The Two V Route in Champier

The only difficulty with this walk is its length. It will allow you to wander through the heart of the Dauphiné countryside. Here and there, it offers views of the surrounding peaks: Chartreuse, Vercors, Monts du Pilat, Monts du Lyonnais.
The two V's are the localities of Vernondière and Vernay.

Details

1076523
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.37 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 193 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 190 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 629 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 486 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park in front of the church in Champier, a small village halfway between Lyon and Grenoble, along the D1085.

(S/E) Look at the front of the church and take the alleyway that runs alongside it on the right. Pass the cemetery on your right. At the stop sign, take the dirt road opposite, to the right of the containers. You will come to a path, which you take to the right. You will arrive at the sign "Vernondière - 493m".

(1) Turn right. You will come to a street; turn left. Once you have passed the sports stadium, turn right. Cross the D1085 and follow it on the left. Turn right onto Chemin des Serves, which climbs towards the hill (yellow markings). It goes around the hill and leads to a pretty valley. A road joins from the left, but continue straight ahead.

(2) When you reach a path that climbs steeply to the right, take it, following the yellow markings (this is the steepest part of the walk). At the top, it leads to a T-junction. Turn left. When you reach some farm buildings, take the small road on the left. It zigzags twice. Leave a small road on your right.

(3) When your small road turns 90° to the right, take the dirt track that continues opposite. You will arrive at the sign for "Le Vauchesse - 555m".

(4) Continue straight ahead. You will enter a hamlet, passing a narrow street on your right. At the crossroads that follows almost immediately, turn right onto the D502, which connects Champier to Châtonnay.

(5) Cross the road and continue straight ahead to reach the hamlet of Gerbuat.

(6) Make a left/right zigzag. When you reach a power line, continue along the path in front of you. After passing under the power lines, you will see the sign for "Le Vernay - 560 m".

(7) Turn right to immediately reach the D1085.
Be careful here the crossing is dangerous. The 90 km/h speed limit is not really respected here and there is a bend to the right and a hill to the left. Visibility is quite poor. Be very careful of children (among other things).
Continue straight ahead (Chemin du Vernay). Then take the dirt track overlooking the houses on the left. At a T-junction, turn right (signposted "Plan Martin - 566m" - Flachères 2.7km). 100m further on, turn left, ignoring the grassy path that continues straight ahead. Continue under a power line. When your path branches off to the left, take the path on the right of the line, which climbs steeply. Further on, you will come to a small road. Take it to the right.

(8) You will pass through the hamlet of "La Grand Croix". At a fork in the road, take the right-hand branch towards Flachères (route de la Grand Croix). As you enter Flachères, take the left-hand branch at the fork in the road, which will quickly lead you to a "Stop" sign and the town hall. Cross the road and continue straight ahead.

(9) A little further on, on the left, you will see a sign for "Flachères - 600m". Pass the church (if you have chosen to start your walk in Flachères, you will join us here). Continue straight ahead, ignoring the streets on either side.

(10) When you reach the sign for "Château d'eau - 625m", take the right-hand fork (your path crosses the beautiful Gourand woods, but you can't go wrong, it's straight ahead). You will reach the Étang du Roujat lake.

(11) Turn right onto the road that descends (Montée du Cordier). When it curves sharply to the right and descends steeply, take the lane on the left to reach La Madone.

(12) At La Madone, enjoy the view over the Champier valley and the Liers plain. To set off again, go behind the chapel, on its right-hand side, and take the faint path that descends to the right. It returns in front of the chapel, below. At the end of the field, you will see the rest of the path (anti-motorbike barriers). Descend into the woods. Once at the bottom, walk along the cemetery opposite to return to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 501 m - Car park at Champier church
  2. 1 : km 0.52 - alt. 498 m - Signpost Vernondiere 493m
  3. 2 : km 2.35 - alt. 497 m - Steep forest path on the right.
  4. 3 : km 4.2 - alt. 569 m - Dirt track opposite.
  5. 4 : km 4.82 - alt. 561 m - Le Vauchesse sign 555m
  6. 5 : km 5.72 - alt. 565 m - D502 from Champier to Châtonnay
  7. 6 : km 6.75 - alt. 585 m - Gerbuat
  8. 7 : km 7.69 - alt. 568 m - Signpost Le Vernay 560m
  9. 8 : km 9.67 - alt. 580 m - La Grand Croix
  10. 9 : km 10.72 - alt. 600 m - Signpost Flachères 600m
  11. 10 : km 11.39 - alt. 624 m - Sign Water tower 625m
  12. 11 : km 12.94 - alt. 568 m - Roujat Pond.
  13. 12 : km 13.93 - alt. 550 m - Madone de Champier
  14. S/E : km 14.37 - alt. 501 m - Car park at Champier church

Notes

Almost the entire route is marked in yellow. But be careful, as we stray from the official paths several times.

The route can also start in Flachères. In this case, park in the church car park and walk up the village street towards the south (towards Champier) to find the marker (10), go to the finish, and then return to the start.

You will find water in the cemeteries of Champier (at the start and finish) and Flachères (two-thirds of the way along the walk).

There is a mini-market north of the village of Champier (as well as a craft brewery, if the water in the cemeteries is not enough for you...). The village also has doctors, a nursing practice and a pharmacy.

Worth a visit

Some views of the surrounding peaks.

The Dauphiné countryside and farms.

The Madonna of Champier.

The Laquais motor racing route.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
BV61
BV61
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route without any major difficulties, the only slight drawback being the crossing of the flachère, otherwise a beautiful hike.
Pretty little chapel dating from 1877 at Madone de Champier

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BAN1
BAN1

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route, with no real difficulties except for the distance. Please note, however, that the route crosses a busy main road twice, as indicated in the description. Thank you for this very well-explained walk!

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Isabelle3842
Isabelle3842

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike with magnificent scenery.

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Myrtille 07
Myrtille 07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Enjoy your hike!
We walked most of the hike in fog, so we weren't able to enjoy the view of the surrounding peaks and hillsides. We'll have to do it again later in the season 😉
The hike is very pleasant.
No particular difficulties.
The directions are reliable and clear.
Thank you to the author of this walk.

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VaninaMJ
VaninaMJ
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 30, 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 with no difficulty whatsoever.
Pleasant stretches through the woods and a beautiful view from La Madonne. I will do it again on a clear day as it was overcast today.
Thanks to the author for this route!

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masdelaraz38
masdelaraz38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike through wooded landscapes, green valleys and undergrowth. No particular difficulties and, best of all, despite the threatening weather, we didn't get wet and were able to enjoy our picnic in the dry.
Thanks to the author.

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Ouaz24470
Ouaz24470

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike with many ridge trails offering stunning panoramic views.
Thank you, Yannick!

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Yannick_Josset
Yannick_Josset

If it's a smartphone... that's normal.
On your computer, select "recalculate altitudes". You will descend significantly.
Happy hiking.
Yannick

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jean-pierre.mean@orange.fr
jean-pierre.mean@orange.fr

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Excellent description of a very pleasant hike!

Only comment: My GPS recorded a greater elevation gain (approx. 300 m) than advertised.

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