Marcenat walks

A proper mountain bike route with a mix of winding trails and wide tracks.

A walk around Saint-Félix, fairly easy and offering some lovely views.

The walk takes you to Bois Coutayon on the border between the municipalities of Vendat and Saint-Pont. In the wild boar park, with a little luck and patience, you may spot wild boars and piglets or deer and fawns!

Discover an oak tree over 300 years old that lived through the French Revolution! Blue markings and signposts.

A short route that takes you (depending on the season and vegetation) around the front and back of the Château du Rozet, a chalet built in the aftermath of the 1870 war. It is currently used as a guesthouse.

A circular route offering beautiful panoramic views from the Creuzier plateau: the Val-d’Allier, Vichy and the Chaîne des Puys.

A family hike that passes through the vineyards of Saint-Pourçain.

A circular route in the commune of Montaigu-le-Blin, voted the most beautiful village in the Allier in 2012. This route allows you to take a leisurely afternoon stroll to discover some of Montaigu’s heritage, including the large wash house, the fortified castle, Presles Castle, the Roman road, the Celtic cross and St Anne’s Church. It has been created by combining several ‘heritage routes’ offered by this small village, where time seems to stand still out of season. On this easy-to-moderate route, which takes just under 3 hours, the effort is sustained and mostly on tarmac, but the breaks to admire the local heritage treasures and the panoramic views allow you to recover. Only the grassy slope between the wash house and the fortified castle is more demanding, but it can be bypassed by climbing up to the fortified castle from the village centre rather than directly from the wash house.

I suggest a short urban hike to discover Vichy, nicknamed "the Queen of Waters". This circuit takes you through the emblematic streets of Napoleon III's beloved city, lined with beautiful houses of eclectic architecture, as well as the shopping streets of the modern city and the parks along the Allier River. You can quench your thirst at the famous Source des Célestins.

An easy hike in the hills overlooking Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, west of the Allier valley, partly following the GR®300 trail with a few short stretches on minor roads. Easy, well-marked and signposted paths. Beautiful views of Saint Pourçain-sur-Sioule. Unshaded route, best avoided during heatwaves.

A circular route, mostly on tracks and farm roads, starting from Cognat-L'yonne and passing by Rilhat Castle and Monpensier Golf Course. Beautiful view of the Gannat plain on a clear day, of course.

Walk around Fleuriel. A bit of tarmac but on a quiet road, a bit of woodland, a bit of meadow. A varied landscape for a walk during which you can bring a picnic.

Route starting from Isserpent, a small village at the foot of the Bourbonnais mountains, 15 km east of Vichy. An easy hike through the Bourbonnais countryside.

A lovely walk for those who enjoy combining walking with nature observation. Starting from Saint-Yorre, walk through the pleasant undergrowth following the course of the Andraux stream, then around the Coupe-Gorge and Fonts de Fer stream basins. Open views over the Monts Dômes, the Vichy plain and the Vernet hill.

Hike route starting from Molles, a village at the foot of the Bourbonnais mountains, 17km east of Vichy.

A very pleasant hike through countryside and forest between Charroux and the banks of the Sioule, with superb views of the Chaîne des Puys and the Bourbonnais mountains on a clear day.

A hike dedicated to water. Flowing water, Ruisseau des Andraux, Allier. Water to drink, Saint-Yorre bottling plant, Source des Célestins. Water with healing properties, Hall des Sources and Grand Établissement Thermal de Vichy. And, depending on the weather, perhaps water falling from the sky?This hike can also be done as a round trip, difficulty: difficult (24 km).

A very pleasant route in all seasons. You’ll walk through wooded sections at the bottom of the valley, accompanied by the babbling of the stream, as well as open sections offering views of the Monts Dômes to the west and the Montagne Bourbonnaise to the east.The sections near the monument to the 11 Martyrs of La Goutte Grandval and Busset Castle lend this route a historical charm.

A very pleasant walk to do alone or with the family. If you enjoy observing nature and listening to its calm, you will be in your element. You will walk at varying distances from the course of the River Allier and its former meander, skirting a magnificent stretch of water with a variety of flora and fauna. Part of the route runs through cultivated land. There is no tarmac except for a few metres at the finish.

Hike not far from Vichy in the rolling countryside bordering the Sichon Valley, in the foothills of the Livradois-Forez Massif.

A pleasant circular starting from Vieux Saint-Sylvestre, heading to Saint-Priest-Bramefant through the Bois Brun forest and back. Very little tarmac and beautiful scenery on a clear day. An easy hike.

Hike starting from Jaligny secondary school, mostly on farm tracks and paths with around 35% tarmac, passing through the village of Chatelperron where you can see the fortified castle, listed as a Historic Monument: private property, not open to visitors. Beautiful scenery in good weather on the Colombier ridge. Beautiful view of the castle on its rocky outcrop on the descent from La Roche. A small museum of local prehistory and a restaurant are located on the route at Chatelperron station. The return journey is partly along the "Chemin du Tacot", an old railway line.