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Car park next to the church.
(S/E) Leave the church forecourt and take the street that descends steeply towards the plain (Chemin de Meyzin).
(1) You will reach the D73 (stop sign). Cross it (pedestrian crossing) and turn right. Take the first street on the left (Chemin de Chenavas). This will take you out of the town. The street suddenly changes name to Chemin des Brosses.
(2) Shortly afterwards, at a fork, take the right-hand branch (gravel road). Leave another gravel road on your left. Your road turns left on its own. Almost immediately, take the pretty grassy path that branches off to the right.
(3) Veer slightly left to reach a small road and the Étang du Marais. Turn left, then further on, right to go around the pond.
A log bridge crosses a stream that is often dry. Your path turns right to follow the edge of the pond. Benches and tables are provided for you to take a break if you wish.
At the end of the pond, continue along the path to the left of the hut, which runs alongside the marsh. Ignore the paths that branch off to the right or left and continue along the tarmac road towards the hill on the right.
(4) Be careful, as vehicles may be travelling at speed for a few metres. At the end of these few metres, you will come to a fork. Take the right-hand fork. A sign indicates that the street is about to become one-way (which is good news for you...). Continue along this small road, which will take you into Saint-Hilaire-de-la-Côte.
(5) You will come to the D73, which you cross to head towards the hillside opposite (Chemin du Lavoir). At the end, you will see a path leading off opposite, along a low wall. This is the only difficult part of the walk: a 30-metre climb over 300 metres. Take your time...
(6) You will see a sign in front of you: "Saint-Hilaire - 440m". Turn right. You are now on the GR® 65, which leads to Santiago de Compostela (red and white markings and yellow and blue shells). When your small road turns left, continue straight ahead on the stony path.
You will then come to a road. Turn left and very quickly turn right onto another path. After a while, this path turns right into a small valley and leads to the hamlet of Le Plantier.
(7) At the hamlet, go straight ahead and then quickly turn left (Chemin du Bois). At the next fork, go left (still on Chemin du Bois). You will be walking with the woods on your left and a field on your right.
(8) When the field ends, take the path on the right (leaving the GR® 65). A blue sign indicates that this is a private road and that dogs must be kept on a leash. You are therefore allowed to use this path.
Your path turns left. You walk alongside the castle grounds for a while. There is a high hedge, but you can still see the Château de la Villardière clearly.
(9) At the end of the path, you will see La Frette Church in front of you. Take the time to walk back and forth on the left to the castle gate.
On your return, you will find yourself back at the starting point in front of the church (S/E).
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