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In the village of Opme, you can leave your vehicle on the side of the D3, in a small shaded car park.
(S/E) Head towards the centre of the village, to the west, on Rue du Maréchal Delattre de Tassigny, then turn south onto Rue des Basses. Continue around a right-hand bend and turn left onto Rue du Grand Champ.
(1) At the end of this street, at the fork, ignore the path on the left. Shortly afterwards, ignore another path on the left that is not shown on the map.
(2) At the crossroads, follow the path on the right, heading west then south-southwest. You will come to a road.
(3) Cross it and follow it to the left. Take the first path on the right, after the tennis court. Continue to the stadium, ignore the private road on the right, and climb up to a signpost marked "La Vernède Basse". Continue to the right, towards "Observatoire de la Serre". You will arrive at the signpost marked "La Vernède Haute".
(4) Continue to the right for a round trip to the observatory. At the next crossroads, continue climbing to the left. Continue along this path, which further on turns south and leads to a T-junction at the "Paquette" signpost.
(5) Turn right towards the Observatoire de la Serre to arrive, 300 metres further on, at a reservoir that was once topped by an observatory. The observatory, which was too difficult to maintain, has disappeared, but the name Observatoire de la Serre has remained, especially as amateur astronomers still frequent this site. From here, you have a beautiful view of the Puy de Dôme (and, at night, probably a clear view of the sky!).
(6) Return by the same route you took on the way there until you reach the "la Vernède haute" signpost.
(4) Continue straight ahead towards "Chadrat". Join a path coming from the left and follow it straight ahead.
(7) At the "Coutolas" signpost, turn left onto the path towards Chanonat. Join a path at the "la Bughe" signpost. Continue to the right towards Chanonat.
(8) Shortly afterwards, admire the beautiful Château de la Batisse on your left, on the other side of the Auzon. Continue towards Chanonat, following the yellow disc markings. Ignore a path on your right and cross the Auzon to reach the first houses of Chanonat.
(9) Take the first street on the right, Rue du Sault Guillaume, to walk along the Auzon on your right. You will arrive at a stone bridge and the "Chanonat" signpost. Do not cross the stream, but take Rue du Chabris on the left. Turn right at the first street, Rue de la Fondette. Ignore a street on the left.
(10) At the second street on the left, turn for a short detour through the village. When you reach the church square, continue straight ahead on Rue de la Mission, then turn right twice to discover the former Commandery of the Knights of Malta.
(11) Return to Rue de Fondette via the same route.
(10) Follow this street to the left. At the end of the street, opposite a beautiful gate of the former Château de Chanonat, cross the Auzon river on the footbridge to the right. On the other side, continue to the left on the small road. At the junction with a larger road, turn left and cross the Auzon. Ignore a road on the right and, at the fork, take Rue Magaud on the right. Then follow Rue Saint-Jean on the right, walk along the cemetery and you will come to the D52.
(12) Cross and continue straight ahead on a small road that climbs for 500 metres (the D3). Leave this road and turn onto the second path on the right, towards a small stone building. Further on, ignore a path on the left.
(13) Immediately afterwards, follow the path on the left that climbs towards Jussat. Ignore Chemin des Vignes on the right, but take Rue Sous la Ville further up on the right. Turn left, then follow Rue Saint-Julien on the right. Pass in front of the church and take the first street on the right, then at the fork, turn right again, heading north, onto Rue du Verger (the name of the street is only indicated at the next crossroads). At the crossroads, turn left onto the small road, Chemin de Rizolles. Walk along the cemetery, ignoring a path on the right.
(14) Further on, as the road turns south, leave it and follow a path on the right, heading west. Further on, ignore a path on the right and shortly afterwards you will come back onto Chemin de Rizolles. Follow this small road to the right, then turn right onto Route d'Opme.
(15) 200 metres further on, take a path on the left, marked with a yellow disc, which passes under the high-voltage power line. At the junction with the road, below Opme, continue along the grassy path opposite. At the top, you will find Rue des Basses. Follow it to the right to reach Rue du Maréchal Delattre de Tassigny. Follow this street to the left.
A few metres further on, you will find the entrance to Opme Castle. Leave the castle and head east to return to the car park (S/E).
Visorando Member
Easy 
