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In Champeix, park near the town hall, where there are several small car parks available. Then go to the tree-lined town hall square to find the Balirando sign for the hike called "Les caves de Saint-Julien" (The cellars of Saint-Julien), which this route follows.
Yellow markings, lines and smallPR®® signs are used throughout the route, except when visiting the two villages.
(S/E) On the pavement at the edge of the square and opposite the hiking signs, turn left. Ignore the side streets, leave the bridge over the Couze Chambon on your left and, just after, you will find the Petite Rue de Beauregard on your right.
(1) Follow it. At the fork in the road, continue up Rue de Beauregard on the right. The road becomes very rough and is closed to vehicles. You will come to an intersection with a path leading off to the left.
(2) Follow it and, at the fork shortly afterwards, keep left. Views of the villages of Champeix and Montaigut, the Couze valley and the Sancy. Ignore the paths on the right and you will come to a T-junction with a path.
(3) Follow it to the left. Ignore a path on the left and another on the right, cross a stream and arrive at Saint-Julien via Rue de la Bugette, at a wash house.
(4) Continue straight ahead until you reach a T-junction, turn left and arrive at Place de la Chapelle. Note the small chapel on the left. Cross the square and take the street opposite, towards Champeix. At the intersection, continue straight on Rue des Caves and, at the fork in the road, keep left, ignoring Chemin de la Serre. You will arrive at a T-junction.
(5) On the embankment opposite, you will find an information panel about Montaigut. Turn right and follow this small road which crosses the cellar site. Feel free to climb the embankment to discover more, some of the cellars are open. Continue until you reach an intersection with a road.
(6) Follow it to the left and, about 50 metres further on, turn onto a path leading down to the right. You will arrive at the entrance to the Montaigut cemetery. Cross the bridge and keep to the right to take Rue de l'Église, which climbs towards the village. You will arrive at a fork in the road.
There are no markings, so be careful, as several hiking routes intersect in the village. Ignore any markings, including the yellow ones.
(7). While the yellowPR®® trail heads left, go straight up and pass under a stone gate. Pass the Montaigut-le-Blanc sign on your right, then immediately turn right for a round trip to the church (closed to us), which has a pretty porch. Return to the street and follow it to the right, passing in front of the old manor house. Stay on this street, pass a sign for the castle's guardhouse and ignore a lane on the left.
(8) At the next intersection, ignore Rue du Couvanier on the left (to be taken later) and continue for a few more metres to reach Place du Taillet, with a fountain topped by a cross, two old wash houses and an information sign about the Porte du Taillet. Rue du Château, which branches off to the right and continues along a path, leads to the entrance to the castle, where there is an information panel but no view of this private building. Retrace your steps.
(8) Turn right onto Rue du Couvanier. Continue downhill, ignoring the streets and alleys on the left. At the intersection with Rue des Templiers, turn left, ignore a street on the left and continue for another 20 metres or so, then watch out for a stairway path leading off to the right just around the corner from a small house.
(9) Follow it, continuing downhill, until you reach a street. Follow it to the left. Ignore a street on the right and take the next one to reach the busy D996 road that crosses the village. Turn right to immediately reach a crossroads and find the yellow markings again.
Yellow markings
(10) Follow the road towards Reignat, crossing the bridge over the Couze. On the other side, immediately turn left onto Chemin de Coudoux. Stay on this path, with the Couze on your left, until you reach the hamlet.
(11) Go straight through Coudoux and continue along the path, ignoring all the turnings on the right (monotonous part of the route). Pass the area reserved for motorhomes.
(12) Follow the path as it turns right, ignoring the paths on the left. On the climb, ignore a path on the left and continue to a T-junction with a path. Follow it to the left and arrive at a T-junction with a street in a residential area of Champeix.
(13) Follow it to the left. At the next T-junction, turn left again. Ignore the side streets and arrive at a square in the Marchidial neighbourhood with a fountain in the centre and another on the left. Leave the yellow markings to visit the village.
Without markings
(14) Turn right towards the castle, then shortly afterwards, follow the Sentier du Fossé trail to the right. After a few steps, you will arrive at a grassy path. Visit the Jardin des Femmes and another garden on the right. Then follow the grassy path without going down the street on the left. You will arrive at some steps leading down to the left, behind an iron gate.
(15) This passage will be used later. For now, continue straight ahead towards the chapel (belfry) then turn right to reach its esplanade. Turn right to visit several small gardens, information panel "Le Château de Marchidial", and go to the large terrace, information panel "Le paysage de Champeix". Retrace your steps to the intersection of the grassy path and the staircase behind the gate, now on your right.
(15) Take the staircase and, at the bottom, turn right. Pass between several small gardens on the south terraces, exploring from terrace to terrace. At an intersection of paths with directional signs, continue straight ahead towards Chapelle, then, at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the large terrace, which you visited earlier, retrace your steps to the intersection with the directional signs. Follow the signs for Centre bourg, continuing downhill. In front of a wall, turn right, still heading towards Centre bourg. You will come to a street.
(16) Follow it to the left. At a small square with a fountain on your right, turn left onto Rue des Moulins, keeping to the right at the next fork in the road. Shortly afterwards, the street becomes a path leading to gardens, then runs alongside a beautiful leat, built for old mills, on your left. Continue to a playground on your right.
(17) Turn right and take the footbridge over the Couze. On the other side, follow the road to the right. You will arrive at the intersection with Petite Rue de Beauregard.
(1) Continue along the main road to return to the town hall (S/E).
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