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Park your vehicle in the car park of the Gillonnay cemetery, not far from the Church of Saint-Maurice.
(S/E) Walk along the cemetery, turn left and, in front of the church porch, climb up the hill (due north). At the first fork, turn right and follow Chemin des Vignes towards the north-east.
Ignore a dirt track that climbs up to your left and pass in front of a buried water tank.
(1) At the crossroads a little further on, turn left (sign for Bellemonière - 443 m) and then immediately take a path on the right that climbs steeply up the slope. This is the Way of the Cross that leads to Notre-Dame du Mont. When you reach a small road, continue straight ahead (north).
At the next crossroads, you can make a return trip to the Notre-Dame du Mont chapel (signposted Chapelle du Mont - 0.3 km). You will enjoy a beautiful view of the Bièvre plain, the Chambarans hills, the Vercors, the Chartreuse... and an orientation table to help you find your way if necessary.
(2) Retrace your steps to the crossroads, turn left, heading north, then right. At the next crossroads, turn left onto Montée de la Ratissière (signposted) then turn right onto a grassy path that climbs up the hillside.
(3) Cross a small road and, when you reach a fork, take a stony path on the right. At the edge of the woods, turn left into the woods (yellow markings).
You will descend further and further into the woods (don't worry, every centimetre you descend will have to be climbed back up later...) until you come to another stony path at a T-junction.
(4) Turn left (north), ignoring the yellow markings on the ground, which would have you turn right.
Shortly afterwards, you will see the ruins of the medieval castle of Bocsozel overlooking you.
Reach it by first turning right and then, at the pass, left into a narrow lane.
(5) Between the two ruined towers, you will see the Liers plain below you, the peaks of the Chartreuse to the east and, if the weather is clear, the summit of Mont Blanc to the north-east, always majestic!
Once you've had your fill of the view, head back out the alley you came in and return to the crossroads. A sign will point you towards a path that climbs straight up the hill in front of you and leads to Saint-Hilaire-de-la-Côte and La Grange à Papet.
Take this path, which climbs steeply into the forest (you'll have to climb back up all the way you came down!), then levels out fairly quickly.
(6) When you reach a crossroads, turn left and follow the yellow markings, keeping to the right at the next two junctions.
Exit the woods. In front of you, you will see a large solitary tree in the middle of the fields (to its right, you can see the Grand Veymont, the highest peak in the Vercors). Continue to the Grange à Papet, which is reputed to be a regular venue for clandestine trysts.
(7) At the barn, take the right-hand gravel path, then very quickly turn right onto a grassy path that descends diagonally (signposted Le Pissou - 635m).
You will come to a crossroads with four options. Take the second small road on the right (Chemin des Sources - heading south-west) and descend towards the plain to join theGR®65(white and red markings), which runs from Geneva to Le Puy-en-Velay or Arles.
(8) Turn right (west). You are halfway up the hillside. Follow theGR® markings, which are supplemented by the yellow shell on a blue background of the Way of St James. As you pass, you will see a stone marker indicating the fork between the Arles and Le Puy trails.
(9) Continue straight ahead towards Le Puy - La Côte Saint-André. Pass the buildings of Montgontier, a former agricultural college. There is a small covered area available for hikers (useful if it rains).
After Montgontier, leave the small road and take a path on the right that descends into a valley and joins another road. Follow this road to the right.
(10) Pass in front of Château Pointière (this is private property and not open to visitors). At the next intersection, make a zigzag left-right turn and return to the crossroads you passed at the start of the walk.
(1) Continue straight ahead and you will very quickly come to Saint-Maurice Church and the cemetery car park (S/E).
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