Features: Forest – river – ruins – history – panorama view
Overview: Accessible for all, but be prepared for a couple of steep uphill climbs
Time: around 2,5-3 hours Km: 8,5
You will find the map for this walk at the end of this post.
Description: This walk starts from the parking atFort l’Ecluse. The exit for the parking is right after the tunnel if you are coming from the Pays the Gex region; make sure to start braking before you exit the tunnel as it is very easy to miss (speaking from my own experience here).
The walk is marked with yellow signposts, but I think there must have been a lot of water flowing down the river Rhone lately because for the stretch along the river’s edge it’s not so obvious where to walk. Hopefully the commune of Leaz will fix this, because it is a very beautiful walk that more people should discover.
Follow the signpost that takes you along the Chemin du Lavoux and past a very cute collection of houses and gardens.
When you come to the railway lines, you cross over, turn right and walk through a small underpass. Follow the path until you come to the Moulin the Condière crossing, then follow the small path on your left side that will take you to Leaz-village.
As you walk down along the old stream, you’ll notice something interesting on the right side of the path: you’re passing lots of old ruined houses, some of them barely visible in the overgrowth of bushes and trees. This is a clear sign of milling activity from way back. Try to imagine this as a very lively place back in the days, when many families would have been working and living here.
Les Moulins de Condrière:
The first mills were built in the 14th century, so around 700 years ago. These mills were the main component of a lucrative commercial and economic activity in the region. At the time, the local activities also included of gold panning. The Lord of Leaz built a sawmill and established a ferry service on the Rhone to transport the goods. This being along the travel route from Geneva to Lyon, the Lord of Leaz also built an inn to provide travellers a bed and time to rest their feet.
Follow the path until you come to the stream named le Rochefort. Normally there should be a small bridge to take you across. However, as mentioned, there must have been a lot of water in the area this year, because the bridge is gone. Hopefully, the commune will replace it soon. For now you’ll have to jump across on the rocks, which is luckily not too difficult.
Once over the stream, walk up until you find two paths. Both will take you to Leaz. I chose the one on the left which took me along the Rhone and below the belvedere. Stay on this path until you meet a road and walk up to the village of Leaz. The village is very charming, so take some minutes to explore before you follow the signposts towards the belvedere and the Vierge de Leaz.
Castle ruin:
In the 19th century, an inscription found in the ruins show that the site on the hill has been occupied since Roman times.
In the 12th century it was property of the Priory of Payerne (Vaud, Switzerland).
In the 13th century, Leaz, thanks to the Baron of Gex Simon de Joinville and his wife became a market town. This basically meant that the Baron of Gex could legally claim half of the profits made by the hard-working millers and any other prosperous activity.
This economic prosperity continued into the 14th century.
The religious wars in the 16th century and the annexation of Pays de Gex by France in 1601 destroyed the castle and must have changed the life for everyone living in the houses just below the belvedere summit. If you look closely you can see traces of the ancient houses on the slopes of the hill.
Legend of saint Victoire:
Victoire was a teenage girl who looked after a herd of goats on the peaks of the Vuache mountain. One day she heard a voice telling her to build a chapel (this apparently happened a lot back in those days). She then erected a chapel on the western tip of the Vuache and founded a small religious community.
The years passed in peace and meditation until groups of Saracens (which was the term used in the middle ages to refer to Arab Muslims) went up the Rhone valley to raid and plunder the villages near the river (another popular activity back in those days).
Hoping to find valuables, the plunderers climbed the mountain. Victoire, who had been able to shelter her nuns, suddenly finds herself surrounded by the Saracens. When cornered at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Rhone, she prefers to throw herself into the void rather than to fall into the hands of the invading Saracens. But, according to legend, God could not ignore such a faithful servant, and an invisible hand seized Victoire as she was about to crash to the ground and carried her across the river to the rock in Leaz. Victoire was then sheltered by the residents of Leaz and would later return back to the other side of the Rhone to rebuild her chapel.
After taking in the history and the beautiful view of the Rhone, you continue the circuit. Keep to your right after the parking when coming down from the belvedere and take the first path you see on your righthand side. This will take you back to the stream Rochefort. After the stream you also have the option between two paths. You can choose to pass the Moulins de Condrière again or take the upper path. They will both take you back to your starting point and the parking at Fort l’Ecluse.
Happy walking, and feel free to share!
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