The Voie Royale starting from Malafretaz

The route starts at the Plaine Tonique car park.

(S/E) With your back to the reception area at the Plaine Tonique campsite, find and follow a small path that runs alongside the lake.

(1) When you reach the Musée le Moulin de Cézille, without crossing the D1a, turn right, cross a small iron bridge and follow the path along the lake.

(2) At the end of the path, do not head towards the road, but turn right and then take a sharp left-hand bend onto the small dirt track after climbing it (a short climb but nothing too strenuous), returning to the main path. Follow it again; further on, at the crossroads, turn right onto the main path to continue along the lake – you’ll have a lake on either side for a short distance.

(3) You’ll reach another lake and cross between the two lakes once more. You’ll come to a Y-shaped junction.

(4) Take the path on the left and continue to the ford at Lac Buisson.

(5) Turn round and head right, then veer left to complete the loop around Lac de Corcelles. Reach a Y-junction.

(6) Turn right to pass under the height-restriction barriers and reach a four-way junction with roads running at right angles to one another. Cross the road and take the Route de Corcelles opposite.

(7) At the junction, take the path on the right. At the next Y-junction, keep right to reach the Hautes Vavres crossroads. Keep left to quickly come to a junction with a path.

(8) Turn left onto this track, following a left-right bend, and pass through the hamlet of Grisard. The track widens and joins a road at a right angle.

(9) Turn left onto it and, at the next crossroads, turn right onto the track. Cross the Leat des Tronches. Stay on this wide track to reach the hamlet of Les Combes.

(10) First turn left then right. At the next junction, turn left onto the Route des Combes. You’ll reach a car park in the hamlet of Les Poiriers.

(11) Turn left at the Étrez walking sign. Pass the picnic area before reaching the Arboretum. Enter the woods and continue along the main path. Leave the woods to reach another three-way junction.

(12) Take the right-hand fork and enter the Bois des Cruizettes.

(13) At the next junction, keep to the track on the right. You’ll reach the edge of the woods at the Grange Brûlée junction.

(14) Turn right, follow the edge of the woods and pass Étang Pichon or Étang du Curé. Stay on this road, ignoring the adjacent roads.

(15) Keep left and pass Bouquérieux, the Leat de la Spire and the hamlet of Les Piques^. You’ll reach the junction by the Poiriers car park (give or take a few metres) and head left. Walk past the cemetery and reach the junction with the D28 road, where there is a Stop sign.

(16) Turn left onto the Route de Marboz (D28) and leave this road at the fifth street, turning right onto the Bois Gelés. At the next junction, turn left towards the hamlet of La Commune.

(17) A little further on past the hamlet, turn right, then left again, and finally right onto the stony track. Then take the track that veers left under the power line.

(18) At the ‘Give Way’ sign, turn left onto the Route de Viriat, then at the X-shaped junction, turn left and then right to join a small dirt track for a short distance. When you reach the road, turn left twice to join the Chemin de l’Étang.

(19) At the next junction, turn right and ignore the paths on either side of the tarmac road. At the junction with another tarmac road, turn left onto the Route des Écuets. Follow this until you reach the right-hand bend.

(20) Continue straight ahead along the dirt track until you reach a tarmac road. Then turn right and carry on straight ahead to rejoin the Route de la Carronnière.

(21) Turn left, pass two tracks on your right and take the^third stony track, which is the Voie Royale.

(22) At the end of the stony track, turn left onto the Chemin de la Durlande and very quickly turn right onto a dirt track. Turn right at the^second track.

(23) Cross the Route du Marlezay and carry on straight ahead, then turn left and follow the Étang Gonin.

(24) Turn left onto the path, then right onto the Chemin de But. Carry on straight ahead along the Chemin du Champ de l’Étang. Cross the Leat de Guédelon.

(25) Shortly after the right-hand bend, turn right at a right angle onto the path and, at a bend, turn left onto the Chemin des Galets. Ignore the first path on the right and carry on to the crossroads.

(26) Turn right onto the path lined with a hedge, then turn right again and, shortly afterwards, turn left onto the Chemin des Beaux Bois. Ignore the dirt track on the right and continue to the next junction.

(27) Turn left onto the Route de Jalamonde. Pass through Jalamonde and continue to a four-way crossroads.

(28) At the Stop sign, turn left for about 200 metres. Turn right onto a grassy track.
Caution: at the bottom of the descent, by the Salençon stream, there is a barrier which you will need to pass through; then continue along the grassy path.

(29) At the end of the track, turn left onto the Route des Perrets, then take a stony track on the right, followed by a tarmac track.

(30) Carry on to the right and, at the next junction, continue straight on towards L’Épiney.

(31) Turn right onto Route des Grandes Terres. Turn left onto the^second track, then carry on straight ahead to reach a junction with Route des Perrets.

(32) Follow it to the left, crossing the Leat de Barton, and turn right towards Les Pertuisettes, which has become Cras-sur-Reyssous. At the junction, carry on straight ahead for 150 metres, and join a track that turns to the left.

(33) Before the sign marking the end of the village of Cras-sur-Reyssous, follow the Chemin des Pochons (a stony track), then turn left. At Rue des Pochons, turn right, then left at the Y-junction in the village of Les Laurents.

(34) Continue straight ahead along the Chemin des Laurents between the houses, then shortly afterwards turn left onto the Chemin de la Tronchaille (a dirt track), cross the Leat de Barton and follow the Salençon. Carry on straight ahead to join the Chemin des Grenouilles. Turn right onto the Route des Matrais, then right again onto the Route de Guelin and continue for about 400 m.

(35) Turn left and, at the next junction, turn left onto Route de Guelin, pass under the power line, cross the Salençon and continue straight on.

(36) Before the Route d’Etrez (D28), follow the track on the left, cross the Salençon – a technical section – and follow this track towards the hamlet of La Citerne. Walk past the riding centre and continue to the road junction.

(37) Cross the junction and join a path that runs alongside the River Reyssouze. Cross the Route d’Etrez to reach the car park at the entrance to the Montrevel-en-Bresse leisure centre (S/E).

(S/E) La Plaine Tonique car park, with a noticeboard showing mountain bike routes and a mountain bike wash station.

(S/E) La Plaine Tonique campsite with lakes, the Moulin de Cézille museum.

(37) Equestrian centre.