Acknowledgement
We want to acknowledge the Association Lou Vionnets which promotes hiking activities around the town of Evian, and which has permitted us to publish the present hike.
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A hike in the region Rhône-Alpes
Chablais area in the French Savoie region produces wines, particularly dry white wines which taste really good with fishes and the famous Savoyard fondue. Most of the vineyards are around the Lake Geneva. However, on the municipality of Marin, the vineyards border the Dranse river, which flows into the lake not far from there. Vineyards are essentially planted with Chasselas grape. If you choose this hike in autumn, you will enjoy the landscape of vineyards tinged with beautiful golden colors, and in this season days are still sunny.
1- From the car park, take the path along the river Dranse. Continue straight ahead, leaving several paths on each side. Walk along the vineyards and continue up to find a rough track rising on your left.
2- Go up, walking along vineyards. At the junction with a wide road, turn to the left. Walk some meters and take the right path. After the electric pylon, follow the direction "Bois de pins", continuing on the main path (the right path is marked up for distinguishing it from others). At the end, the path reaches a wide forest track in a bend.
3- Go to the right on the downward track. At the next bend, take the path to the left which rises up among pine trees, and finally reaches the edge of the plateau. From there, the path runs along meadows before going down to the brook Maravant and the ruined mills. Take then a path which rises towards the plateau, direction Cornellaz. Go straight up to the road.
4- At the road, turn to the left.
5- Just before the hamlet of Cornelaz, take the left road. Do not go into the hamlet of Chullien, but go straight. At Cutlaz, continue on the track which bends to the right. Continue up to the next bend.
6- Leave the wide track for a footpath in front of you that goes into a copse. The path turns to the right, heading North-East. Go straight up to a road.
7- At the road, continue straight ahead along some houses. About 300 m farther, at the first intersection turn to the left. At the next crossing, turn again to the left.
8- You reach a wide track suitable for vehicle. Take it on the right and go a little more than half a kilometre.
9- Take the left track just after a large walnut. Walk along a vineyard and go into a forest with boxwood. At the bottom of the slope, you come back to the wide path along the river Dranse. Turn to the right to get back to the car park.
Information
General points
- Geographic situation. District : Marin
(department Haute-Savoie, canton Thonon-les-Bains)
Road map with
 - Starting point : Car park near the Dranse bank. There is a small industrial area (called "la ZAC du Larry") in the bend of the road D32 which connects Publier to Thonon-les-Bains. On the other side of the road you will find a lane which leads to the car park.
- The length of the stroll is estimated at 9 Km and the walk duration is about 2 h 45 mn.
- The stroll is marked out all along
- Stroll form : loop
- Stroll relief : hilly (alt. mini = 410 m ; alt. maxi = 650 m)
- Maintenance : frequent (brushwood clearing at least annual)
- Exposure : varied (both covered and uncovered areas)
- Special note : Plants of the pine grove in the 2nd section have been labeled by schoolchildren of Saint-Bruno.
Noteworthy places
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Vignobles de Marin. In the past, the wine growers used a special technique for the vineyard. It this agricultural process, only known from the district of Marin, a chestnut tree was cut down in the mountain, carried, barked, and planted as a picket, so that the dead tree, named "crosse", was used as a pergola for climbing vines. The grape harvest was made with ladders, and it was not without danger. Indeed, when it got older the "crosse" was attacked by dead wood feeding insects, and sometimes a "crosse" broke off under the weight of the person on the ladder. The accidents were not rare. This technique allowed more intensive vine cultivation. Nowadays, the "crosses" are no more in use, excepted by some passionate persons who love their country and want to keep alive the traditions of their fathers. It should also be said that this technique, whereas it allowed increase in productivity, did not produce wine of good quality. In the same time as "crosses" were given up, important improvements have been achieved, so that the main part of the production is currently made by professional wine growers who master the winemaking process.
Maps
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IGN 3428 ET.
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