Tour of the Drom Valley

The route starts from the village of Ramasse, near the village hall and the church (parking spaces available).

(S/R) Head left, passing in front of the church, then straight on towards the east along the Route des Vallières. A little further on, turn right onto the Route de la Fruitière.

(1) Carry on straight ahead along Route de la Fruitière (towards Drom) until you reach a crossroad. Take a quick first turn left then right to continue along Chemin des Montioux. Shortly afterwards, the route follows a wide path uphill: ignore the two turn-offs to the right, then to the left. After a short descent, you’ll reach a third junction beneath a power line (not shown on the IGN map).

(2) Heading almost due north, follow the path on the left which climbs towards Drom. After a short while, pass under a power line and continue to the next junction.

(3) Turn left: the village of Drom comes into view. Shortly afterwards, continue to the right along a well-marked path, then turn left and reach a junction at the end of Chemin du Réservoir. Turn right and follow Rue de la Paix to the left, opposite the dairy.

(4) After passing the church and the town hall in Drom, carry straight on along Rue du Canal, then turn left onto Montée des Vignes and left again onto Chemin des Conches. Not far on, turn right onto an uphill path, following the sign for “Les Conches”. At the first junction you come to, take the path on the right. Further up, you’ll come to a road; follow it to the left for about a hundred metres, until you reach a junction where a path branches off to the right and another to the left.

(5) Take the path on the left, heading south-west, continue straight on and pass under a power line.

(6) About fifty metres further on, turn right towards the nearby road. Cross it and then continue to the left, following the^GR®® 59. You will reach the Notre-Dame de Conche Chapel, which offers some lovely views.

(7) Heading due south, follow the road for about a hundred metres, then take a path on the right, still on the^GR®®. You’ll reach the site of Saint-Julien-sur-Roche: the remains of an old chapel and a lovely viewpoint, particularly towards Jasseron Castle.

(8) Continue due south, straight on until you reach a fork in the path.

(9) Keep left, still following the^GR®®, until you reach the foot of the television relay station, a place known to some as Mont July.

(10) Carry on straight ahead along the road for about 300 metres, passing an observatory, and at the next junction – a sharp right-hand bend – turn left and continue for a further 300 metres or so.

(11) Turn right towards the nearby viewpoint, then continue along the path until you reach the end of the road (car park). Take a path almost directly opposite and you’ll soon arrive at the Col de la Pérouse.

(12) Turn right towards the Passerelle des Vendangeurs

(13) After taking in this lovely spot – well worth a detour – return along the same route.

(12) Follow the path opposite and continue to the village of Ramasse, going straight on at the various junctions you come to (S/E).

The starting point can be viewed on Google Maps: click here.

Please take your rubbish away with you – nature will thank you for it.

Here is a description of the difficulty levels for each section (the route is not uniform):
- green: a fairly straightforward route with no significant elevation changes or difficulties.
- blue: slopes and/or elevation changes are more pronounced on a well-marked route.
- Orange: routes presenting some technical difficulties and/or poor route conditions (markings or visibility of the path).

Numerous signposts have been installed all along the route, which should make it much easier to find your way. Please note that in some places the time indicated seems incorrect to me (in my view, it would have been more useful to indicate the distance remaining).

From (S/E) to (1): green difficulty.
An easy section along a quiet road
Signposts

From (1) to (4): green difficulty.
This section of the route is fairly easy.
No markings, but there are a few signposts.

From (4) to (5): green difficulty.
The route follows a path and then a track, both of which are straightforward.
White-blue markings + signposts

From (5) to (7): blue difficulty level.
The route follows a path with slightly steeper gradients but no major difficulties.
Yellow markings, then white-red (^GR®®). Signposts are present.

From (7) to (8): green difficulty level.
An easy route.
White-red markings (^GR®®). Signposts present.

From (8) to (10): blue difficulty.
The gradient is a little steeper, but there are no major difficulties.
White-red markings (^GR®®). Signposts present.

From (10) to (11): green difficulty.
The route follows a road and is easy to follow.
White-red markings (^GR®®). Signposts are present.

From (11) to (12): blue difficulty.
The route follows a path that is somewhat uneven in places (take care).
White-red markings (^GR®®). Signposts present.

From (12) to (13): blue difficulty.
Follow a wide path which is not particularly difficult (it may be slippery in wet conditions at most)
Yellow markings. Signposts are in place.

From (12) to (S/E): blue difficulty.
A fairly easy path is followed
No markings; signposts are present.

As an optional extra, I suggest taking a short detour to the Cabane du Maquis (about a 10-minute walk) after the Col de Pérouse (12). There is plenty of information available about this site.

• The dry Drom valley has no surface watercourses; the water flows underground through a network of fissures and cavities. According to the website of the Société des Naturalistes et Archéologues de l’Ain (click here), dye tests carried out at the Fay well are said to prove that the water flows from there to the Bourbou resurgence (in the commune of Neuville-sur-Ain).

• The Tunnel de l’Espoir, 980 metres long, was built on the initiative of Mr Hippolyte Gouilloux (mayor of Drom) between 1855 and 1869 to drain away water following catastrophic floods. To find out more, click here or here.

• Notre-Dame des Conches dates from 1839, but some archaeological excavations suggest that its origins are considerably older. To find out more, click here.

• The Church of Saint-Julien-sur-Roche in Ramasse: it lies in ruins and has been listed as a historic monument since 12 July 1945. Click here to find out more.

• Mont July and its television relay station, which came into service in 1962. Click here to find out more.

• The Grape-Pickers’ Footbridge: this was originally built over the Carpathian railway line (from Bourg-en-Bresse to La Cluse). During renovation work on the line to accommodate the TGV, it was moved to its current location. To find out more, click on the link here.

• The Maquis Hut: initially a hideout for those evading the Compulsory Labour Service in 1943, it was later used by local or passing members of the Resistance. To find out more, click on the link here.

• Jasseron Castle lies in ruins. To find out more, click here.