Date of your route : May 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No
This walk would be very pleasant if it were better signposted and the paths were better maintained.
The walk around the Baillys ponds is particularly pleasant, with the little bridge separating them and plenty of picnic tables; this idyllic setting is very popular with anglers.
This promising start soon gives way to a route that becomes more difficult and deteriorates:
- between point 2 and the path leading to Louage Gravat, the distance is 400 metres, not the approximately 600 metres indicated in the description, and there is no signpost at the fork, which leads one to continue along the D190 for the incorrect distance
- the sign indicating a right turn at point 3 faces away from the direction of the walk. You then enter a path that is still passable with fairly tall grass, but the sunken track that follows it towards Les Taupins is rutted by deep tracks left by farm machinery and mountain bikes, with increasingly overgrown vegetation
- the sunken track between point 4 and point 5 disappears beneath the tall grass (nettles and brambles, amongst others) for 500–600 metres before emerging onto a wide farm track (the central section covered in vegetation) and then onto the path skirting the Rachelins farm, barely visible beneath the thick grass covering it.
This section is particularly challenging, requiring you to constantly keep an eye out for the path and where to place your feet safely.
The position of the few existing markers seems better suited to walking the route in the opposite direction to that indicated on the route description sheet.
The route is described as covering specific, verified distances of 165 m and 190 m, following an estimate of 600 m that is 200 m off, which is absurd. Is this really serious?
It appears, from reading other reviews, that the volunteers responsible for partially clearing the path have been absent for several years. This is regrettable as this route is largely shaded and would have a certain charm if it were properly restored.
Why keep the signpost for this ‘Chemin de la Brigandière’ walk at the Etangs de Baillys site when it is no longer in good condition and poses a certain danger beyond the usual safety recommendations?
The Moulins Community, the Allier Bourbonnais Department and the Nièvre Department, which sponsor the hiking trails in this region, should be concerned about this situation, which is damaging to their reputation.
Machine-translated