We often say “in the West, nothing new”. So it's time to turn to the east of Lyon, towards the Monts du Bugey. The tourist office has tested a walk in the Cerin quarry for you.
The ride of which you are the hero.
We are free again! Pérouges Bugey Tourisme takes you back to the hiking trails. Back to the adventure! What we have learned over the past few months is that it is easy to More info new things without going far. So, to offer you the pleasure of exploring right next door, we recommend the walk along the path of the Cerin's career.
The Cerin quarry path brings together all your desires for nature and freedom. There's something for all adventurers, from the curious to the stroller, with bonuses museum and views. To fully experience your excursion, the tourist office gives you total freedom. You are the hero of this adventure ride !
To start, choose the hero that suits you, then follow the instructions.
Categories of adventurers: which one are you?
“The Historian”: Fossils! Did you say fossil?
Discovery enthusiasts geological and archaeological of all kinds. You are the scientist of the gang! Never tired of asking questions and marveling at the treasures of the past. Go to paragraph 3 to discover the Cerin museum.
“Curious”: Sensitive Natural Area*? Sensitive to discovery, you are!
When there's the opportunity to learn more while having fun, you're the person in the lead. The educational stations on the quarry trail tell you about geology, quarry tools, wildlife and wild flora. Run fast to paragraph 1 to know more about this ENS*. (Otherwise, you wouldn't be friends with the fossil fans, by any chance?)
“Explorer”: Jumping from stone to stone in a quarry? When do we leave ?
Lara Croft or tireless Indiana Jones, you love exploring confidential corners, especially when it's near you. So if we're talking about an open-air quarry, you've already put on the boots. Meet at paragraph 2 forexploration of this unique site!
“Flâneur”: As long as the walk is pretty, I'm in!
Kind of always happy as long as you're in plein air. You appreciate the pretty ones even more viewpoints and unusual places in nature. That's good, Cerin is for you. Go for a walk around the paragraph 4 for a nature bath.
Cerin's career, quite an adventure
1 – From the lagoon to the quarry: from water to stone
A limestone quarry in which hundreds of marine fossils ? That's fabulous. However, if we look closely at the scene, it is clear that we are in montagne. How is it possible ? This is because right here, 150 million years ago, there was a tropical lagoon !
That's what the stations explain fun during the walk on this classified site Sensitive Natural Area (ENS). From sea to mountain, passing through one of the most famous quarries in Europe, an unusual route. Geology, science and technology will have no more secrets for you.
We learn, for example, that the current Bugey massif then formed a coral reef (yes, like in Australia). Or that there was a calm and shallow lagoon here, where exceptional fossils were formed. Fossils unearthed during Archaeological excavations career in the 20th century! And during the industrial revolution the limestone was exploited to make lithography, sort of ancestor of the printer.
- To see the fossils revealed by the excavations, go to the Cerin museum. [paragraph 3].
- If you want to know the history of the quarry and its stone, scroll down just below. [paragraph 2]. On the way, let yourself be guided by the Explorers.
2 – Cerin, secret place, written in stone
Today it is an incredible place, there is no doubt about it. A very fine open pit quarry. What was the stone used for? Who says career, says carriers. Who were they? Here, it is easy to mistake yourself for an explorer or an archaeologist in search of the past.
In the 19th century, an unprecedented printing technique developed: the lithography. A practice that allows multiple copies of a text or image to be reproduced. The line is drawn in ink or pencil on limestone. Cerin stone is the sought-after type par excellence. With a very fine grain, this limestone makes it possible to create high quality prints. The quarry will therefore be exploited to supply all of Europe until the middle of the 20th century.
- The educational path of the ENS talks about the profession and the tools of the quarry workers. With his panorama on the valley, the quarry overlooks the Cerin Museum, where the fossils found here rest. [paragraph 1]
- Today it has become an unusual and very pleasant place to stroll. Meet at the trailhead to enjoy the scenery.[paragraph 4]. THE Loafers are out there!
3 – Wonderful fossils from the Cerin museum
Le Cerin paleoecological museum is a real nugget, hidden in the hollow of the Brive valley. In an old wash house, splendid fossils are presented, witnesses of the multi-millennial past of the place. Sea turtles, crocodiles and other anemones, the fruit of archaeological excavations over more than 20 years, are absolutely beautiful! The true Museum Mona Lisa ? A small crocodile, perfectly preserved, of which we can observe each scale...
Some pieces are even today in the collections of the Confluence Museum from Lyon ! Don't worry, so that you can enjoy it, right here, in the heart of Bugey, an expert has made faithful casts. Some are available at the museum shop. Something to delight children and collectors in your family at Christmas!
But wait, fish fossils, turtles, sea anemones? How is it possible to find so many marine animals when we are in the middle of the Bugey massif?
- If you want the answer, then go back in time to the history of the Cerin Lagoon in the Jurassic… [paragraph 1]. You may come across a few Historians.
- Its more recent history in the 19th century might also awaken your scholarly instincts. [paragraph 2].
4 – A walk in the scree, off the beaten track
So here you are, you have followed the path which starts at the foot of the Cerin museum. After a good climb – nothing your trained calves can't overcome – here you are perched on the valley of Cerin.
Arrived at the top, a splendid panorama on the hamlet and the mountains of Bugey is offered to you. The mountains of Bugey, a former shallow sea stretch out before your eyes.
A perfectly unusual place, a little secret. You have the pleasant feeling of being alone in the world here. Even if you have come across two or three Explorers, that said. You, you take advantage of the sun which comes to warm the strata of limestone in gray or golden tones, depending on the light. The cliff offers a salutary shade. You pause among the fallen blocks there. Moreover, this rock looks like a varan! Unless it's a crocodile...
- During the ascent, your steps crossed those Curious, busy commenting on the educational stations of the ENS [paragraph 1].
- The past lithographic career of the places seemed to fascinate them [paragraph 2].
- Who knows, a fossil worthy of the museum is perhaps hiding under your feet [paragraph 3] ?
Always more adventures
Congratulation ! All categories of adventurers are now ready to tread the Cerin quarry trail. A recommended excursion with family (from 8 years old) or with friends who have kept a child's soul. (Beware of the fairly steep climb on the first third)
In summer, the Cerin museum pulls out a terrace to enjoy a cold drink after the walk.
After that, it will be time to go back to other adventures! On the way back, remember to stop at the bog of Cerin : astonishment guaranteed. The courageous ones who are not yet tired will pass by the col du petit Perthuis for a view of Mont Blanc. Unless the thousand-year-old church of Innimond and its Sully tree pique their curiosity more.
Even more of walk in the quarries of Villebois, With the strong men trail !
Just a little advice
Psst: as adventurers and curious people, it goes without saying that the places, nature and inhabitants of the sites explored must be respected. We thank you for picking up your garbage, avoiding walking off trails and being discreet in inhabited areas. Thank you for your help !
