Villemoirieu Tower

We will tour the hamlets of this unusual commune, where the town hall, school, church, cemetery and village hall are located outside the residential areas. We will discover several châteaux, a bread oven and panoramic views of the Ain plain.

Details

411550
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.09 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 604 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 610 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,047 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 676 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

The start is at the square between the town hall and the cemetery.

(S/E) Cross the road, turn left as you go downhill and, at the end of the cemetery wall, turn right onto Rue Lamartine. Pass a turn-off on the right and, about 50m further on, leave the street and turn right onto Chemin de la Rupière. The path leads onto a road which you take to the right and, at the next junction, continue to the right.

(1) Take the first road on the left and look for a yellowPR®® signpost, which you will follow to the hamlet of Blied. After a bend, the road continues along a wide path and then a narrower track.

(2) Where this path joins a wide track, turn right, continuing to follow thePR®® markings, which will take you to the hamlet of Blied, through which you pass.

(3) At the Blied wash house, leave thePR®® markings on your left and turn right to find red and whiteGR®® markings, which you will follow to the chapel at Moirieu.

(4) At the chapel, cross the road and follow theGR®® signposting opposite to descend into the village of Moirieu via a footpath.

(5) At the bread oven, take the road on the left markedGR®®, which continues as a path after the last houses; follow this to the hamlet of Les Granges. Before reaching the 296m mark, take the path on the right, markedGR®® and not shown on the map. Keep left at the next Fork in the road.

(6) At the hamlet of Les Granges, leave theGR®® on your left and head down to the right into the hamlet. Cross through the hamlet and take the road on the left, Rue des Arèmes, then the next left, Rue des Roseaux.

(7) Turn left onto Rue du Four, then right onto Rue des Lavandières. At the fountain, rejoin theGR®® markings, which you follow.

(8) At the crossroads, leave theGR®® which heads off to the left and continue straight on, following the yellowPR®® markings. Pass the Château de Bienassis and continue straight on until you reach the D75.

(9) Cross it (take care) and continue straight on following the yellow markings. Pass through Beptenoud then continue along Rue de la Maison Forte, which you follow to the roundabout.

(10) Go round the roundabout on the right, pass between the bread oven and the fountain, and turn right onto the dead-end road. Follow it to the Étang de la Besseye.

(11) At the pond, turn right onto the old railway line and follow it to the D75.

(12) Cross the road, take the first path on the right then immediately left. Then take the first road on the left into the housing estate and, at the end, turn right to join a road. Follow it for about fifty metres, cross the road then take the first right.

(13) Turn left to enter the “Le Château” housing estate and follow Rue Commanderie, then Rue de Montiracle, turning right as you leave the estate. Continue following the yellowPR®® markings, which will take you straight back to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 768 ft - Square located between the town hall and the cemetery
  2. 1 : mi 0.64 - alt. 725 ft - Characterful house
  3. 2 : mi 1.24 - alt. 932 ft - Pretty building below
  4. 3 : mi 1.64 - alt. 948 ft - Blied wash house
  5. 4 : mi 2.07 - alt. 988 ft - Chapelle Saint-Maurice-de-Moirieu (Moirieu)
  6. 5 : mi 2.26 - alt. 915 ft - Moirieu bread oven
  7. 6 : mi 3.52 - alt. 817 ft - Les Granges, leave the GR and turn right
  8. 7 : mi 4.27 - alt. 745 ft - Castle - Maison Forte de Mallin (Villemoirieu)
  9. 8 : mi 4.73 - alt. 787 ft - Château de Bienassis (Villemoirieu)
  10. 9 : mi 5.33 - alt. 689 ft - Caution: tricky road crossing
  11. 10 : mi 5.93 - alt. 682 ft - Bread oven, Fountain
  12. 11 : mi 6.5 - alt. 679 ft - On the right, at the pond
  13. 12 : mi 6.87 - alt. 686 ft - Caution: tricky road crossing
  14. 13 : mi 7.39 - alt. 689 ft - View of Montiracle Castle
  15. S/E : mi 8.09 - alt. 764 ft - Square located between the town hall and the cemetery

Notes

(S/E) Water point at the cemetery, start and finish.
(8) At Bienassis Castle, you can return to the start by taking the road on the right (shortcut).

Worth a visit

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 25 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
Fabrice0869
Fabrice0869

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed today in 3 hours and 40 minutes.
Quite varied, with beautiful castles, which is nice. There are either small country roads or a bit of tarmac, but this isn't a problem except for those who really don't like it.
At point 6, we also preferred to follow the GR on the left, marked with dotted lines on the map. It was nicer in the forest, but it was uphill.
The GPS track is spot on, I preferred to follow it rather than read the description.
As for picnics, I recommend waiting until you reach the pond at point 11, as it's the only really nice place to take a break, and after 10 km, you'll have earned it.
thank you to the author for the route

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DDDECINES
DDDECINES

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike in May, especially in the hills. More tedious when it's hot for the last part. But we embellished the route with a little detour to the Château des Minéraux, where the bar was open in a pretty natural setting surrounded by flowers. Thank you to the author.

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TIFTUF65
TIFTUF65

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

heritage walk: dry stone walls, several castles, bread ovens, wash houses, beautiful properties, Lyon-Isère railway line.
a few tips for finding your way around:
- to start with, just go down the street after the cemetery and take the first grassy path on the right marked "ch de la Rupière" before a small bridge
- at the end of the narrow path (2) that runs alongside a long wall, take the wide path on the right, but this is no longer the PR, which continues straight ahead after the iron gate.
- at point (6), I preferred to continue along the GR in the forest rather than go down the road to the hamlet of Les Granges (marked with a dotted line on the map)
- at point (9), I would say: take Rue de la Maison Forte on the left
it's true that after Beptenoud, there's a lot of road: the pond is nice and you can see the tracks of the old Eastern railway line.
you can picnic by the pond and also in the square in Beptenoud near the chapel.
the water is turned off from November to March at the Villemoirieu cemetery, but there are very modern and clean toilets next to the car park.

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fch53
fch53

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, but too many roads, quite busy. I do not recommend it for a large group, as the route requires too much attention.

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frebeau
frebeau

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

The first part of the circuit is very pleasant, with few roads (paths and forest).
The second part is uninteresting: only roads and crossings through villages or housing estates.
Use the shortcut in the description to return to the starting point (and limit the hike to 5-6 km).

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marikgrr
marikgrr

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A bit too much tarmac on the second part of the route.
But a beautiful, well-marked hike
Thank you

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spm83
spm83

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely route in May. Beautiful castles along the route.

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Gerard.REYNAUD
Gerard.REYNAUD

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route, nature, local architecture!
A few minor issues to note:
It would be good to add the address (Rue Lamartine) of the starting point, which is accessible to all car satnavs, as opposed to the coordinates, which come in a variety of formats
Between 1 and 2, there is a path running alongside a property that is not very easy to spot!

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GD69690
GD69690

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The description requires following markers that are not visible.

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Mavapath
Mavapath

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

The directions and markings are not as precise as the details on your app!

Do you mention the directions and markings on the ground?

This is the second time we have been unable to follow the planned route.

Why? What happened? Can you be more specific?

I don't understand the problem

Because with the GPS app or a GPS device, it's impossible to lose your bearings and get lost.

I use the app and/or a GPS every day, even off-trail, and I have never got lost (with the app and/or my GPS)

See you soon

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muriel_cuzzaini
muriel_cuzzaini

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The directions and markings are not accurate enough compared to the details on your app!
This is the second time we have been unable to follow the planned route.

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Chasseur69
Chasseur69

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A great way to explore the countryside and discover new places. My wife and I had a wonderful time, taking interesting photos. The route was well described and easy to follow.

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masdelaraz38
masdelaraz38

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely family walk in the spring sunshine. Make sure you take enough water with you as there are few drinking fountains along the route. However, as with other routes, my Garmin eTrex 35 shows the distance as 15 km rather than 13 km... which is 2 km more than expected. Otherwise, everything was perfect, and I would happily do it again.

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Val C.
Val C.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk. The route was easy to follow thanks to the markings on the ground. I cut short at stage 8 because the 13 km would have been too much for me.

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