The canton of Geneva, even if it is not strictly speaking mountainous, offers beautiful hikes. Especially in the off-season, it is nice to be able to walk in the Geneva countryside (in summer, it is often too hot). The most favourable regions of the canton are certainly those of Jussy, Champagne and Mandement. For this time, I had opted for Le Mandement as a hiking destination.
Through the Mandement flows a stream that is greatly appreciated by the population of Geneva: The Allandon. Indeed, on sunny days, the places for grills are rushed at. The other side of the coin is that the strong afflux in the 70s and 80s contributed to the degradation of a very fragile natural environment. This is why, at the end of the 1980s, it was decided to restrict access to the valley. This is why only a few large car parks remain and the access by car to the edge of the stream has been condemned (this was still the case in the 1970s). The Allandon valley has thus gained in calm, which is a good thing, because from the point of view of the landscape, you have the impression of being in the Drôme.
From La Plaine, you must cross the Allondon on the railway bridge. Rest assured; you don’t have to follow the tracks because a pedestrian path had been planned from the start. This crosses the pillars of the bridge. On the other bank, I followed the marked path which goes up and leads directly to the village of Russin. By the way, it is worth contemplating the few beautiful mansions there. Beyond the village, I continued along the marked trail that crosses the Russin vineyard, passes near La Chaumaz to enter the woods before descending to the Granges.
On the bank of the Allondon, I had followed the marked route which avoids the road, except near the Malval cemetery. You can thus practically follow the stream to the Chemin de la Côte which climbs towards Dardagny. At this point you have the possibility of either going up to Essertines or going up the Roulave valley. I chose the latter option. The Roulave valley is picturesque. In addition, the stream has eroded the rock in such a way that the red sandstone appears, which elsewhere in the canton is covered by a thick layer of molasse. It is in this sandstone that some asphalt deposits have been mined. You can still see a few entrances to “mines”.
On leaving the Roulave valley, I continued to follow the marked route passing through La Tuilière before crossing Dardagny and descending the Donzelle hillside towards La Plaine.
Itinerary: La Plaine – Bridge over the Allandon – Russin – Monts de Russin – Les Granges (Malval) – banks of the Allandon – Roulave valley – Tuilière – Dardagny – En Machy – A la Donzelle – La Plaine
Distance: 15.5km
Aktitude gain: 280m
Duration: 4 hours
Previous Post
Next Post
