Tag Archives: hiking

Daytripping

France: The Giant Kettles in Saint Germain de Joux (Les Marmites de Geant) and Combe Michel

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Features: Forest – river – history – panorama view

Overview: I will say it is a medium to difficult walk, mainly because of the crossing of the scree

Time: around 3-4 hours               Km: 10                Hight to climb: 568

You will find the map at the bottom of this page.

This walk brings you to the heart of the Semine valley, and you will be able to explore its hydraulic heritage.

The staring point is in the centre of Saint Germain-de-Joux where it should be relatively easy to find a parking spot for your car. I found ample parking right next to the church.

To find the start of the walking path you’ll have to walk 50 meters down in the direction of Bellegarde on rue de la Gare.

You will soon see the familiar yellow signpost which is right after the petanque area on your left-hand side. The path will take you down to the Giant kettles – but before going there, you should take some time to explore the old sawmill.

The water wheel, which has been completely restored, measures 7,54 meters in diameter and has 96 blades. This makes this water wheel the biggest in the department de l’Ain.

Back in the good old days this little village had no fewer than eight sawmills along the two rivers that connects here, and the last one closed as late as 1998.

One of these sawmills also used to cut stone coming from a neighbouring quarry, and most of the churches in the area were then build with these stones coming from Saint Germain-de-Joux.

When crossing over the bridge you will see a new yellow sign indicating the hiking path. Follow the path down along the river to Les Arcis.

From Les Arcis, follow the signs towards Combe Michel and Marnod,

until you reach this signpost:

The first time I tried to walk this route I was not able to find the path. I admit I was very badly equipped, with no good map, but to my excuse there was also a lot of forest work going on which has changed the original pathway. The trick is to not be tempted to walk down, to walk no longer than 100 meters in a straight line from the sign and keep your eyes to the left. Then, in between the trees, you will see a small path. When you’ve found it, it will take you up into the forest of Beloz.

After some minutes you will reach Pierrier du Rocher de Beloz. This is a mass of loose stones that cover the slope of the mountain. Such masses are also called screes.

Crossing this scree can be daunting. My friend who came along with me was very quick and focused on a rapid crossing, and we were both happy to put our feet back on an earthy path after the approximately 50 meters walking on loose gravel. The forest itself is amazing, with threes overgrown with moss. Bring a camera because with the right light you can take amazing photos here. You will also get a really good view of the motorway and viaducts and witness how it is sculpted into the landscape. I have so many times seen the nature from a car window along the highway. Looking at the highway from another viewpoint enables you to admire the great engineering knowledge that’s made this highway possible.

Moving on along the path takes you up and over to Combe Michel, before you start to descend back to Saint Germain-de-Joux past the small hamlet of houses in Marnod.

In Petit Marnod, we started to wonder if we’d lost track of the path, since we were faced with a barrier across the road. The trick is to walk past it and continue until you see a wall of three logs. The path follows these logs to the left. You will soon be rewarded with another great viewpoint of Saint Germain-de-Joux, the highway, and some small summits.

The Marnod is a really charming hamlet of houses and you will be walking along the road that connected these houses to St. Germain-de-Joux. If you are lucky and find some of the locals out and about enjoying their coffee or a glass of wine, they’ll be happy to talk with you. They also have a really great sense of humour and could end up asking you to watch out for crocodiles and toy cars!

Follow the signs down to Longefand and then back to Saint Germain-de-Joux.

Happy walking, and feel free to share!

Walks around Pays de Gex

France: Walking from Gex to Creux de l’Envers

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This is a walk that can be done almost the whole year around. In the springtime it is impressive to watch the quantity and speed of the water. In the summer it is nice to have a walk in the shadow of the threes, and in the autumn the colors are impressive. You will find the map at the bottom of this post.

Creux de l’Envers translates into English as a V-shaped north-facing riverine valley.

Did you know that Gex has the largest community forest in the Ain department with 1770 hectares?

Most of the forest, 1640 hectares, is a productive forest, and a small part is protected.

We depend on forests for our survival, from the air we breathe to the wood we use. Besides providing habitats for animals and livelihoods for humans, forests also mitigate or prevent the impacts of natural hazards. The protected forest is usually kept that way for preventing such things as rockfalls, avalanches, erosion or landslides, that otherwise might affect people or assets.

In recent years the climate has become much dryer and significant lack of water can cause stress on the trees. The lack of water can cause the trees to weaken, which will make them much more vulnerable for insect attacks, diseases and death. The forest workers are constantly working on increasing their knowledge on how to best protect and maintain the forest against these changes cause by increased temperatures.

Creux de l’Envers is the source of the river Journans that flows through Gex and other communes in Pays de Gex before it ends up in the Rhone and eventually the Mediterranean Sea.

I started my walk from the Place Perdtemps in Gex where it is easy to find a parking spot for the car. If you want to go even further by car you should drive up Chemin des Galas or Chemin de la Noyelle.

From Place Perdtemps the walk is well marked with yellow signposts. The path is large and even if it goes up it is not hard or difficult to walk.

When you reach this signpost:

you can walk up directly or add a little bit to your walk and go past Portes Sarrasines and La Noyelle.

The legend says that the population of Gex came to take shelter behind this narrow gorge during attempted invasions by the Saracens (which was the term used in the middle ages to refer to Arab Muslims) in the 8th and 9th centuries.

When you reach Creux de l’Envers it is a must to walk down the narrow path to look at the impressive nature and also the wooden sculpture the artist Adrien Meneau has cut out with a chainsaw.

From Creux de l’Envers you can choose to continue walking up to Le Sapin du Sous Préfet. This remarkable tree was measured in 2019 to be 46 meters high and has a diameter of 5,80 meters.

Depending on which way you chose walking up to Creux de l’Envers, you can make it a circular walk, or you can walk back the same way you came up.

Happy walking, and feel free to share!

Daytripping

France: Mont Granier – one of the highest cliff walls in France

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The Chartreuse massif is only just over an hour or so away from Pays de Gex and full of splendid walks.

Altitude to climb: 850 m

Time: 6 hrs

Level: medium/difficult

Mont Granier is a mountain with a horrifying history, positioned at the northern end of the Chartreuse massif. The northern face of Mont Granier overlooks Chambery and Lac de Bourget. This impressive vertical northern face is the result of a catastrophic collapse of a large part of the mountain in 1248.

The rockslide occurred during the night of November 24-25, 1248. A large part of the north-eastern part of the mountain, having been slowly eroded, fell off, swept across the slopes and plains all the way to where the current highway lies, and completely destroyed 5 entire villages. The disaster, which covered 23 square kilometres, killed more than 1,000 people. The mountain is predicted to collapse entirely one day, and the area at the top where the cross can be found is not advised to be approached, after a number of smaller rockslides there in 2016. Even if you leave out the last few meters down to the cross, the walk is spectacular and will be a memory for life.

OK, back to the walk. This walk is quite challenging, especially when descending a steep couloir on the way back, and I would not recommend it for children under 10-12 years of age.

The starting point is La Plagne, which is a small hamlet of houses overlooking the impressive southern summit of Mont Granier and the neighbouring summit of Le Pinet, whose cliff face is equally impressive.

Parking can be found along the road and also on the forestry track that continues after you have passed the hamlet.

This is a fairly steep walk in parts, and because of that it really requires good weather. On the other hand, if the sun is shining there will probably be a crowd about and I’d advise you to arrive relatively early.

The route itself is well marked with yellow signposts all the way from start to finish.

I followed the signs to Mont Granier “par la Balme”. This will take you through the charming hamlet of houses in La Plagne.

The path then ascends steeply through a beech forest and levels out when reaching the crest. When above the trees, you’ll see the entrance to a cave. Follow the path straight into it. The cave opens up when inside (10 meters wide by 4 meters high), and you will see that the path continues through an exit to the right. If you brought a flashlight, take some time to explore the cave. In the late 1980’s several new passages into the cavernous system beyond the main cave were found, and bones from over a thousand cave bears were found. Some of these are exhibited in theMusée de l’Ours des Cavernesin Entremont-le-Vieux. Cave bears were ferocious monsters, way larger than bears of our time…

After emerging from the cave exit, the path follows a grassy traverse before ascending a gully through the cliffs. Relax, You’ve now done most of the climbing. Just a small traverse of about 20 minutes along the ridge of the mountain, and you are at the top of Mont Granier.

You will have an amazing overview of Chambery, Lac de Bourget, massif de la Chartreuse, Les Bauges and Mont Blanc.

From here, you can continue another 300 meters or so to the Cross of Granier which is situated at the top of the northern cliff for an even more spectacular view of the town of Chambery. Attention: don’t pass the signpost located 10 meters or so from the cross; it advises you to not approach the edge of the cliff due to possible new landslides.

For the descent, you have two options. The easiest – and recommended if you suffer from vertigo, is to walk down the same path you used for the ascent. However, I would recommend you return via Pas des Barres and Col de l’Alpette. This path will start off leisurely for the first 30 minutes or so, and then zig-zag you down the cliff (not the main wall, mind you, but the eastern side, which is a lot gentler). Although there’s no real climbing involved, there are a couple of chimneys (Pas des Barres) that may be a little challenging (10-20 meters). This part of the descent is made easier by fixed iron steps and railings, almost like a miniature Via Ferrata. Honestly, if you’re in decent shape you can handle it well, but it may not be the best idea if accompanied by kids younger than 10-12 years of age.

When safely down at Col de l’Alpette you will be walking past a pair of giant boulders, and it’s a nice place to take a photo of Mont Blanc. The path continues to the right past some other boulders (one is really impressive – just imagine these things coming off the cliffs above) and to an easy but relatively long descent that takes you back to La Plagne and the car. Fun fact: this descent is apparently used when ferrying cows up and down for the summer pastures…

If you’re like me and you love French cheese, there’s a farm selling the goods in La Plagne. It is not in the center of the hamlet but a few hundred meters further down. It was closed when we passed and we went to the Cooperative laitiere des Entremonts instead, another 5 minutes down towards the center of Entremonts-le-Vieux. Here, you’ll find a big selection of locally produced cheese, wine and other regional products. They also have locally made ice cream – in case your car is equipped with a portable freezer (or you remembered to bring a spoon!)

Happy walking, and feel free to share!

Walks around Pays de Gex

France: Walking from Fort l’Ecluse to Leaz – La vierge de Leaz

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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!