Features: River – religious monuments – historic buildings – railway

Overview: Accessible for all

Time: around 2 hours     Km: 8,5 km

Description: My start point was the big car park next to the church in Pouilly. If you don’t know the area, have a look at the map you can find at the bottom. There, you can also download the trajectory.

Before you start off on your walk you should take a minute to look at the church. The Église Saint-Pierre de Pouilly is the oldest building in St. Genis-Pouilly, and it is also among the oldest buildings in the whole of Pays de Gex.

The church was constructed in the 12^th century on the ruins of a Roman villa. Over the years there have been numerous modifications made to the building, but the church choir remains as it was originally. The bell tower and the nave were built in the middle of the 19^th century, and the two side chapels were built in 1847.

Inside the church there are two valuable old paintings. One of these was given by the emperor Napoleon in 1861.

To start walking, go back to the roundabout and follow Chemin de la Lechere all the way until you see the Botanic garden centre on your right. On the way there, you will be walking past the allotment gardens where you might see people growing their own vegetables in the summer months.

Just before the entrance to Botanic and the new sports shop and climbing centre you will see a narrow pathway on you right.  It is marked with a little blue stick. This little pathway will take you to the statue of La Vierge des Marais.

Few people know about this statue and even fewer have visited this monument which is basically located in the middle of nowhere. Its history, however, is fascinating.

In the 12^th century, the lordship of Gex drained the surrounding land and built a castle to protect the pathway from Geneva to St. Claude via the Crozet pass. This castle was then destroyed in the 15^th century by the Savoyards.

Because of an outbreak of fever in the villages of Pregnin and Pouilly, the swampland was drained again in 1817 as an attempt to protect the people. It was largely believed that the causes of the disease were to be found in the swamp. Despite this drainage, people in the nearby villages still got fever and diseases. The locals then asked for protection from the church because some believed that an evil spirit, the “virgin of the swamp”, was the main culprit.

In 1858 the statue was erected thanks to donations and work provided by the local people. In the 19^th century children were baptized there on summer days. Every 31^st May the inhabitants from the surrounding villages went in procession to La Vierge des Marais. Today these rituals have largely been forgotten, and very few now make theit way to this place that at some point in time was very important for people living in Pregnin and Pouilly.

Back on the main path, continue up Rue de la Faucille until you see Hotel Kyriad. Here, you take left and continue straight on as you walk past the Boulodrome (yes, we’re in France!) and cross the Allondon river. You then arrive at a crossing where you take right and walk across a roundabout. Follow the little road next to Sidefage and after a few meters you will pass an area for motorbike sports. You’ll find yourself on a small pathway. Walk along the old and closed-down railway line (no need to look out for trains!). After a few hundred meters, around the 3 km mark, I suggest you walk down to the river to listen to the sound of running water. If you’ve paid your fishing licence (www.cartedepeche.fr), this a good spot to try your luck with the fishing rod.

Back on the main track, continue along it, and when you arrive at the seemingly abandoned training area for mountain biking on your left side, take right and you’ll soon be in the small hamlet with the not-so-attractive name (in English) of Flies.

On your route back to Pregnin I suggest you walk past the Chalet Suisse. This building, which as its name implies resemble a Swiss chalet, has a fascinating history.

In 1947 the “Swiss colony of the Pays de Gex” was founded at the Swiss passport office in Gex. This association of Swiss locals did not have their own meeting place, and the 1^st August was celebrated in many different locations over the next 25 years. Eventually, the association was able to buy a plot in Flies at a very good price, and with donations from its members they managed to construct their own building in 1972.

Inside the chalet, all the Swiss cantons and their coats of arms are reproduced. The association is still active and offers information to people who seek to become Swiss. The Chalet Suisse can also be rented for marriage celebrations, birthday parties and seminars.

Walk back to the roundabout and continue to the village of Pregnin. Take your time walking through the village as there are many old and beautiful houses. Finally, find Rue de L’Eglise and walk back to the church and the starting point.

Happy walking!