The Roche Bois Blanc viewpoint from Lamure-sur-Azergues

A walk around the Pyramid, in the forest of the same name, with a magnificent view of the Saône valley at the highest point of the route.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 16.76 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 527 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 533 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 813 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 371 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The route starts at the level crossing above the war memorial. Montée de l'Église car park.
Follow the arrows marked with a red deer.

(S/E) With your back to the level crossing, take the street on the left, via Montée des Roches. Railway line on your left. Cross the RD44 carefully, go straight ahead towards the hamlet of Reynard, via Route des Granges, then Impasse du Brocard.

(1) Before reaching the hamlet of Reynard, turn left onto a path marked Impasse des Fougères, which will take you to the Bottières farm.

(2) At the fork, turn right and, at the Bottières farm, rejoin a tarmac road and follow it for about 100 metres.

(3) At Croix Sarret, turn left onto a path towards Croix Pion. As this path borders the commune of Claveisolles, it is also marked with yellow fir trees.

(4) A few dozen metres before Croix Pion, you will find theGR®76.
Turn right, heading south, onto theGR®76until you reach the Col de la Croix Montmain.

(5) Continue straight ahead, cross the RD44 carefully and take the forest road opposite for about a hundred metres.

(6) Leave the forest road on your right and continue on theGR®76trail, climbing uphill, then continuing on flat ground for about 100 metres until you reach a crossroads.

(7) At this crossroads, there are two options:
- a path on the right marked with a white deer sign, which takes you directly back to Lamure via white and then blue markings.
- a path marked Roche Bois Blanc on the left which, after a hundred metres, leads to a viewpoint from where you can see the Val de Saône, the Ain plain, the Alps...

(8) From this viewpoint, retrace your steps and take theGR®76trail on the left, heading south towards the Croix Desplaces.

(9) Pass the Croix Desplaces and continue on theGR®76until you come to a tarmac road on your right before the large antenna.

(10) Leave theGR®76and descend to the right along this tarmac road until you reach a forest road on your right (this comes from the Col de la Croix Montmain at this point).

(11) Take this forest road on your right.

(12) On the forest road, after a sharp right-hand bend, immediately take a path on the left that leads to another forest road.

(13) Descend this second forest road for about a hundred metres to reach a hairpin bend with a turning platform on the right.
At the end of this platform, take the path and continue to the Desplaces farm (selling goat's milk cheese).

(14) At the bottom of the farm, leave the tarmac road on your right and take a path just behind a large tree. Continue to the municipal road between Lamure and Saint Cyr le Chatoux.
Follow this road to the right, heading north, for a few hundred metres.

(15) Just after the junction, on the right-hand side of the local road leading to the hamlet of Le Berger, take a path on your left leading to La Fay Romagnan, then to the hamlet of Meyrolles.
"From this point, the route is the same as the Chevreuil Prune route, then, from the middle of this path, it joins the Chevreuil Jaune route (double then triple markings) until the hamlet of Meyrolles."

(16) At the hamlet of Meyrolles, find a tarmac road, turn right and follow this local road that runs alongside the railway line until you return to the village (return shared with the Prune route).

(17) "At the level crossing, the route is also that of the Chevreuil Vert."
Follow this road along the railway line to the centre of the village and the other level crossing (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 388 m - Car park - Gare de Lamure-sur-Azergues
  2. 1 : km 1.05 - alt. 456 m - Impasse des Fougères
  3. 2 : km 2.67 - alt. 649 m - Ferme des Bottières
  4. 3 : km 2.91 - alt. 648 m - Sarret Cross
  5. 4 : km 5.28 - alt. 742 m - Near Croix Pion
  6. 5 : km 6.23 - alt. 737 m - Col de la Croix Montmain
  7. 6 : km 6.36 - alt. 739 m - Fork in the road. GR76
  8. 7 : km 7.22 - alt. 811 m - Fork in the road. Towards the Belvédère
  9. 8 : km 7.32 - alt. 793 m - Belvédère de la Roche Bois Blanc
  10. 9 : km 7.83 - alt. 800 m - Desplaces Cross
  11. 10 : km 8.27 - alt. 807 m - Tarmac road. End of GR76
  12. 11 : km 9.16 - alt. 747 m - Entrance to the forest road
  13. 12 : km 9.75 - alt. 712 m - Path on the left
  14. 13 : km 11.23 - alt. 646 m - Turning platform
  15. 14 : km 11.88 - alt. 565 m - Desplaces Farm
  16. 15 : km 12.57 - alt. 492 m - Path to La Fay Romagnan
  17. 16 : km 14.38 - alt. 390 m - Hamlet of Meyrolles
  18. 17 : km 15.17 - alt. 378 m - Level crossing
  19. S/E : km 16.76 - alt. 388 m - Car park - Gare de Lamure-sur-Azergues

Notes

Worth a visit

At points (12) and (13), you can see three wind turbines relatively close by. These are the ones in Valsonne.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
Alfredo
Alfredo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike because it is very varied. Lots of shade and beautiful views.

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Vincenzo1985
Vincenzo1985

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This route is really nice, but the path doesn't seem to be used very often: grass and some bushes have grown up and are hiding the path a little. Sometimes the trail is almost invisible, so keep an eye out for the signs!
Signs with red deer = very good, simple and effective markings.
The viewpoint does indeed exist! But the path is covered with grass and a fallen tree => Go to the end to sit on the bench and eat!

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michel tessier
michel tessier
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

If you enjoy the forest... accessible by train. Definitely a hike for hot summer weather.

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Plu0669
Plu0669

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike, completed in 4 hours and 50 minutes including a picnic break at the viewpoint!
Leaving from point 8, we took a detour via the pyramid (which got our legs going again after the break), with a superb view from the top. We also took a detour between points 12 and 13, bringing the total length of the hike to 18.5 km.

The path was very quiet, and we only came across a handful of hikers/runners.

The last kilometre in the heart of the Lamure-sur-Azergues area is of little interest. If we were to do it again, we might change our starting point to here rather than the centre of Lamure.

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Yoyolasaumure
Yoyolasaumure

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with great views! I could have done without the group of noisy quad bikes, but hey, there's something for everyone...
I set off just before 10 a.m. and reached point 8 by midday, which was perfect 👍🏻

It's true that the last paved section is less enjoyable, but it allows you to return at a leisurely pace, and I took the opportunity to stretch before getting back in the car.

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monile
monile

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful autumn hike, accessible as the elevation gain is not difficult. We hardly encountered anyone, just a few hunters and mountain bikers.
The Roche Bois Blanc viewpoint at point 8 is superb. I recommend doing the round trip; there's even a little bench in the shade for a picnic...
The hike took 5 hours, including a snack break.
Thank you for this beautiful walk.

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pascal.amieux
pascal.amieux

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Departure at 8:30 a.m., return at 3:30 p.m. Beautiful warm and foggy weather (Mont Blanc is barely visible).
Currently, on the ground, the route is very easy to follow (red deer route). The detour to the Roche Bois Blanc viewpoint is worth the detour for the view of the Beaujolais and the Saône valley.
From point 7, we climbed to the Pyramid (altitude 888): at the crossroads, turn right, then at the next crossroads, turn left (follow the red deer markings). The detour is interesting because you get an almost 360° view from the Monts du Forez to the Monts du Lyonnais and Pilat, then the Saône valley and the Alps. The descent continues in a circular route to rejoin the author's route at Croix Desplaces. The summit of the Pyramid is a great place to stop for a picnic!
All in all, a beautiful walk through magnificent coniferous forests (Douglas fir?) offering beautiful views.

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Robert_Claude
Robert_Claude

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very nice route, not many people due to the season (winter)

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patricklegone
patricklegone
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Some lovely views of the Lazergue and Saône valleys with Mont Blanc in the background.
A paved section at the end of the route with no particular interest.

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