EN
The vineyard path
Medium
4.9km
+308m
Loop
-308m
Address
Salle des Fêtes, 73230, Saint-Jean-d'Arvey
Opening
All year round.
Subject to favorable weather.
Description
Overlooking the River Leysse, below the village, the itinerary allows you to travel through areas that were planted with vines in the past and to discover the traces of this activity: numerous vine stocks, stakes from the former trellis and even several "sartos" (small cabins).
Route
-From the salle des fêtes (village hall), take the country lane to the right and follow it for 900 m (blue markings).
-Pass in front of the cemetery (another possible starting point) then turn left and descend towards the sentier des vignes (vine trail).
-At the second sarto (small cabin) take the trail to the left always following the blue markings.
-There is a shortcut possible via the "Chemin des Côtes Rodières".
-At the signpost marked "Les Lantillères - 510 m" continue climbing towards Saint-Jean-d'Arvey.
-When you arrive at the tarred road turn left then head back to the salles des fêtes via the RD 206 road.
Discover
-Château de Salins (private): this castle is situated below the village hall, dominating the Leysse riverbed and facing the Château de la Bâtie on the other riverbank. It consists of a tower within the 16th- and 17th-century main buildings.
-Viewpoint of the River Leysse: along the trail, a gap in the trees allows you to spot the Leysse that flows below in a deep and sinuous gorge between the Trou de l'Enfer (Hell Hole) and the Bout du Monde.
Interesting titbits
The trail on the hillside brings you in close proximity to 4 "sartos" (small storehouses), more or less restored. These small houses built by the mountain people near their vines, were used for storing the tools and implements necessary for daily work. Some "sartos" even had a bedroom upstairs for spending the night; the majority were equipped with a tank for harvesting rainwater from the roof for making the fungicide "Bouillie Bordelaise" or "Bordeaux Mixture" (with its characteristic blue colour), which was then sprayed on the foliage.
"Sarto" comes from "sarre-tôt" from the Savoyard dialect meaning the place where everything is put close together.