Discover Ambert

Park in the car park just south of the station, Esplanade Robert Lacroix, next to the Val Dore Leisure Centre. Street signs are not always present at intersections. In this case, the sign is often present at the other end of the street, and I indicate the name of the street in brackets. This walk is not signposted.

(S/E) Head towards the station, note the sculptures by Alexandre Vialatte, leave Avenue du 11 Novembre on your right, opposite the station entrance, and continue straight ahead for a round trip to the curious fountain-lamppost at the intersection with Avenue du Maréchal Foch. Retrace your steps and turn left onto Avenue du 11 Novembre.

(1) At the crossroads of avenues and boulevards, turn left and then immediately right onto Rue des Confins. Turn left at the T-junction, then right onto Rue de la Barrière and immediately left onto Rue Saint-Jean (street sign further on). At the end of the street, turn left towards the square and you will find yourself at the foot of Saint-Jean Church.
Notice the gargoyles, most of which are worn, and the beautiful porch on the left, topped with a salamander (it is not always open, but that's okay).
Turn right, walk along the back of the church and continue along Petite Rue de Goye. At the intersection, continue straight on Rue de Goye.

(2) At the end of the street, turn left towards Place du Pontel, car park. Walk along the left-hand side, follow Rue Montgoffier straight ahead and arrive at Place du Livradois. Turn right and take the second street on the right, Rue de la Salerie. Turn left onto Rue de la Treille and you will arrive opposite the round town hall. Turn right and take Rue de l'Enfer.

(2) At the end of the street, walk a few metres to the left along Rue de la Fileterie, then turn right onto Rue du Château. Turn right towards the Maison de la Fourme and you will arrive at a small square, Place du Châtelet, where the Maison de la Fourme is located. Turn left, return to Rue du Château and follow it to the right.
In front of the large salmon-coloured half-timbered house, turn right, then right again onto Rue Michel Rolle. Turn left at the T-junction, Place Michel Rolle, and go straight on at the next junction, following Rue des Prisons, which immediately turns left and joins Rue du Château. Turn right, then take Rue de la Boucherie on the left.
After about 60 metres, climb a few steps on the right to reach Rue de Fileterie, follow it to the right, then keep right on Rue du Four and arrive at a square with a circular fountain (information panel on the Tour de Mandrin).

(3) Turn left at the hairpin bend onto Rue de la République and continue to the T-junction with Boulevard Henri IV. Follow this road to the left, passing the circular town hall on your left (main entrance and information panel) and arriving at the entrance to Jardin Chabrier.

(4) Enter the garden to see the beautiful stele in homage to this composer, walk around this pleasant little park, then exit through the same gate.

(4) Take Boulevard Henri IV on the right. You will arrive at a monumental fountain. Notice, on the other side of the boulevard, another fountain, a monument to Henri Pourrat illustrating scenes from Gaspard des Montagnes. Turn right to cross the long Place Charles de Gaulle, and, just before the bandstand, turn right to go down a few steps, cross Rue Michel de l'Hospital and follow Rue des Allées opposite. At the T-junction, turn right onto Rue Saint-Joseph, ignore a street on the left, note the beautiful houses on the right, then turn right at the next street, Rue du Petit Cheix. Ignore Rue du Midi on the right and arrive at the shared gardens, where you will see an old paper mill and its leat. Continue along the street until you reach the end of the gardens, where you will find the Ruisseau de Valeyre.

(5) For a round trip, follow the Sentier de la Poule Rouge trail that branches off to the right, running alongside the stream (several benches and a picnic area a little further on). Retrace your steps to Rue du Petit Cheix.

(5) Follow it to the left to reach Rue Emmanuel Chabrier. Turn right, pass two beautiful houses, and turn left onto Rue Pierre de Nohlac to reach the leisure centre. Old carriages and locomotives occupy the former railway tracks.

(6) Pass to the left of the Maison du Vélo to enter the park and continue straight ahead on the path, with the Ruisseau de Valeyre stream on your left. Further on, the stream flows into the Dore. Turn right and pass between the leisure pond on the right and the fishing pond on the left, continuing around the leisure pond until you find a path that leads back to the railway line, where you will see more old carriages and a steam engine, then return to the car park (S/E).

Easy walk requiring no special equipment.

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here and more generally in the Puy-de-Dôme here

Photo album here
Birthplace of composer Emmanuel Chabrier and writer Henri Pourrat, and home of the family of writer and translator Alexandre Vialatte.
Maison de la Fourme, on the route, old quarter.
The Fourme d'Ambert cheese found in supermarkets is only made by one large dairy. It is not like the traditional Fourme cheese, a mature cheese that you can buy, along with other local products, at the Le Local shop behind the church.
For general information and history about Ambert, click here, and for more historical details, beautifully recounted, click here.
To commemorate Ambert's papermaking tradition, the Festival de la Bonne Impression(Good Printing Festival) is held every year.