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The walk starts in the centre of Meyssiez, a small village in Isère located halfway between Vienne and La Côte-Saint-André, along the D41. There is a car park located before a bridge over the Girond when coming from La Côte, on the left of the D41, between the school and the church.
(S/E) Leave the esplanade in front of the school, heading north, crossing the D41 to take the Chemin des Roches opposite. Your small road turns left and you pass thefirst ford.
(1) This first ford has been modified with a footbridge so you don't get your shoes wet. Very quickly, take the path on the left, just after the fence of a house. After a short climb, you will come out into a meadow. Continue straight ahead to reach a small road, which you take on the left. You will occasionally see yellow markings. After a bend, the markings tell you to turn right. You enter a copse. At a fork, take the left-hand path. You come out onto a small road, which you take on the right.
(2) Shortly afterwards, you will see a path on the right. The official signage indicates that this is a private path but that you may use it. You will pass a few car wrecks. Then you will walk between a field on the left and a wood on the right. At the end of the field, the path leads into the woods on the right and runs alongside another field. At the end of this field, your path turns left and joins a forest track. Turn right and walk up the Valaise valley, ignoring anything that may come from the right or left.
(3) Suddenly, your path turns left and climbs straight up the slope (don't worry, every centimetre you climb will be rewarded...). You will see white markers indicating the presence of underground pipes. Almost at the top of the climb, you will see a white-painted cement block. Take the forest track on the right. You will gently descend the slope you just climbed (I told you so...).
(4) You will pass an unpaved ford (when I crossed it, the stream was dry). Ignore the path coming from the left and continue your climb. You will reach some fields and a hamlet called Les Bruyères.
(5) You arrive at a small road. Cross it and descend opposite onto a grassy path. This path turns left on its own.
(6) You will come to a sign for "Grotte du Bénitier". As luck would have it, the cave is overlooking the path. Be careful, as the path leading to it is short (about fifteen metres) but difficult to navigate. Continue along the path, which turns 90° to the right.
(7) At the bottom of the valley, you will find thesecond ford on the Gère. If there is a lot of water, there is a barely visible footbridge on the right. You will arrive at a road (the D41). Make a left-hand/right-hand zigzag to take a dirt track on the other side, just before the bridge. Immediately after, you will come to a fork. Take the right-hand path. You will come out onto a road, which you should take on the left.
(8) At a T-junction, you will see a sign for "Le Grenadier". Turn left onto Chemin de Chenel. The road curves to the right. Very quickly, you will pass the entrance to a field and take the path on your right (there are blue markings in addition to the yellow ones). At a complex crossroads, ignore the path that branches off to the left, then the one that branches off to the right. You will cross a small asphalt road and continue straight ahead. At a T-junction, the paths are enclosed, so turn left. Further on, at a fork, turn right (yellow arrow on a post).
(9) You will cross a small asphalt road and continue straight ahead on the dirt track. Further on, you will come to a track, which you take on the left. You will come to another small road, which you take on the right.
(10) Very quickly, as the road turns to the right, take the beautiful path that leads off opposite you (ignoring the one on the left). You will come to a small road.
(11) You will see the sign for "Tour de Buis - alt. 450m". Continue straight ahead on Chemin de la Combe Ginot towards the Forêt des Blaches. When you reach a group of houses, ignore the track on your right. Continue along the wide, relatively straight track, ignoring any tracks that may come from the left or right.
(12) You will come to a sign for "Forêt des Blaches - alt. 450 m". Continue along the forest track. Very soon, you will see asecond sign for "Forêt des Blaches". Turn right towards Meyssiez. You will come to another path, which you should take on the right.
(13) You will come out of the woods and see the sign for "La Piencière - alt. 450 m". Continue straight ahead towards Meyssiez, 3 km away. At a fork, take the right-hand path. You will come to a small tarmac road which you follow downhill to the left. The road descends steeply. At a T-junction, turn right.
You will arrive at a small road. Go straight ahead (slightly to the right) along a house, taking a path that climbs slightly.
(14) You will arrive at a narrow passage. Two people cannot pass side by side, but it is 1.80 m high, so you can get through. You are under the LGV line (if you like thrills and are not in a hurry, you can wait for a TGV to arrive to feel the vibrations...). When you come out, turn left. After a bend, the road climbs up to a T-junction. Turn left and go down to the D41, where you turn right to return to your starting point (S/E).
. We'll be back!
Visorando Member
Easy 
