Arfeuilles walks

This hike will allow you to discover the Cascade de la Pisserote waterfall on the Barbenan.

Route from Puy du Roc starting from Chatel-Montagne in the Bourbonnais mountains.

This stage crosses the highest villages in the Monts de la Madeleine, at an altitude of around 1,000 metres, and allows you to visit two major tourist attractions in St-Nicolas-des-Leat (03): the Allée des Géants and the Pierre Châtel. Most of the route is through deciduous forest, home to mushrooms. The stage ends at the Loge des Gardes sports resort, where accommodation is available (hotel-restaurant).

Since spring 2021, a path has been created around this artificial lake in the Bourbonnais mountains. This is a short, easy route on a very well-maintained path.

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.

This hike starts in Nizerolles, a small village at the foot of the Monts de la Madeleine. It takes you across the River Jolan three times and partly follows the Tacot de la Montagne Bourbonnaise platform, the former departmental railway line that linked Vichy and Laprugne until 1949.

This hike takes us on a journey between modernity (the wind turbines) and the past (the old glassmakers' village, the Château des Hormières) and offers beautiful views of the surrounding valleys.

This walk takes us through woods to the Verrerie plateau and its peat bog.

This short hike takes you past two remarkable sites: the Pierre Châtel with a beautiful view from its summit and the mysterious "Allée des Sorcières" (Witches' Alley) with its twisted beech trees.

This hike takes us through the woods of Pierre Châtel (Saint-Nicolas-des-leat) to the Druidic Stone (Loge des Gardes). The return journey takes us through isolated hamlets and farms.

A short route for a first taste of the Verrerie plateau on snowshoes.

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

Enjoy a lovely walk above Ambierle through fields and forests. Discover its magnificent church with its polychrome tiles.

Route through the Lespinasse Forest, a peaceful spot with several ponds and picnic areas, facilities for children.

Departure from the Loge des Gardes sports centre. Start the day in the beautiful beech undergrowth of the Assise State Forest, above 1,000 metres altitude, before descending to the more open plateaus of La Tuilière and Cherier, with beautiful views. End at the Refuge du Point du Jour lodge (overnight stay and meals made with farm produce) (altitude 870 metres).

Morning: crossing the northern part of the Roanne coast vineyards, with little elevation gain, and two beautiful historic villages: Saint-Haon-le-Châtel and Ambierle, with a rich heritage open to visitors. The afternoon is more challenging with the climb to leat (altitude 765 m) through meadows and forest. Most of the route is on dirt tracks with no traffic.

The walk takes you through Saint-Haon-le-Vieux along the Chemin Rouge, then on to the site of Saint-Haon-le-Châtel, a veritable open-air museum where you can relive ten centuries of civilisation with its remains of high walls, 17 towers and 4 gates. These fortifications were built in the mid-14th century to protect the town from bands of looters. A magnificent village where every street is worth exploring.

Winding its way between forests and pastures, this walk leads to the foot of Rocher Saint-Vincent, the protective power of Lavoine and the Sichon valley.

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

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.

A 4-day hiking tour from lodge to lodge in the Monts de la Madeleine (low mountain range) west of the town of Roanne. Immerse yourself in nature, often still wild, by taking as many small paths as possible.

Departure from a high point in the Monts de la Madeleine, in Cherier, at a place called Le Point du Jour (870 m, 14-bed stopover lodge with meals) to descend to the Côte Roannaise, cross its vine-covered hillsides and arrive at the medieval village of Saint-Haon-le-Châtel (14-bed stopover lodge with meals). This route gives priority to small paths with no motor vehicle traffic and beautiful views of the Roanne plain.

A beautiful walk alternating between open views and paths along the Isable river.

Hike in the northern foothills of Livradois, known as the Bois Noirs, starting from Châteldon, a village with some beautiful medieval houses.

Walk in the Monts de la Madeleine between Villemontais and Chérier. 15/05/2024: Route modified to avoid passing through private property at Ripouroux.