Via Gebennensis (Saint-Étienne)

At a Glance

• Start / Finish: Saint-Étienne, southern edge in the Furan valley (593 m) → junction with the Via Gebennensis just before Les Sétoux and the Col du Tracol (1,053 m)
• Length: 28.9 km
• Duration: 1 long stage, about eight to nine hours including breaks
• Elevation: ↗ 955 m / ↘ 495 m
• Highest point: 1,260 m at km 14.5, near Praveilles
• Landscape: Furan valley, reservoirs, conifer forest and the high pastures of the Pilat
• Waymarking: hiking trails of the Pilat Regional Nature Park, first Sentier 6, then the GR 7; no scallop shells
• Accommodation: scarce, and only at a few points: an auberge at the Col de la République, a gîte a little off the route, an auberge in Les Sétoux
• Connecting routes: the Via Gebennensis to Le Puy-en-Velay, and from there the Via Podiensis
• Best time: May to October; above 1,200 meters there can still be snow in April
• Associations along the way: whole route: Association Rhône-Alpes des Amis de Saint-Jacques

Overview

Saint-Étienne is a mining and industrial city, and the way out leads first to its water. Past Planfoy you walk along the Pas du Riot reservoir, which has supplied the city with drinking water since 1878, then climb up into the Pilat Regional Nature Park. Halfway along you cross the pass road at the Col de la République, 1,161 meters up. The very first Tour de France rode over it in 1903, and it was the race's first pass above 1,000 meters. You take it on foot, with a backpack instead of a racing bike, and get more time for the view in return.

After that the path crosses pastures and spruce forest to just before Les Sétoux. A long day's walk, but not a hard one, and at the end you're standing on the way to Le Puy.

Other Names

Via Gebennensis (Saint-Étienne) is a working name used by Camino Ninja: main route plus starting point in parentheses. The Association Rhône-Alpes des Amis de Saint-Jacques (ARA) calls the route the "bretelle de Saint-Étienne", a link path for pilgrims from the Saint-Étienne area to the GR 65.

Route & Landscape

You start on the southern edge of Saint-Étienne in the Furan valley; the city's map point is 2.5 kilometers away. A steep climb takes you via the hamlet of Fissemagne to Planfoy (km 5.3), which has a shop and a restaurant. Beyond it you walk along the left bank of the Furan past the Pas du Riot reservoir, without crossing the dam, and climb toward Praveilles. At km 14.5 you reach the highest point at 1,260 meters.

Then you follow the GR 7 across the plateau, cross the pass road at the Col de la République and head south via Cherfoy (km 20.4) and Gimel (km 22.9). After a gentle descent you reach the Via Gebennensis at km 28.9, about three kilometers before Les Sétoux. Distances come from the Camino Ninja map, calibrated to exactly 28.9 km.

1. Saint-Étienne → junction with the Via Gebennensis near Les Sétoux (28.9 km) — Furan valley, Planfoy, Pas du Riot, the Pilat heights and the Col de la République.

Highlights Along the Way

• Reservoirs on the Furan — The Pas du Riot (km 6–7), in service since 1878, lies right on the route. Downstream stands the older dam of the Gouffre d'Enfer, built from 1862 to 1866 and 57 meters high, in its day the tallest in the world.
• Pilat Regional Nature Park — a Parc naturel régional since 1974, about 700 square kilometers and 47 municipalities, rising to 1,431 meters.
• Col de la République (around km 18) — also called Col du Grand Bois, 1,161 meters; the pass road was completed in 1830. At the top is a monument to Vélocio, Paul de Vivie, in whose honor a hill-climb race has been held every year since 1922.
• Plateau around Gimel (km 22.9) — pastures above 1,200 meters, with views of the Alps on a clear day.

Continue the pilgrimage?

At the end you're standing on the Via Gebennensis, at its km 271.8. From there it's about 75 more kilometers via Les Sétoux, Montfaucon-en-Velay and Tence to Le Puy-en-Velay, where the Via Podiensis begins. The other feeder routes to the Via Gebennensis:

• Via Gebennensis (Grenoble) — 57.9 km from the Isère valley
• Via Gebennensis (Sallanches) — 73.6 km through the Faucigny and over the Salève
• Via Gebennensis (Saint-Gingolph) — 75.6 km along Lake Geneva through the Chablais
• Via Gebennensis (Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard) — 153.7 km from Savoy

Preparation & Practical Information

Waymarking. There are no dedicated St. James waymarks. You first follow Sentier 6 of the Pilat Regional Nature Park (white and brown), then the GR 7 (white and red); from the junction on, the red-and-white marks of the GR 65. The ARA provides the route description as a PDF, available via chemins.compostelleenrhonealpes.fr.

Accommodation and supplies. Along the way there's only an auberge at the Col de la République and a gîte near Les Chaumasses, about 800 meters off the route; at the end you spend the night in Les Sétoux. The only shop and restaurant are in Planfoy. The easiest way is directly in the Camino Ninja App, where you put your stages together and plan suitable accommodation right along with them.

Credential. As on all French routes, you need a pilgrim passport (credencial) to stay in pilgrim accommodation and to receive the Compostela at the end. It's best to order it online in advance so it reaches you in time for the start of your trip.

Getting Here

• Getting to the start: You can reach Saint-Étienne by train; the main station is Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux, about 50 minutes by TER from Lyon Part-Dieu. From the station to the starting point in the Furan valley it's about four kilometers through the city.
• Getting home from the finish: Honestly, this is the hard part. No regular bus stops at the Col du Tracol or in Les Sétoux. If you're not continuing on, you'll need a taxi or a pick-up; sort that out in advance.
• Timetables: ter.sncf.com