Country:
District:
Departure from the village of Sidiailles, from the square with chestnut trees.
(S/E) Take the road alongside the church and pass the new cemetery. Leave a path on your left and arrive at a three-way junction.
(1) Go down to the left, pass the Chezelles lodge and guest house.
(2) Take the first path on the right. You can then enjoy the vast panorama.
(3) 800m further on, take the grassy path on the left and you will be on theGRP® des Maitres Sonneurs, marked in yellow and red, a literary trail linking Nohant (Indre) to Huriel (Allier) (GRP®). Cross the stream at the ford and climb up to a tarmac road.
(4) Turn left to reach the ruins of the Abbaye des Pierres (gate, walls and old mill).
Go down the small path opposite to the Joyeuse river.
(5) Cross it via a footbridge. Cross the Bois de l'Abbaye, then walk along the edge until you reach a crossroads.
(6) Follow theGRP® to the right and continue to the D997 and the Croix Cordeau.
(7) First turn left then right to take the small road. You will leave theGRP® and take the formerGR® 41 (red and white markings not very visible), which you will follow until you reach the dam. Follow this small road and pass several buildings on your right.
(8) Continue along the small road until you reach the D997. Follow it to the right and take the first small road on the right, Le Carroir. Follow this road until you reach the start of a path on the right before the Carroir farm.
(9) Turn right onto the path that descends towards the lake. About 20 metres before the lake, take the small path (grassy area) on the right until you cross a small stream.
(10) Take a path that climbs slightly opposite through the woods, in a wild and rugged landscape.
(11) When you reach the Arnon River, cross the metal footbridge (be careful) and go up the valley on the left until you reach the ruins of the Roche Guillebaud castle.
(12) Continue along the trail, then climb up to the right until you reach a road.
(13) Turn left onto the road, followed by a gravel path that will take you to La Madeleine. Beautiful views of the lake and the water sports centre. Ignore the yellow markings (PR® de Saint-Eloy d'Allier) and always follow the red and whiteGR® markings.
(14) When you reach a small road blocked by a chain, do not take it but go left and then immediately right onto a grassy path. Descend to the stream and follow the path that runs close to or along the lake shore, passing through a field and through copses and heather.
(15) Just before the Sidiailles Dam, leavetheformerGR®41by turning left at the rest area above the dam. Follow the winding footpath down to the car park.
(16) Cross the Arnon River at the footbridge and turn left to climb back up to the dam, passing near Camp de César.
Cross a paved road and continue straight downhill to cross a stream. Continue to a grassy path.
(17) Go up this path on the right and arrive at the Domaine de la Porte. Take the tarmac road that passes in front of the old cemetery, then cross the D997 in the village of Sidiailles to return to the starting point (S/E).
Association / Club / Walk leader
Very difficult 
Easy 
