A walk on the Retord plateau

A gentle walk on the Retord plateau.

Details

61097
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.42 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 269 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 267 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,342 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,143 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at Les Bergonnes (1,150 m) at the end of the D3-9b road.

(S/E) Head south-east on the track towards the Croix des Terments (1197m) where you will rejoin theGR®9.

(1) Continue left on theGR®9, leaving it shortly after by turning right to follow the direction of Beauregard (1300m).

(2) Wide panorama with a plexiglass structure indicating the direction of the main peaks.
Continue north for 600m along a small, more or less marked path. Below, you will see a wide track also heading north. This is theGR®9: join it by crossing a small wood.

(3) Turn right and continue north for a long time through the woods until you reach the Crêt du Nû sign (1351m).

(4) Turn right. The summit is slightly off the path and a little further on, there is a panoramic view.

(5) Return to theGR®9.

(4) Turn right and continue north through the woods, crossing two clearings before coming out onto a vast meadow covered with daffodils. Descend to the Tumet farm (1,231 m).

(6) Here you can take a shortcut by heading west towards the Grange à Lucien. Otherwise, continue north along the track that climbs up to the crossroads at the Grange de la Charnay.

(7) Leave theGR®9now and head west towards the Ferme de Retord (1270m). You can make a detour by going straight ahead to an old cemetery.

(8) Head south towards Grange à Lucien (1,233 m).

(9) Continuing south, you will arrive at the 1240m point where you will find the signpost for "La Bauche".

(10) At the sign, head south-east. There are numerous tracks criss-crossing the terrain. If you take a wrong turn, refer to the map. You can get back on track by following a path heading east, which will take you back to the path descending southwards and leading back to Les Bergonnes.
Continue to the junction at elevation 1183.

(11) Turn left and return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,149 m - Les Bergonnes car park
  2. 1 : km 0.71 - alt. 1,199 m - Croix des Terments
  3. 2 : km 1.62 - alt. 1,285 m - Beauregard
  4. 3 : km 2.22 - alt. 1,291 m - GR9 junction
  5. 4 : km 3.4 - alt. 1,341 m - Near the Crêt du Nû
  6. 5 : km 3.54 - alt. 1,340 m - Panorama
  7. 6 : km 5.8 - alt. 1,234 m - Ferme des Tumets
  8. 7 : km 7.16 - alt. 1,258 m - Charnay
  9. 8 : km 8.22 - alt. 1,270 m - Ferme du Retord
  10. 9 : km 10.04 - alt. 1,234 m - Lucien's barn
  11. 10 : km 11.01 - alt. 1,240 m - La Bauche sign
  12. 11 : km 12.97 - alt. 1,183 m - Intersection, on the left
  13. S/E : km 14.42 - alt. 1,143 m - Les Bergonnes car park

Notes

Ferme du Retord: stopover lodge, refreshments, restaurant, friendly welcome for chilled hikers.
Stay alert to keep your bearings after passing La Ferme du Retord.
Walk recorded with the Visorando app on 10 May 2014.

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

4.5 / 5
Based on 46 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Vero55
Vero55

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent landscapes and varied vegetation. All the meadows and undergrowth were yellow with daffodils. However, once past the Beauregard viewpoint, the route becomes more complicated... there are no signposts and the path is almost non-existent, so be sure to turn left to join the GR9, which can be seen below... the rest is easy to follow... until you reach Lucien's barn, where you should turn left to return to the car park... But there are no signs and several tracks have been ravaged by racing cars and forestry vehicles... what a shame...
Otherwise, highly recommended... with a compass and a specialised hiking GPS...

Machine-translated

marikgrr
marikgrr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a beautiful day, a little chilly, and there are 20 of us hiking.
The route is pleasant, with many beautiful paths through pastures and light forests of beech and fir trees dusted with snow.
The route takes us from one historical site to another, passing five farms where the Ain maquis (resistance fighters) set up camp in 1943-1944. Five information panels describe their story. A moving moment of remembrance... between Hotonnes and the Plans d'Hotonnes resort, where we enjoy a glass of mulled wine.
Thank you for this wonderful walk.

Machine-translated

Claude L.
Claude L.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

From Les Bergonnes, the path follows the GR9 - GR509 Jura crossing until La Chanay. Very well signposted. A very pleasant hike through fields of daffodils.
The return journey after the Retord farm is a little less well signposted and takes you through cattle herds.
After the La Bauche sign, there are no markings and you really need to be very careful not to get lost in the woods and the ravages of forestry work.
A beautiful, easy hike on the Retord plateau with lovely panoramic views. Highly recommended.

Machine-translated

richardd
richardd

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Easy hike on a beautiful plateau with superb views of the Alps and Mont Blanc.

Machine-translated

trebig
trebig

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

No change

Machine-translated

Waitukubuli
Waitukubuli

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with lots of forests, stunning views and hills reminiscent of the savannah. Mountain bikers will love these trails. A fairly wild area.

Machine-translated

jecharnay
jecharnay

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The signposting was impeccable, except after the Retord farm, where the sign indicating Lucien's barn had been slightly turned by someone who was not very considerate. We ended up at the Retord chapel inn. The innkeeper, who was very friendly, showed us a new route to the Bergonnes car park. The result: an extra 2 km!

Machine-translated

000357
000357

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent walk. No daffodils yet, but plenty of jonquils and erythrones.

Machine-translated

phdorando
phdorando

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in the sunshine. There was still quite a bit of snow on the trail, but it wasn't too much of a problem.
The route is reliable and the signs are clear. A few posts are down, so you need to be careful.
An easy hike that can be done with the family.

Machine-translated

Grandcolas JPh
Grandcolas JPh

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike in the mid-range mountains, with a varied route rich in heritage, ideal for summer or snowshoeing

Machine-translated

gerard.dussud
gerard.dussud

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with breathtaking views of the Alps, perfect for a snack break. The route is easy to follow, alternating between woodland and wide open spaces. An ideal circuit for beginners with children. Definitely worth doing again.

Machine-translated

Mol
Mol

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, easy family hike.
Do it in reverse when the weather is hot!

Machine-translated

didrobin
didrobin

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike to be repeated again and again

Machine-translated

ben1
ben1

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent 4 hour 20 minute walk, the first part of which was in the snow up to the Tumets farm (point 6)!
after the Retord farm, it was a little less pretty, but there were some beautiful expanses of daffodils!!!
We will return to the Retord plateau to do some more (especially the one in the scrubland)
Highly recommended

Machine-translated

sevyviso2017
sevyviso2017

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.