highest point: 2,795 ft
Lowest point: 1,906 ft

Country: France
Areas: Alps, Chartreuse, Dauphiné
City: Saint-Christophe-sur-Guiers (38380)
Start/End: N 45.413616° / E 5.778488°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3333OT, 3333OTR
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Photos

Description of the walk

Head to the Chargeoir just before the Perronet house (hunters’ car park)
(S/E) The path (marked in blue) starts in the middle of the platform (it’s inconspicuous, situated between the two main paths leading uphill on either side – do not take these).
After an uphill stretch heading south, it branches off to the north-east before crossing the first Chemin des Bœufs.

(1) Follow it for 20 metres to the left (blue markings) before continuing north-east above this first path.
Join the climb up to the second Chemin des Bœufs, then cross it twice to reach the final Chemin des Bœufs at the foot of the cliff.
Head for the Pierre de Onze Heures, situated 20 metres to the right.

(2) Continue along the path for 50 metres to reach the Fontaine Barthélemy, 20 metres to the left (clearly marked on a stone).
Return by taking the Chemin des Bœufs down the northern slope.

(1) At the first junction, take the path on the left which descends directly and steeply to the Chargeoir (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,906 ft - Chargeoir car park
1 : mi 0.53 - alt. 2,362 ft - Crossroads at the end of the circular loop
2 : mi 0.76 - alt. 2,730 ft - The 11 o’clock stone
S/E : mi 1.71 - alt. 1,909 ft - Chargeoir car park

Worth a visit

Take a moment to admire the distinctive Pierre de Onze Heures and the nearby Barthélemy Fountain.

Reviews and comments

3.5 / 5

Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5

Ease of following the route
3.4 / 5

Route interest
3.2 / 5

Jobez

01 Jun 2026 at 09:07 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Thanks for the route; it was a lovely walk 😊
The plus: A very pleasant walk through the woods during this heatwave. A lovely little path with few people about.
The downside: Only two points of interest. Tick bites as a souvenir.😱

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dicksl

13 Jun 2022 at 11:43 7200

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A walk in the forest, which is lovely on a hot day. The ‘Pierre de onze heure’ is truly impressive, but the fountain is rather disappointing – it’s actually just a spring tapped into a plastic trough! There are no views along the route. The path is very well signposted.
Please note that the description can be misleading: once you reach the ‘11 o’clock stone’, you need to head back along the cattle track to find the fountain.

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MI.L

25 Oct 2021 at 19:23 7200

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A very short walk, ideal if you’re short on free time or not in the best of shape.
But it’s actually really lovely through the woodland in autumn – it’s great that you’ve suggested it.
Don’t expect to find any points of interest, or a specific destination, or even anything visually striking – just the simple pleasure of a stroll through the woods.
Just follow the blue markings on the trees and your GPS.

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henri57

27 Nov 2019 at 21:18 3600

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to give your feedback.

With the description alone

The description AND the route map go hand in hand.

Even though the descent is straightforward, it would have been worth adding a small marker at the second junction

Neither Visorando nor the author are responsible for the signposting. Signposting is often included in the route description where it exists on the ground, but otherwise, the description and the map are supposed to be sufficient for navigation.
Visorando does not mark out the suggested walks.

Visorando provides a detailed route description (which could be improved) and an IGN route map at a scale of 1:25,000. And, if signposting is essential for you, Visorando provides a virtual signposting tool: a GPS app.

This tool, offered free of charge by Visorando, allows you to check waypoints and thus clear up any doubts regarding navigation.

See you soon

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Madri

27 Nov 2019 at 20:01 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 27, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely little walk along a fairly unspoilt path (we really enjoyed it!)! A very pleasant climb through the woodland, which is full of different colours at this time of year. The blue signposting is very well done and matches the description perfectly right up to the ‘11 o’clock stone’; we had a bit of trouble finding the fountain using just the description, but in the end it was easy to spot (once you reach the ‘11 o’clock stone’, go back to where you come out of the woodland and this time carry on along the left-hand side of the path). Although the descent is straightforward, it would have benefited from a small marker at the second junction, where you really do need to take the path with the steepest gradient (phew, our intuition was spot on ).
We recommend this for a short, easy and peaceful stroll through a lovely forest!

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henri57

26 Feb 2019 at 10:53 3600

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to give your feedback.

By ‘Route on map’, we mean assessing whether the route as shown on the map corresponds to the actual terrain.

Did the route cause any problems?
Did you follow the route using a GPS device or a GPS app?
Did you find any discrepancies with the route of the walk?

See you soon

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perilisk

26 Feb 2019 at 06:05 3600

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

We should have stuck to the signposting and the route description, as they’re very good, but we started on the wrong foot and soon found ourselves off the path. A bit disappointed with this walk – the ‘11 o’clock stone’ wasn’t all that interesting – but we don’t regret going there either. The section through the woodland was nice.

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Djinpa73

24 Jul 2018 at 16:22 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A nice little walk, though not very busy; the path is practically untouched, but personally I quite like it… I found the fountain, but the ‘eleven o’clock stone’ is interesting.

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