Chemin des Trois Communes starting from Chard

The walk starts from the car park at Chard church.

(S/E) Leave the car park at Chard church and head towards Chassaing. Follow the GRP® de la Combraille trail, marked in yellow and red, on the right. Take the second right. You can visit the Chard wash house (take the first right and walk 100 metres). Continue straight on to Puy des Fougères .

(1) Take the leftmost path indicated by a sign for the GRP® de la Combraille, towards Lioux-les-Monges – Continue to follow the yellow and red markings. Continue straight ahead to the village of Lioux-les-Monges and the Jardin de la Cure.

(2) Once there, take the street on the left. Pass the church and take the first street on the right towards the Fontaine St-Martial.

(3) Follow the yellow and red markings. Take the path on the right and continue straight ahead until you reach a paved road at a place called "Parade".

(4) From here, follow the yellow markings. Once on the tarmac road, turn left towards Le Coudert (sign for the entrance to the commune of Châtelard).

(5) When you reach Le Coudert, take the first right, then the path on the left.

(6) At the end of the path, continue right on the road, then take the first path on the left: watch out for dogs.

(7) At the entrance to the village of Les Verts, take the road on the right and then right again.

(8) At the village exit, take the path on the left.

(9) Come out onto the road, which you should follow to the right until you reach a path on the left. Take this path. Continue straight ahead on this path until you reach Chard Town Hall.

(10) At the town hall, turn left onto the D27 to reach the church (S/E).

Toilets under the covered playground in Chard and next to "la Grange" in Lioux les Monges.

Car park at Chard church

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(S/E) Chard Church

Built in the^13th century, it was restored in the^19th century. The current bell tower dates from^{the 19th} century, but at the rear you can see the lower part of the original double-arched bell tower wall. The original portal has been preserved, its triple arch supported by a frieze-capitulum featuring double human heads. Two modern chapels have been added to enlarge the nave. Inside, the furnishings include:

• E^16th-century polychrome wooden Pietà
• E^17th-century wooden Virgin and Child, formerly covered in gilding
• Two^18th-century painted, gilded and silver-plated wooden adoring angels
• The altarpiece with its two statuettes
• A painting of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple

The tabernacle, listed as a historic monument, dates from the^mid-18th century and is known as the "Massillon tabernacle" after the bishop of Clermont who came to stay in Chard every summer (private property)

Chard wash house
For a long time, laundry was done at the river's edge on a sloping stone or a simple board, without any shelter. At the end of the 18th century, there was a growing need for hygiene in response to industrial pollution and epidemics. The first wash houses began to appear. This wash house is uncovered and still has water. The granite stones have been covered or replaced by masonry.

(2) Jardin de la Cure

In the heart of this charming village, which has been awarded two flowers in the Towns & Villages in Bloom competition, the well-maintained Jardin de la Cure extends over a natural setting. It offers a place of calm and meditation opposite the former presbytery and the rural cultural centre known as "La Grange". A mini vegetable garden maintained by the village children has been created there, and a "book box" offers reading material to all visitors.
This garden is located on Rue Principale, very close to the church, which is listed as a historic monument.

Saint Martial Fountain

It served as both a fountain and a drinking trough, supplying the village with drinking water. The inhabitants and their livestock gathered there until the early 1970s, when water was piped into every home.