The Pierres Dorées and the Vineyards of Châtillon

Parking at Place du 11 Novembre, in the lower part of Châtillon. Access via the D385 road. N.B. The former name of the village was Châtillon-d’Azergues, a name still found on road signs.

(S) From the square, head towards the foot of the Divo Camillo church (inscription on the pediment). Take the path that winds its way between the right-hand side of the church and the wall of a house (no. 18). Climb a flight of steps and, at no. 26, turn left. When you reach the church bell tower, turn right and walk past the wayside cross. At a small square, turn left. You’ll come out onto a main road and turn right. After a bend to the left, take the steps on the left towards the chapel (sign). Pass the Chemin de l’Enfer coming from the left and, at the top of the steps, turn right onto the Chemin du Bois du Four. After a few metres, turn left to climb quickly up to the chapel.

(1) Retrace your steps. Take the Chemin du Bois du Four on the left. You’ll come out at the junction of streets and paths at the edge of the village.

(2) On the left, two paths lead north-north-west: take the path on the right (yellow marker); the one on the left, not shown on the map, leads to the Saint-Roch Cemetery (sign). Stay on this wide path, heading north-west. Climb up through fields and then through vineyards. Pass a small copse on your left and reach a sort of pass offering a fine view, beyond which the path descends gently.

(3) Turn back and return to the village exit via the same route as on the way there.

(2) Do not take the street you used on the way there, which goes up to the right, but continue straight ahead along the "Rempart Nord" (information sign). The street passes at the foot of the chapel steps taken on the way there and then turns right. Continue straight on to the Esplanade des Vingtain. At number 471, turn left onto a small flight of steps and then left again onto a path. At a fork (street lamp), turn left. After a few metres, turn right, go down a flight of steps and then onto a footpath. You will come out onto the Ancienne Grand Rue (information sign “échoppe”). Turn left and continue straight on until you reach the foot of the church. You will find the Place du 11 Novembre on your right.

A good pair of trainers is sufficient for this walk.

It is, of course, possible to limit the walk to the “village” section: when you reach point (2) after the chapel, do not take the path on the left but turn right and follow the route described in the last paragraph.

Walk undertaken by the author on 24 May 2015.

In the village of Châtillon:
- Church at the starting point.
- Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours Chapel (12th century, restored in the 19th century) at (1). Open to visitors from April to October, in the afternoons.
- Ruins of the old fortified castle (12th–13th centuries), at the foot of which the chapel is situated (1). Private property, not open to visitors.
- Numerous houses built of golden stone.

At the “top” of the walk (3): a beautiful view of the Monts du Beaujolais to the north.