A walk in Verneuil-sur-Igneraie, from the Vallée Noire to its traditions

The starting point is at the cemetery car park.
Follow the yellow markings.

(S/E) Walk alongside the D69 to reach the church, then the town hall. Continue for 100 m and go down the grassy path on the left. At the bottom of the descent, walk alongside the Igneraie towards the east to reach a rest area.

(1) Take the small road on the left and carry on straight ahead to the entrance to the Orsan farm.

(2) Go up the small road on the left and pass the Petit Villette.

(3) Ignore the track on the left towards Vieille Guerre and carry on straight ahead along a farm track.

(4) At the crossroads, follow the road to the left. Take a track to the right and, 250 m further on, turn left onto a path that runs alongside a coppice. Take the road to the right again.

(5) At Gué de Vèvre, after crossing the bridge over the Igneraie, take the road to the right for 100 m, then follow the grassy track to the right. At the next Fork in the road, go through the gate on the left and head up the tree-lined track.
Once past another gate, turn left to reach the Château du Petit Coudray.

(6) With your back to the château, follow the small road until you reach the D69. Follow it carefully to the left as far as the entrance to the village of Verneuil, then head down a path on the right. Continue along the edge of the Bois des Tailles.

(7) When you reach the wash house and the picnic area, take the road on the left to return to the village and follow the D69 to the right. Pass the old pottery works, then, at the Fork in the road, turn right onto Rue des Varennes.

(8) Turn right onto Rue des Petits Prés. Pass a housing estate on your left and carry on straight ahead along a farm track. At the next junction, turn left and follow the grassy track until you reach a small road.

(9) Turn left and carry on straight ahead at the next junction. In Les Loges, turn right and follow the tarmac section, which later becomes a track suitable for vehicles.

(10) Turn right onto a farm track, then, at the T-junction, turn left. At the crossroads, carry on straight ahead to reach the hamlet of La Colterie.

(11) In the hamlet, leave the road on your left and the^GRP® on your right, and head straight down a track.
Cross the D69 carefully and continue down the path opposite. At the next junction (elevation 192), take the path leading uphill opposite, then follow the small road to the right.

(1) Once past the cross, turn left and retrace your steps along the path you took on the way out to return to the D69, then turn right towards the town hall, the church and the cemetery car park (S/E).

Make sure you wear sturdy footwear: the ground surfaces vary and, depending on the season, some farm tracks can be very muddy.

• Château du Coudray: it was at this château that Jules Sandeau and George Sand first met.

https://www.pays-george-sand.com/decouvr…

• Saint-Hilaire Church:

https://www.patrimoine-religieux.fr/egli...

• Poteries de la Vallée Noire: during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the village was a major centre for the production of roof tiles, ceramics and pottery, with up to 19 workshops in the village. As late as the 1900s, new workshops were still being built; the products were transported by cart to Nohant-Vic station, on the line from Châteauroux to Montluçon. Artistic pottery is the last remnant of this industry.

• The villages of Saint-Chartier and Nohant-Vic (Gorge Sand estate).