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Nothing but green between Lyon and Saint Etienne
01 Jan 1970
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The park of Pilat inaugurates our series of the summer which proposes exploring the Regional and National Natural Parks of the Rhône-Alpes region. Pilat extends its green landscapes between two of the major cities of the area and becomes animated throughout summer. Between concerts, tasting-sessions, hikes by foot or by VTT (mountain bike), there is a lot to do…

Brume matinale sur les collines du Pilat / Photo Jean-Luc Rigaux

On my right, small valleys of greenery, meadows and on my left, fir trees and slopes…

And on one side like on the other, in the middle of the summer, abundant sunshine, enough to satisfy city folk, neighbours of Pilat (and others…) and thank it, even tacitly, each day, for providing them with a good part of the fresh air they breathe.

Because Pilat, despite its – only – 700 km2, is one of the lungs of the Rhône-Alpes region and the water tower of all its agglomerations.

Ste Croix en Jarez et sa Chartreuse, village historique - PNR Pilat / Photo Jean-Luc Rigaux

But you won’t be satisfied to only travel with your rucksack and to leap about along the chirats, those rocky flows, which can reach sometimes one kilometre long, and which run along the steep slopes of Pilat or the leptinites, metamorphosed acid rocks which form the climbing rock area of Doizieux.

At each season, it becomes quite lively, in the middle of the afternoon, with numerous hikes leading to a concert on a village square and ending, for those who want to; by a dinner in an inn to end the evening in beauty. You will thus discover the washhouse of Longes, the Museum of furniture trimmings at Jongieux, you will be able to listen to the Brankignoles brass band or to the Ballets de Grooms …

Amateurs of the Cotes du Rhone wines, accompanied by a wine grower, oenologist, will be able to take part in a tasting session weekend and will thus discover Condrieu, Saint Joseph wines and especially the Château Grillet which belongs to the northern Côtes du Rhône. Then you will have a gastronomic dinner at Charles’ restaurant, at Chavanay. The day after, a visit to Saint-Croix en Jarez, is organized, it is one of the most beautiful villages in France with its old chartreuse, the only one inhabited by the village people themselves. Experts will appreciate.

Of course, you can also profit from guided nature tours to explore the fauna (birds of prey particularly), the flora and all the natural environments of the park like the peat bogs and the forests. The list is impressive. From the topic the Small naturalists go to the garden to that of the Small explorers of the High plateaus organized in July-August, there are more than forty of them!

Informations pratiques
Maison du Tourisme du Parc du Pilat
Tel.: 04 74 87 52 00
http://www.parc-naturel-pilat.fr/
The nature tours last about 3 hours. Some are particularly adapted to children. 5 euros per person and free for less than 16 years old accompanied each one by a paying adult.
Concerts en Balades et Scènes aux Champs: free every Tuesday (July 13th excepted) from July 6th to August 24th. The dinner in the inn is to be paid and should be booked in advance.
Week-end with wine tasting-session in the Northern Côtes du Rhône area
2 days and 1 night from 117 euros per person (on a 2 people basis) with lodging in a 3 èpis guest room (very comfortable classification). All year long.
Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez village
http://saintecroix42.free.fr/
To read
The new guide book Guide Vert Michelin Lyon Drôme Ardèche

And VTT autour de Lyon (Mountain bike in Lyon countryside) at Libris.edition
www.libris.com

Tags : Loire, Nature and Sports, Parks and Gardens
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