A loop starting from Pollionay

A refreshing hike between Pollionnay, La Croix du Ban, Col de la Luère and the Château de Saint-Bonnet le Froid. Much of this route is through woodland.

Details

1045752
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.28 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 475 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 475 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 780 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 407 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park your vehicle near the Pollionnay chapel

(S/E) Walk along the left side of the chapel, then take the stairs behind it. Cross the road behind the chapel and take the street that climbs up opposite towards Les Mandrières. You will come to a large building with a climbing wall and a picnic area.

(1) Take the path to the left of the climbing wall. At a place called Le Rizoud, turn left and cross the road to continue straight ahead. Stay on this path until you reach the Croix du Ban crossroads.

(2) Cross theGR® de Pays des Monts du Lyonnais trail and head towards Les Marollières. The path gradually descends and joins a crossroads near a house on the left.

(3) Take the wide track that climbs up to the left. Walk along the well-fenced property that forms the corner of the two paths. Continue to a large water reservoir.

(4) At the reservoir, take a moment to admire the view over the village of Chevinay, then turn left towards the Col de la Luère. Walk alongside the Ruisseau du Caban stream to reach the pass.

(5) Cross the road and take the path on the right. This follows the road below. Continue to the Château de Saint-Bonnet le Froid.

(6) After visiting the château (restaurant), take the wide path on the left towards Vaugneray. Stay on this path for 800 metres.

(7) At the cross, turn left towards Col de la Luère to return there.

(5) Turn right onto the departmental road and continue for 350 metres. At the first hairpin bend, cross the road and take the tarmac path that descends opposite. Walk 400 metres to the first crossroads.

(8) Turn right and continue along the path that descends towards the hamlet of Le Bouillon. Walk behind the first house.

(9) Take the tarmac road, pass the second house and turn right onto the path immediately after. Continue downhill to La Sigodière.

(10) Turn left onto the path that passes to the left of the calvary and then rejoin the car park via the road (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 432 m - Pollionnay Chapel
  2. 1 : km 0.78 - alt. 478 m - Climbing wall/picnic area
  3. 2 : km 2.65 - alt. 603 m - Wayside cross; crossroads of tracks La Croix du Ban
  4. 3 : km 3.78 - alt. 525 m - Crossroads of tracks
  5. 4 : km 4.46 - alt. 501 m - Reservoir
  6. 5 : km 6.44 - alt. 715 m - Col de la Luère (714m)
  7. 6 : km 7.71 - alt. 755 m - Priory of Saint-Bonnet le Froid
  8. 7 : km 8.62 - alt. 697 m - Wayside cross; crossroads
  9. 8 : km 10.43 - alt. 643 m - Crossroads of tracks
  10. 9 : km 11.49 - alt. 501 m - Start of the tarmac road
  11. 10 : km 12.85 - alt. 408 m - La Sigodière crossroads
  12. S/E : km 14.28 - alt. 432 m - Pollionnay Chapel

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

4.6 / 5
Based on 19 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Tirounesj
Tirounesj

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful, easy hike, mostly in the woods, which is nice in summer! Thank you!

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Agon58
Agon58

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very poor written directions for this route, even though there are many PIRs that could have been used. We took a wrong turn at the end of the route because I wasn't paying enough attention and the bell didn't ring. Beautiful route, but busy.

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User 3321506

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely shaded route with beautiful views on the way back.
Many thanks to the creator of this route!

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Chaden
Chaden

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Hike done on 15 February during the week, so very few people. Lots of passages through the woods, so a hike to be repeated in summer. Nice spot halfway through for a picnic in St Bonnet le Froid. Hike done at a leisurely pace in 3½ hours without breaks.
Thanks to the author for this hike!

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Cécile Internations
Cécile Internations

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful walk in the morning mist and in the afternoon sunshine ☀️..

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Joey
Joey

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, partly under the trees, in the cool shade. Beautiful views in several places. We didn't meet anyone, but it was a Friday

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gotobc
gotobc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, I didn't comment on the description because I hike with my phone accessible at all times to check that we are on the right track. From this point of view, the route is perfect and we had no difficulty following it. In terms of the landscape, we enjoyed a magnificent autumn day, which allowed us to fully appreciate all the splendid views offered by this hike with its varied paths.
If you set off from Pollionnay, you will find a bakery run by a very friendly couple and a Vival supermarket open seven days a week

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Claire Lelong
Claire Lelong

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Perfect route for a hot summer's day. Very shady, very little tarmac, varied views to the east, south and west. Not too crowded for a Sunday.
A slight hesitation on the route between points 5 and 6, quickly corrected with the help of the GPS track.
After the Col de la Luère, heading towards point 8, it is possible to avoid the 350 metres of road by taking a small dirt track on the left-hand side of the road.

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FredericBonjour
FredericBonjour
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

This trail achieves its goal in terms of elevation gain, and there are some nice views, but I found it a bit bland overall.
You're on a forest track or trail, which is very accessible: a really good idea for trail running!
Now it's up to you to make up your own mind!

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A-Marie de Chap
A-Marie de Chap

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

On this Tuesday in July, the trail was very quiet. It often runs through woodland, which is ideal in summer. There is very little tarmac, just forest tracks and paths. It's a varied hike with beautiful views. So we extended it a little, going to the Malval pass via the GR de Pays trail and returning via the path that leads back to Saint Bonnet (see map + directional signs on site)

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chamalo69
chamalo69

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

perfect hike with plenty of shade, which is a plus in hot weather, but also very little road

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hugolea
hugolea

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a very beautiful hike with lots of undergrowth, which was exactly what we were looking for.
The path is sometimes very rocky, so wear good walking boots.
We did the hike on a Sunday, so there were lots of mountain bikes on the trail: very dangerous from this point of view as they don't look where they're going and go very fast without paying attention to hikers.

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picalau69
picalau69

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

In these somewhat gloomy times, both in terms of health and weather, this tour gave us a breath of fresh air and some very pleasant space... not to mention a good workout

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PORNICI
PORNICI

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful hike, mostly through the woods;

fairly long climb at the start and a section with loose stones on the descent; wear good shoes to avoid slipping;

some beautiful views of Lyon

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philbeal
philbeal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant walk with beautiful views of the city of Lyon.

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