Forest variant of the 3 bridges loop via Les Essoulieux and Bassey - Hiking from Le Bourg-d'Oisans

This is an easy hike that everyone will be able to enjoy. Pushchair-friendly.

Easy, family-friendly walk. TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Departure: Place du Cristal, Bourg-d'Oisans Round trip duration: 2h30 Distance: 9 km Difference in altitude: 109m Level : Easy MAP AND TOPO : IGN Top 25 map n°3335 ET Topoguide OBP n°1: 271 & 273 & 658 ROUTE: From Place du Cristal in Bourg-d'Oisans, follow the road towards Alpe d'Huez. After the bridge over the Romanche and just before the traffic circle, take the crosswalk on your left. This will take you to the Alpe d'Huez road, avoiding the traffic circle. Follow the road, and at the "A la rencontre du Soleil" campsite turn left towards Bassey/ les Essoulieux. Follow this small country road through fields and meadows, past forests, until you reach the hamlet of Les Essoulieux. Keep your eyes peeled for deer, foxes and squirrels, and on the grassy slopes of the cliffs, you may even spot chamois (with binoculars). At Les Essoulieux, continue straight on towards the hamlet of Bassey, past the chapel of Saint Sauveur, then further on, the bread oven on your right, and continue along the forest track. This shaded section is a haven of peace and coolness on hot sunny days. Follow the track, cross the ford, and at the intersection turn left (direction Bourg d4oisans la Lignarre, les 3 ponts) onto the small bridge over the Sarenne, then take the second bridge over the Romanche and finally the third over the Rive, before turning immediately right. Follow this beautiful Voie Verte - a shared space for pedestrians, cyclists and horses - with the Romanche on your right. The forest and the presence of water make this walk an ideal place to recharge one's batteries or to "wash off" after a sportive day in the mountains. After the fourth bridge - this time spanning the Lignarre - turn left towards La Paute and follow the Voie Verte along the embankment, with the Lignarre on your left.take the small tunnel that runs under the road and brings you out at the end of the hamlet of La Paute, at the impasse du Pont. At the crossroads, turn left to join and follow the road leading down from the Col d'Ornon, towards Bourg d'Oisans. Just before reaching the D1091, at the bend in the road, take the forest track on your right towards Ornon and then the left-hand track towards Bourg d'Oisans. The forestry path now runs alongside the cliff (right) and the RD 1091 (left), passing behind the ZA du Ras, then joining the route de la Morlière. Continue straight ahead until you reach a bend, where you leave the road (which turns left) to follow the track past the bike park (on your right), then cross the dry torrent on your left, and finally rejoin the R. Asseh Guéraud road leading to the Bourg d'Oisans gymnasium. Go down this road, turn right and continue down rue Saint-Antoine until you reach the Parc des Ecrins / cinema building. Follow the building to the right and turn left into rue de Gambetta, then right into avenue de la République, which you will follow back to your starting point. GOOD TO KNOW: This walk is called the 3 bridges because the path passes through the "3 bridges" area, so named because it is in a very small area, linking 3 bridges successively spanning three different rivers (the Rive, the Romanche and the Sarenne). If the door is open, take a look inside the friendly St Sauveur chapel.