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Park in the grassy car park on the left of the D52 when driving from the village of Laschamps towards Beaune le Chaud.
(S/E) Start by crossing the D52 and, after about 50 metres, take the path on your left. This path descends gently through pastures dotted with beautiful trees and reaches a crossroads of four paths, including those leading to Puy de la Vache and Mercœur.
(1) Turn left under the tall trees and continue towards Beaune. At the first fork, continue to the left, ignoring the paths to the left and right, and keep heading north-east. Further on, the path becomes tarmac as you approach Beaune le Chaud. Along the way, you will have beautiful views of the Puy de Dôme.
(2) When you reach Beaune le Chaud, take the D52 on your left and, after about 100 metres, take the street that goes up into the village on your right. Do not head towards the church, in the direction of Puy de Mercœur, but continue straight on, following the signs for "Autour de Chatrat". If you want to take a break, climb up to the bench just below the church: the view is magnificent and you are halfway along the route.
Follow the Chemin de la Croix de Beaune, which climbs gently towards the cross. Once you have passed the small hill, ignore the path that branches off to the right towards the Saint-Genès cemetery and continue for about 100 metres.
(3) Turn left downhill onto a small road that quickly becomes paved (Chemin de la Garenne). It will take you to the wide path that joins the ridges. Turn left and begin a gentle climb on this wide path until you reach a fork just after a beautiful beech tree on your left.
(4) Turn left, and after a hundred metres through the woods, you will reach a ridge path. Follow it to the right, ignoring the path that goes straight downhill, as this fairly steep path will take you back to the church in Beaune le Chaud. Walk along the edge of the woods to the end.
(5) Make a slight detour to the right, then turn left to avoid walking on private land. The path that takes you back to the car park runs along the edge of the Cime de la Côte. Enjoy the view of the pastures, the volcanoes of the Chaîne des Puys and, in the distance, the Sancy and its (sometimes) snow-capped peaks. Return at a leisurely pace to your starting point (S/E).
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