La Plaine des Marches

Park on Chemin de la Placette, at the Marches cemetery car park.

(S/E) Take the tarmac road leading up from above the cemetery (heading east). It turns into a track and descends into the plain. After a right-hand bend, then a left-hand bend, a long straight stretch leads to the forest.

(1) At the crossroads, turn right. The wide, shaded path runs along the edge of the forest. On leaving the forest, head west, ignoring the paths branching off to the right and left, and climb towards the hamlet of Murs (Mure on the IGN map).

(2) At the crossroads in the hamlet, turn 90° to the left. The small road descends slightly and passes through some magnificent properties. After a left-hand bend, the road runs alongside an equestrian centre.

(3) Then take the first wide path on the right (information sign). After skirting a small wood, the path passes under a high-voltage power line and enters the undergrowth again. At the next crossroads, turn left to reach a T-junction under the power line. Turn right heading north-west, under the line. At the crossroads before a power line pylon, turn left.

(4) At the next junction, turn left onto a path in poor condition which leads to a small wood; it skirts the wood to the left before ending on a tarmac road (a fairly busy road). Turn right, then take the grassy path on the left before the Ruisseau du Glandon.
Follow this stream, which bends to the right before reaching an old stone bridge (the Pont de la Morte).

(5). Cross this bridge and note, in the stream bed, an old boundary stone that marked the border between France and Savoy until its annexation in 1860. Continue to the right along the wide path which joins the D285C. Turn right and then, shortly afterwards, left (before the bridge) to follow the right bank of the Glandon this time. The small road curves to the left and reaches the D1090, which you must cross with care before entering Chapareillan.
Cross the next junction and continue along the street to the T-junction (drinking fountain).

(6) Take the road on the right; after a left-hand bend, you’ll reach a junction in Clessant. Turn right and leave the hamlet heading towards Saint Martin.

(7) As soon as you reach the first houses of Saint-Martin, take a stony path on the left which, after a bend to the right, climbs steadily, offering a magnificent view of the nearby and distant peaks.
After a series of bends and a house, the path rejoins the tarmac and the Glandon, which you will follow along its right bank. Crossing the Glandon, you re-enter Savoie (Saint-André) before arriving at a pretty square (Maison du Moulin). Turn right and go round the roundabout on the right towards the lake (signpost). After a few metres, take the narrow lane that climbs steeply to the left. At the next junction, turn right, then left at the next one; the road climbs quite steeply before reaching a crossroads (iron cross on the right). Turn right, then, between the houses, continue along the small road which, after the right-hand bend, descends sharply.

(8) In a right-hand bend, there is a lovely view of Lake Saint-André. The road joins the D12; turn left, then, immediately after the house (Le Clos du Lac), take the lovely grassy path on the right which descends and then runs alongside a wall. Cross the D12 again and turn left onto the small stony path that leads away from the house before descending alongside the vineyard. It joins the path around the lake, which you follow to the right. Walk alongside the lake (an ideal spot for a picnic) to the restaurant, then continue along the road to the right of it.

(9) After the junction following the campsite, turn left onto the road which, winding through the vineyards, heads towards the village of Les Marches. Climb up between the wall and the school to reach the large roundabout. Head straight ahead, going round it on the right, and enter the main street of the old town through a monumental gate. Go to the end to admire the façade of the old castle, then retrace your steps to pass through the town’s entrance gate. Turn right, then take a series of steps to return to the car park where you started (S/E).

At (6), a drinking water point.

Throughout the route, be sure to look in all directions to admire the mountains surrounding the walk.
The crossing at the Pont de la Morte and its boundary marker may prompt you to find out more about the history of these boundary markers that once marked the border of the Savoie region on the French side.
Numerous wine cellars offer the chance to sample Savoie’s wines.
Near Saint-André, the Moulin de la Tourne offers a good demonstration of paper-making.