Ciron circuit, from the banks of the ponds to the banks of the Creuse

This pleasant walk takes you to several ponds in the Brenne Regional Nature Park, ending at the banks of the Creuse River with a beautiful view of the Château de Romefort.

Details

552618
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.10 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 34 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 41 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 134 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 82 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Ciron (36300)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 46.628258° / E 1.245296°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2026SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from Place de la Lanterne des Morts (12th century). The main markings are yellow.
(S/E) Head east on Route de Chémeray, then take Chemin de l'Épine.

(1) After the castle, turn left onto the Voie Verte (recycled former railway line).

(2) Turn right onto the tarmac road that joins the D951 departmental road. Cross this carefully at the town hall and continue straight ahead onto Chemin des Riaux, a small tarmac road.
At Les Riaux, continue straight ahead north on a carriageway to reach the Étang Le Petit Riau.

(3) Turn left and walk 100 metres to admire the two Riaux ponds, then continue along the path to the south-east. At the next intersection, turn left to the north onto a grassier path.

(4) When you reach a new pond, take the path to the west-northwest for about 1 km.

(5) Turn left onto the path that leads into the woods. Cross the woods to the south-west and continue in this direction until you reach the exit and the Mognaises farms.

(6) Continue straight ahead on a small tarmac road that joins the RD44. Cross it carefully and take the carriage road opposite, still heading south-west.

(7) Continue along the path uphill to the highest point. It then descends onto a small tarmac road that crosses the hamlet of Breuil Renaud. Continue along this road to join the RD951, which you should cross carefully to pass under an old railway bridge, now used by the Voie Verte cycle path.

(8) Turn right after the bridge, then left: the path descends to the D44 departmental road, which you should take to the right.

(9) Turn left onto the access road to the fishing and picnic area on the banks of the Creuse. Return to the RD44 and turn right to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 100 m - Lantern of the Dead
  2. 1 : km 0.9 - alt. 101 m - Greenway on the left
  3. 2 : km 1.23 - alt. 101 m - Turn right towards the Town Hall
  4. 3 : km 3.18 - alt. 109 m - Étangs des Riaux
  5. 4 : km 5.48 - alt. 112 m - Turn left at the pond
  6. 5 : km 6.22 - alt. 109 m - Turn left into the woods
  7. 6 : km 7.2 - alt. 115 m - Les Mognaises
  8. 7 : km 8.84 - alt. 125 m - Continue the climb
  9. 8 : km 10.28 - alt. 92 m - On the right after the bridge
  10. 9 : km 10.99 - alt. 87 m - Descend to the edge of the &gt - Creuse (rivière)
  11. S/E : km 12.1 - alt. 100 m - Lantern of the Dead

Notes

No water source.
Wear waterproof footwear as some areas can be wet.

Worth a visit

This walk can be shortened by going from (3) to (6) and continuing along the path taken to see the two Riaux ponds: this reduces the distance to approximately 9 km.

The châteaux of Épine and Romefort are private and not open to visitors.

Brenne Regional Nature Park

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
k078742
k078742

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike along the banks of very large ponds... lots of birds (cranes, herons...)
A very beautiful day despite the cold

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JoséBernard
JoséBernard

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, well-marked trail.
Interesting for its flora, its ponds, and especially the buildings in Ciron.
A lovely afternoon!

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saranaise
saranaise

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant and relaxing route - Very pretty views of the ponds and Romefort Castle on the banks of the Creuse River

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Carodadou
Carodadou

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk. Yellow markings along the route.
Best done on a cloudy day.
Beautiful views of the ponds, pleasant route through the woods and fields.

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Bruce Simon
Bruce Simon

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This route is part of the Benne hiking trails, marked in yellow. An excellent route for seeing ponds, forests and wooded paths. Magnificent! And what's more, there are three castles along the route, a death lantern and a keep on the other bank of the Creuse. In summer, you can cool off in the river. A very beautiful hike – highly recommended!

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LesBobolas
LesBobolas

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Part of Brenne that combines ponds and rolling landscapes created by the Creuse River. A lovely, varied route, with paths that are a little "wet" around the ponds... which is to be expected! The beautiful Romefort Castle on the other side of the river. Pretty ponds, but not many birds when we visited... which was a shame. A great time!

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Christian86
Christian86

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Taken on 8 September 2020, under late summer sunshine and... a route with very little shade. Of moderate interest but still quite pleasant. High marks for the break on the banks of the Creuse, at the foot of the castle.

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marous
marous

hello, not done yet! When the time is right.
have a nice day.

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rambo18
rambo18

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in Brenne, through the ponds. Beautiful view of Romefort Castle.

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CARREEL
CARREEL

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very relaxing

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Deran
Deran

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

Route with little shade (at the end of a heatwave), plagued by flies and mosquitoes, fairly average interest.

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giovanni36
giovanni36

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Good signposting, beautiful hike in good weather!
and the ponds are symbolic of Brenne!
The dog enjoyed it too.

I recommend it...

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gm31
gm31

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely, very pleasant walk.

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jchbdn44
jchbdn44

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Don't miss out on visiting the banks of the Creuse. On your way back from this visit, which allows you to see the castle, don't take the road but the path you took on the way there, which continues and is better than the tarmac.
Best regards
J Ch

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Jean-claude Mercier
Jean-claude Mercier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hike undertaken by a group of seven regular hikers (club) at 32°C
Unanimous agreement on the interest, variety and ease of access to the ponds and birds.
The same goes for the quality of the trails: wide, shaded and cool.
Minimalist and effective signage
No difficulty: with the current drought, could be considered with wheelchairs for disabled people (AR Ciron > Riau ponds)
Recommended for families

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