Mountain biking n°17 - Circuit du vignoble

This itinerary combines both the "Mont de Lierre" and "Lacs de Chevelu" trails, offering a 30 km route which has lots of hills but with the added bonus of an amazing range of scenery ! Lakes, vineyards, river, forests – you will find the whole lot!

From the parking des lacs, walk along the mountain side of the lake towards the village of Saint-Jean-de-Chevelu. Take the road up to the church. Immediately on leaving the village, take a wide track on the left. This crosses the vineyards and joins a small road. Follow this road up to Château de Bergin. Take the path alongside the château at the foot of the vineyard. At the end of the vineyard, the path climbs steeply to rejoin the D210. Here, the route crosses the road to reach a small oratory. From here, take the main road back to the village of Billième.
Opposite the town hall, turn right onto a small road that climbs up to the vineyard and the Croix des Fourches. The itinerary crosses the vineyard, then rejoins the D210. Take the D210 on your right, then turn left quickly after the bend to reach the summit of Butte St-Romain. From the summit, make a U-turn for 200 m, then turn left onto a track that descends through the vineyards to join the D210 above the village of Jongieux. The descent along the road takes you through a number of hamlets to Barcontian. After this hamlet, cross the D210 to take a track opposite. Leave this track to take a small path on the right, on the hillside. It joins the Rhône plain. Follow the signs to the hamlet of Etain. At Etain, turn right onto a farm track leading to the banks of the Rhône, and follow the Rhône towards Yenne. Shortly before Yenne, turn left onto a wide track that intersects with the D921. The route follows small roads through the hamlet of Les Bernards. Then take the road towards Billième as far as the hamlet of Bas Somont. On leaving the hamlet, a path on the left bypasses the road. The gradient (uphill) here is steep! The route then climbs up the road into the heart of the vineyards. Follow the D44 for 1 km, then turn right onto a farm track that takes you to the first slopes of Mont de Lierre. The path soon leaves the vineyards and climbs steeply into the undergrowth. A short ascent and a traverse through oak woods with views over Yenne. Follow the forest signs. After two short portage sections, the final descent to the Chevelu lakes begins. Beware, the end of the descent is difficult: be careful, there are slabs and ruts! At the end of the wood, you'll find a small road that you'll have to walk down to reach the Chevelu lakes.