The Castles around Jasseron

A hike with various viewpoints, offering views of the Calvaire de Sanciat, the Col de France and various castles.
The route combines tarmac, dirt and stony paths.

Details

2845403
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.08 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 794 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 784 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,549 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 853 ft

Description of the walk

The route starts at the Place Bernard Chanel car park in Jasseron.

(S/E) From the car park, head towards Rue Julien Manissier then turn right into Rue Charles Robin.

(1) At the church, turn left onto Rue Fratel and continue along this small street. At the first junction, turn right onto Rue Thomas Riboud.

(2) At the cemetery, turn left onto Chemin de la Rippe and continue due north. Enter the Bois de Sanciat.

(3) In the middle of the woods, at the yellow signpost, turn right onto Chemin des Œures and continue until you reach Chemin de la Trace des Œures. At the junction, turn left onto Allée de la Charrière to reach Rue de l’Ancienne Fruitière. Pass the hamlet of Sanciat and arrive at a multi-way junction.

(4) Turn left twice to reach the Chemin des Pierres Blanches, then veer right onto the Chemin de la Verne. Pass a wash house and continue to the next three-way junction.

(5) Turn right onto the grassy path, before the houses. At the end of the path, turn left then right onto Chemin de Presle. Continue along Rue de l'École then turn right onto Rue du Mollard.

(6) Turn left onto Rue de l'Ancienne Faïencerie to reach the château, then turn right onto Rue Roger Vailland and right again onto Rue de Beauregard.
At the end of the street, turn right onto Chemin des Thibaudes and, at the three-way junction, turn right onto Rue Gabriel Voisin.

(7) Turn left onto Rue Gabriel Voisin, heading due south towards Col de France, and follow the yellow signposts.

(8) Take the hairpin bend to the left at the gate at the end of the pasture to enter the woodland and reach the Col de France.

(9) Cross the D98 with care to reach Mont Curtlet to the south-west. Climb the path and follow the main track to a junction. Take the path on the right and reach a junction.

(10) Turn right towards Mont Curent, then right again onto the Giroud woodland path to reach the D 936.

(11) Turn left at the road, heading towards Jasseron on the D936, for about 300 m.

(12) Turn left as you leave the main road and continue along this road towards the buried water reservoir. Turn left onto the Route de l’Abbé Grigo, pass under a power line, then take the dirt track on the right; take care not to slip.

(13) At the bottom of the tracks, turn right onto the Chemin de la Fontaine and pass under a power line again.

(14) Turn left onto the Sentier des Pies, then turn right to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 971 ft - Place Bernard Chanel in Jasseron.
  2. 1 : mi 0.22 - alt. 984 ft - Church on Rue Fratel.
  3. 2 : mi 0.5 - alt. 981 ft - On the left, near the cemetery
  4. 3 : mi 1.53 - alt. 906 ft - Turn right at the yellow arrow
  5. 4 : mi 2.8 - alt. 928 ft - On the left, Chemin des Pierres Blanches
  6. 5 : mi 3.51 - alt. 853 ft - On the right, before the houses
  7. 6 : mi 4.1 - alt. 892 ft - Turn left at the fork
  8. 7 : mi 4.72 - alt. 915 ft - Turn left at the fork, Col de France.
  9. 8 : mi 5.54 - alt. 1,040 ft - Turn left at the gate at the end of the pasture.
  10. 9 : mi 5.9 - alt. 1,217 ft - Col de France (370m)
  11. 10 : mi 7.31 - alt. 1,526 ft - Forest path junction
  12. 11 : mi 7.91 - alt. 1,053 ft - Turn left towards Jasseron.
  13. 12 : mi 8.12 - alt. 1,010 ft - Head towards the water reservoir
  14. 13 : mi 8.66 - alt. 955 ft - On the right: Chemin de la Fontaine
  15. 14 : mi 8.9 - alt. 968 ft - On the left is the Chemin des Pies.
  16. S/E : mi 9.08 - alt. 965 ft - Place Bernard Chanel in Jasseron

Notes

A water bottle, walking poles and hiking boots will be useful for your walk.

Park in the Place Bernard Chanel car park in the village of Jasseron.

Follow the yellow 10F markings.

Reviews and comments

3.4 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.4 / 5
Route interest
3.5 / 5
User 9337267

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Nothing to report

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tenebre6683
tenebre6683

Hello, sorry you didn’t enjoy the walk.
As for the street names, when I created it there weren’t as many houses, so there weren’t any street names; with all these new streets, the route would need to be redrawn from scratch.
As for the departmental road network, sorry, there’s no choice.
I’ll see if I can redo it and move the waypoints.
Looking forward to it

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Gomarrr
Gomarrr

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, I wouldn’t really recommend this route. The first part up to Meillonnas is nice and well signposted up to that point, but then the street names change in the village and the route is sorely lacking in detail (even though you clearly pass right by the church and the cemetery, for example). And I’m not sure exactly why, but I missed the ‘turn-off’ leading up to the Col de France path, which meant I followed the Chemin du Col de France down between the two ridges and ended up on the A-road, which I then had to walk along for 5–10 minutes – incredibly dangerous... I think I would have fared better with a detailed map and a compass. And it’s a shame, indeed, that the route doesn’t take you past Jasseron Castle either. In short, you might as well do another route between Meillonnas and Treffort, for example, which is more worth a look than Jasseron in my opinion.

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Eric3F
Eric3F

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I agree with one of the previous comments – there aren’t too many castles along the route, apart from Treffort...
Quite a few fairly steep climbs, not for everyone (personally, I think it makes for a great trail route, but as a hike... well, it’s a medium-to-difficult route)
The first section between Jasseron and Meillonnas goes through a lovely forest with wide paths. At the Col de France, after crossing the road, the path is very stony going uphill, and the descent is along a narrow track, steep in places and slippery in wet weather – take care.
The highlight is the variety of trails on this route. (Pebbles, dirt tracks, narrow or wider paths, dense forest or open spaces...)

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Morel jean paul
Morel jean paul

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A route for keen walkers; as the climbs are steep towards the end; and the signposting isn’t always very clear; otherwise, there are some lovely views,

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colette-alain
colette-alain

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The title "The Castles" is misleading. There are no castles (just a ruined tower and a fortified house).
The Col de France offers no view of the Bresse plain. There is a small view of the plain at Mont Curtet before the descent towards Jasseron. The remains of “La Pouape” are nowhere to be found.
The first section between Jasseron and Meillonnas passes through a beautiful forest with wide paths. At the Col de France, after crossing the road, the path is very stony on the ascent, and the descent is via a narrow track, steep in places and slippery in wet weather.

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tenebre6683
tenebre6683

Hello, thanks for the info. As soon as I can, I’ll pop round to change the route – that should make it a fair bit shorter, won’t it!?
See you soon and thanks for the information.

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augusto
augusto

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

PLEASE NOTE:
You no longer pass through Meillonnas at points 5 and 6, but go directly from 4 to after 7.
Signposts mark the new route north of Mont de Sanciat.
After point 4, turn right, then left onto the D 52 for 150 m; turn right, cross a new housing estate; at the end, turn left onto a path that climbs up to the Col de France

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noeleprevot
noeleprevot

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

There are numerous updates to be made regarding the streets shown on the map; indeed, some villages have renamed some of their roads, so the names no longer match

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Julien Busin
Julien Busin

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

As for the castles: a ruin and a castle that looks more like a stately home.
Lots of tarmac. No points of interest.
A disappointing route that I wouldn’t recommend.

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