The tramway and Dionay pond

Walk starting from Dionay Town Hall.
Set off to explore the tramway and the Chambarans National Forest.
The end of the route offers unobstructed views of the Vercors and Chartreuse mountains.

Details

16808812
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.71 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 215 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 217 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 626 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 483 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at Dionnay Town Hall.

(S/E) Follow the road towards Roybon, then turn right down Chemin de la Gare, marked in red and yellow. You will reach the Pinet crossroads. Take the left branch, which is the old tram line. Continue until you reach a road. Take this road to make a circular turn to the right, then leave it and quickly rejoin it.

(1) Cross this road and keep left on the tram line. Make another circular turn on the right and go under the short tunnel. You will then reach the crossroads at the hamlet of Ville d'Or.

(2) Continue straight ahead on the track and reach a crossroads with four perpendicular directions.

(3) Leave the red and yellow markings here and turn 90° left, following a pebble path that climbs uphill. Continue through the Dionnay Communal Wood to reach the forest road called Chemin de l'Estrat. Take it to the left and arrive at the Dionay Pond.

(4) Go around it on the right and follow the D20b on the left to reach the crossroads of a forest road.

(5) Carefully cross the 20b and take the forest road opposite. Go through the barrier and continue until you reach a five-way crossroads.

(6) Take the path on the left, and a few hundred metres further on, at thefirst crossroads, turn right. Stay on this path, ignoring the paths branching off to the right and left. You will come to a T-junction.

(7) Turn left, cross a small stream, go up the stone path and take a path on the right at the edge of the woods, bordering the meadows. Go around them, staying at the edge of the woods. You will reach a tarmac road. Take it to the left to reach the hamlet of Bourjonnière.

(8) Turn left and then immediately right to rejoin theGRP® Drôme des Collines marked in red and yellow. You will soon reach the Cottoyaux crossroads.

(9) Carefully cross the two roads and continue on theGRP® to return to the car park at Dionay town hall (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 490 m - Town hall car park - Église Saint-Julien (Dionay)
  2. 1 : km 1.59 - alt. 531 m - Road junction
  3. 2 : km 3.21 - alt. 587 m - Hamlet of Ville d'Or
  4. 3 : km 3.87 - alt. 611 m - Four-way crossroads
  5. 4 : km 5.05 - alt. 625 m - Étang de Dionay
  6. 5 : km 5.47 - alt. 623 m - Crossing the D20b
  7. 6 : km 6.05 - alt. 626 m - Five-way crossroads
  8. 7 : km 7.37 - alt. 594 m - T-junction
  9. 8 : km 8.75 - alt. 599 m - Bourjonnière
  10. 9 : km 9.78 - alt. 598 m - Cottoyaux crossroads
  11. S/E : km 10.71 - alt. 490 m - Town hall car park - Église Saint-Julien (Dionay)

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
papou26200
papou26200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk offering beautiful scenery and an insight into the history of the tramway. The colours are magnificent at this time of year. On Sundays, there are hunters between points 1 to 3. After point 9, the descent along the tarmac road is a bit long, but thank you very much for this walking suggestion.

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Michouchou
Michouchou

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with no difficulty whatsoever. Picnic by the sublime pond!
I recommend this lovely walk.

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MIFA46
MIFA46

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk, mostly shaded.
At point 8, I would add that after turning left, you should quickly turn right onto Impasse du Giranton to rejoin the GRP Drôme des Collines. Most of the more remote paths have been named.
At point 9, after crossing the two roads, take the "Chemin de la Ranche" opposite; the Cottoyaux sign is a little further on, near a house.
For point 6, I agree with some of the reviews that mention a rough path, which has been the case for over a year (judging by the publication dates)... Today the weather was dry, but this section was still very unpleasant. Dear foresters, we love you, your work is essential for you and for our beautiful natural environment. We appreciate it as much as you surely do. If it were possible to make an effort to leave pleasant trails for all those who enjoy outdoor activities: walking, jogging, mountain biking... Not to mention the image it reflects on our beautiful region. Thank you on behalf of all those who enjoy these activities.
There, that was my little rant, albeit a very moderate one, I admit.

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DAVID  jean luc
DAVID jean luc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Forest paths rutted by vehicles in places, lots of mud and slippery ground after heavy rain.

Apart from these minor difficulties, the view is lovely.

DAVID Jean Luc

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Alex B
Alex B

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk with views of Mont Blanc in the distance (if the sky is clear).
One thing to note: a path (just after the pond) is very muddy after the foresters have been through.

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POULIN Gérard
POULIN Gérard ★

Hello, Veurey walkers,
See this explanation about the Visorando app.
Happy exploring!

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les marcheuses de veurey
les marcheuses de veurey

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you, Sentiers Antonins, for this additional information. I do have the map on my phone, but I don't always have network coverage, and I don't know how to get the route so I can see where we are when there are no markings.

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Sentiers Antonins
Sentiers Antonins

Hello,
Here are some additional explanations.
At point 6, there has been some forestry work, so it may be a little complicated.
At point 7, you should arrive at a T-junction. Turn left and head downhill.
Then you will cross a small stream and go up a path with lots of stones.
A little further on, don't miss a small path that branches off to the right. It goes around a field before joining a small road and the hamlet of Bourjonnière.
Try to follow the route with a smartphone, as the tracking is good!
We look forward to seeing you on the trails...
Les Sentiers Antonins

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les marcheuses de veurey
les marcheuses de veurey

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, regarding point 6, the five-way crossroads no longer exists and there are no signs!
Then, from point 7 onwards, we got lost because there were no signs and we couldn't find La Bourgeonniere or the GRP. We found ourselves on one side of the pond, so we went round in circles and had to go down to Dionay by road!
Would it be possible to have more detailed instructions from point 7 to point 8?
We would like to do it again correctly.
Many thanks in advance.

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monique maussire
monique maussire

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk; you can also explore the pond... At points 5 and 6, there is a lot of forestry work going on and the start of point 6 is not very obvious because a small arrow on a tree points in two different directions... The path is full of very muddy ruts...You have to persevere a little, but then it's very pleasant until 8.
No particular problems... but make sure you wear good shoes.

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sommet
sommet

A very interesting hike with a history.

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Netra
Netra ★

Hello JLMS,

Thank you for your comments and vigilance! The right/left error has been corrected.

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JLMS
JLMS
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An error in the written guidebook.
At the edge of the woods, heading towards Bourjonnière (Côte 595 No. 7), it says: Turn right when you should turn left. Otherwise, a perfect, beautiful walk, especially the first part on the tramway, which is grassy and freshly mowed.
Highly recommended.

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MJC Bellegarde Poussieu
MJC Bellegarde Poussieu

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route for "cool" walkers.

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sommet
sommet

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

It was better to follow the tram's voice completely to a place called VAL D'OR.

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