Country:
District:
The route starts at the exit of the village of Torcieu (towards Ambérieu-en-Bugey - Grande Rue).
(S/E) Take the Chemin des Plantées, which slopes gently upwards.
(1) When you reach the buildings (l'Atelier des Roses), turn left and follow the path. After passing a path on your right, you will see some buildings: continue straight ahead.
(2) You will see more buildings (La Vie Blanche): continue past the first one on the left (respecting private property): a path starts to the right of the second building, going uphill, then continues without any significant elevation change to a meadow (follow the blue markings).
(3) Le Petit Pré is a wide open space offering beautiful views of the valley. Turn right onto the path (still marked in blue): this climbs quite steeply for a good distance (passing close to the entrance to a cave).
The slope suddenly levels out and then descends gently to the Prés Charvet. You will soon reach a fork in the path.
(4) Turn left and then almost immediately right (as indicated by the blue markings) to take a short, slightly steep path. The path then continues with a series of ups and downs before reaching a fork.
(5) Turn left; leave the blue markings and follow the yellow ones. A little further on, go straight ahead at another fork, staying on the yellow trail.
In the undergrowth, the relatively wide path climbs steadily to Mont Charvet (altitude 753 metres).
(6) This is the highest point of the route (a somewhat unremarkable spot with limited interest).
Begin the descent for about 2 km. Be sure to follow the yellow trail, ignoring the other paths to the right and left (pay close attention to one of the forks where the trail is not very visible).
(7) You will come to a fork. Turn left and follow the yellow trail. After a short descent, the path leaves the forest and joins theGR®59(white and red markings) at La Ravière.
(8) At the fork, turn right to reach the small hamlet of Allymes a little further on.
(9) Turn right and follow the small road for just under 400 metres (leaving theGR® trail).
(10) At the start of a bend, take an ascending path on the right (no visible signs). This path climbs steadily without excess in the undergrowth (at one point, do not follow the ascending path on the right) to reach a small road a little higher up. Follow this road on the left to reach the hamlet of Brédevant (Brey-de-Vent).
(11) Turn left and keep left to head towards the Château des Allymes, located at the top of the hill.
(12) From here, enjoy the view, walk around the building and visit it if you have time.
Retrace your steps a little, then take the first path on the right to join theGR®. Follow this path until you reach a small road, which you should cross. The path then takes you back to the hamlet of Allymes, located a little further down.
(9) At the small church, continue almost straight ahead on theGR® (towards Saint-Germain). You will soon reach the fork in the path that you saw on the way to La Ravière.
(8) Continue straight ahead on theGR® trail, crossing a few meadows before reaching the forest. Shortly after Combe à Sadet (marked on a sign), the trail joins a forest path. Continue along this path. A little further on, you will come to a Y-junction.
(13) Turn left, staying on the forest track and leaving theGR® trail. Continue along this good track, which climbs moderately for a short while. At a fork, continue along the path on the left, uphill. Stay on the wide track.
This leads to an open area where there is a high-voltage power line.
(14) Turn right onto a path. This path continues through the undergrowth with little elevation gain until it reaches a fork.
(15) Turn left (south) onto the most visible path. You will soon reach the crossroads you passed on the way there, near Prés Charvet.
(4) Continue straight ahead, following the red or yellow markings. A little further on, go straight ahead at a fork (the markings are not very visible here). After a short climb, the path descends steeply for a short distance (caution!).
The slope levels out shortly afterwards, leading to the rocky Moines passage on the ridge.
(16) Continue straight ahead, but be careful on certain sections. There are a few viewpoints along the way. The path (still marked in red or yellow) joins the Croix des Moines located below (be careful again on a few tricky sections).
(17) At the Croix des Moines, you can enjoy beautiful views of the valley: continue to the right on the path down a steep slope (be careful again!). The trail joins a good path to follow on the right: just before some facilities (a rose garden), look for a small cross and an old sign on the right (the latter is actually the starting point of the blue and red marked routes that you have already followed).
(18) From here, take a short path on the left to reach the village of Torcieu below (not signposted but normally clearly visible) and join the Grande Rue: turn right and return to the starting point (S/E).
Visorando member
Moderate 
Very difficult 
Association / Club / Walk leader
