Saint-Jean-de-Côle Circular Forest Loop

Parking is available near the Tourist Office, opposite the castle, at the corner of Allée Mondot de la Marthonie, or in the tennis car park at the end of the same lane.

(S/E) Follow Allée Mondot de la Marthonie south-eastwards to the junction with the road to Saint-Martin-de-Fressengeas. At the Stop sign, turn left towards the Voie Verte, onto the road running alongside the cemetery. After the junction with the Route de Saint-Romain (on your right), go under a metal bridge and immediately afterwards, turn right onto the path (signposted) which climbs towards the Voie Verte and the site of Saint-Jean-de-Côle station.

(1) After passing the wooden barrier, cross the lawn, which has been laid out as a picnic area, and head onto the old railway line. Turn right, heading west, towards Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière.
Follow the route of the old railway line for about 3 km. After a long bend to the right, continue northwards until you reach a junction with hiking trails, a few hundred metres after a bridge under the D707, to the left of the track.

Yellow markings

(2) Follow the signs for the circular Boucle des Floralies (arrow), taking a narrow path that climbs and then turns back southwards along the greenway.
This path leads to a car park and a road serving the hamlet of La Baine. Turn right and walk past a bus shelter. Follow the road for about a hundred metres until you reach a row of bins.

(3) Go round them and turn left onto a road serving a few houses, which turns into a grassy path running alongside a hedge of thuja trees. At the end of the property fences, the path enters the forest, climbing gently. It leads to a clearing of meadows, after a car graveyard on the left. Continue straight on, between the meadows. After returning to the woodland, the path (marked in yellow) is joined on the right by the^GR®361. Continue along this path to the next fork.

(4) At the junction, let the^GR® head off to the left. At the next fork, go straight on to the main road. Follow it to the right for about a hundred metres (watch out for traffic). At the next bend, take a grassy path through the woods on the left, marked in red and white.

Red and white markings

(5) After a few hundred metres, at a crossroads, continue straight on along the tarmac road leading to Le Mazelier. In the hamlet, turn left. At a place called Bellevue, follow the road down the hill on the left.

(6) At the bottom of the descent, at the crossroads, follow the B-road to the right to return to the village. Pass a wash house below on your right and head left until you reach the T-junction of the D98 and D707 roads.

(7) Cross the junction diagonally and take the road opposite, signposted as a dead end, which leads down to the river. After passing through the Saint-Jacques district, reach the old cobbled bridge. Cross it to return to the village square. (S/E)

Low difficulty: the walk is particularly pleasant along the greenway, and the route through the forest follows wide, gently undulating paths which can be muddy in wet weather.

Picnic areas: at the tennis courts in Saint-Jean-de-Côle at the junction with Allée Mondot de la Marthonie and at the site of the former Saint-Jean-de-Côle railway station.

(1) You can start this walk at the old Saint-Jean-de-Côle railway station (greenway car park)

The village of Saint-Jean-de-Côle, one of the most beautiful villages in France, with its church, castle, priory and the cobbled bridge where the walk ends.
During the walk, you can also admire the engineering structures of the railway line built at the end of the 19th century.