Circular loop between Margencel and Mésinges

Park in the car park at the Stade Louis Gillet, located at the bottom of the village of Margencel.

Red and yellow markings (rare)

(S/E) Leave the car park via the vehicle exit, turn left and walk between two football pitches. Then head down a wide stony path. At a signpost, turn right and cross a stream.

Yellow markings (rare and faded)

At the T-junction, turn right (let the^GRP® Littoral du Léman head off to the left). Head towards the edge of the woods and then enter the woods. As you leave the woods, the path gives way to tarmac: continue straight ahead.

(1) At a junction (with a barrier blocking a private road opposite), turn right and head downhill. At the ‘give way’ sign, veer right and walk up the road, preferably on the right-hand side (better visibility). At the next “give way” sign, turn sharply right and follow the D133 on the right-hand pavement. Cross the road at^{the first} pedestrian crossing and take Chemin de Dursilly. Cross the railway line at the level crossing.

(2) Immediately afterwards, take a wide path on the right. The path turns left straight away at the foot of an antenna. At the fork at the entrance to a wood, take the left-hand path (south-southeast; the path shown as dotted lines on the IGN map and heading east appears to no longer exist). Climb steeply and ignore an even steeper shortcut on the left. The slope levels out and the path leads to a T-junction.

Unmarked

(3) Turn left here and continue climbing gently. Leave the woods, continue along the edge and ignore a path coming from the left (no entry sign).

(4) At the junction shortly afterwards (small rock on the left), take a path on the right that is half tarmac, half gravel. Note the two castles of Allinges high up on the left, opposite the Signal des Voirons and the Salève, and, gradually coming into view on the right, Lake Geneva. The track gives way to tarmac and, after the^first houses, head downhill, ignoring three small lanes on the left.

(5) At the junction (signpost), continue straight ahead in a 30 km/h zone (Rue des Crêts). At the Stop sign (fountain), cross the road and follow it to the right. Go round the chapel on the left for safety and arrive at its entrance. Retrace your steps.

Red and yellow markings

(5) Back at the signpost, turn left and follow the^GRP® downhill. At the fork that appears shortly afterwards, turn right. The tarmac gives way to a stony path. Go straight downhill and ignore a path branching off to the right. At a three-way junction (signpost “Le Cerisier”), turn left and cross the railway line at the level crossing. Continue downhill and, after a flat section, climb back up to the D233 road.

No signposting

(6) At the “give way” sign, first turn left then right to follow the Route de la Croix (take care when crossing the D233 as it is a busy road and there is no pedestrian crossing). At the stop sign, turn right. Then take the^first left, towards the stadium. As you approach the stadium, go down a flight of steps on the left to reach the car park (S/E).

Good walking shoes are sufficient for this short walk, which takes place on quiet country lanes and well-maintained paths.

Water point at the Mésinges fountain (6).

A detailed map is useful (at the very least the one accompanying this description).

Hike undertaken by the author on 22 August 2020.

- Alternating rural and woodland scenery between (2) and (5).
- Beautiful views between the junction at the 519m mark and Mésinges (5).
- Beautiful houses, a fountain and a chapel (not particularly charming) in Mésinges, after (5).