Two citadels on the Couze Chambon

On arriving in Ludesse via the D28, park in the car park by the roadside, just after the bridge.
Please note! This walk is not signposted in its entirety, nor is it officially marked as such.

(S/E) Continue towards the village and turn left onto Rue du Chazelet. At the crossroads with a beautiful turreted house on your right and an oil mill on your left, look for the yellow and red markings of^{the GRP®®} "Autour d'Issoire". Follow these markings until otherwise indicated.

(1) Turn left, cross the D28, take Chemin du Creux opposite and follow it, ignoring the paths branching off on either side.

(2) Pass close to a small castle, La Martre, which can be seen on the right. Continue along the GRP®^®. Cross a small stream, cross the D28 again and continue along the path opposite. Turn onto the first path on the left and you will soon reach a menhir standing in a field to the right of the path, the Pierre-Fichade (yellow sign).

(3) Continue along the path. Further on, continue along the tarmac road to quickly reach the first houses of Champeix.

(4) At the fork, turn left, pass a façade with a large ornate wooden door and, a few metres further on, on the left, a first façade listed by the Fondation Patrimoine^. Leave the^GRP®® route^. Cross the D996, veer slightly left and take the street that crosses the Couze Chambon.

(5) Turn into the first street on the right (before reaching Place de la Barreyre). Immediately take a path on the left, near a lodge and a crossed-out Saint-Jacques signpost. Take the steps on the right to reach a sign for “La Buissonière”. Note a signpost depicting a woman’s head wearing a hat, which you will follow in part during your visit to Champeix. Continue up the steps of Rue du Fort, noting the municipal garden on your right.

(6) At the junction, turn left onto the Chemin des Remparts to reach the South Terrace, a viewpoint and a cul-de-sac. Turn back, turn left and immediately take a narrow passageway through a wall. Follow the steps to a terrace at the foot of the Church of Saint-Jean du Marchidial.

Go through the gate in the wall to reach a terrace (viewpoint, information panel), and follow the sign for “Suite de la visite” to go through a gate, then climb a few steps to the right to reach another terrace, where the ruins of the fortified castle are located. Head back down the same way to the first terrace, at the foot of the church.

Turn left. At the Jardin des Femmes, ignore a narrow lane on the right and take the steps going up opposite (the path to the left of the steps leads to the Jardin des Amourettes). Go round a house, come out onto a street and follow the road to the right towards the village centre. The path joins Rue du Fort.

(6) Follow it to the left. At the next junction, turn left again.

(7) Turn onto the first street on the right (at a crossed-out Saint-Jacques sign) and, a few metres further on, take the path that continues from it (motorcycle no-entry sign). Further on, join a wide track and follow it to the right. The path runs alongside the Couze Chambon to Montaigut-le-Blanc. Note the Montaigut campsite on the other side of the river and arrive at an old oil mill (a millstone is still visible inside, information sign).

(8) Continue to the road and turn right to cross the Couze Chambon. At the crossroads, look out for a yellow and red^GRP®® sign and follow it up the road opposite, slightly to the right, Rue du Pont.

(9) At the first junction, leave the^GRP®® signposting and turn left towards the village. Ignore the steps on the Traverse de Paul Boever to the right (information sign) and, at the Fork in the road, head right onto Rue du Four. Ignore a street on the right (Rue des Hospitaliers), pass to the right of the Maison des Vignerons and arrive at a junction with yellow signs.

(10) Continue straight on (towards Puy de la Rodde) for a short round trip to the drinking fountain. Turn back to reach the junction with the yellow signs.

(10) Turn left (towards Route Tour de la Pinière). You’ll find an information sign about the Corps de Garde on your left, then reach the church and climb up to its terrace (viewpoint). Head back down and turn left onto the street (yellow sign, towards Champeix), to quickly descend onto a road and rejoin the yellow and red^GRP®® markings, which you’ll follow from here to Lunesse.

(11) Turn left. At the bend in the road, follow the Chemin des Moines to the left, cross the Ruisseau des Moines, and pass between the two cemeteries. Continue along this path.

(12) Further on, ignore a path on the left that branches off, then, at the crossroads shortly afterwards, continue to the left.

(13) You will come to a road; follow it straight on. Back in Ludesse, take the first street on the right (Rue de l'Église) to reach the crossroads you passed on the way out, near the oil mill.

(1) Turn left to reach the car park (S/E) via the same route as on the way there.

Moderate difficulty hike, standard hiking equipment required.

No particular difficulties. However, be careful in villages when it rains, as the cobblestones can be slippery.

Photo album here

Built in a bend of the Couze Chambon, between hillsides planted with vineyards and terraced orchards, the village of Champeix exudes a southern, wine-growing atmosphere. The winegrowers’ houses are painted in bright colours and the red-tiled roofs are topped with gables.
The different neighbourhoods reflect the town’s history. The Marchidial district, terraced at the foot of the castle, is the historic quarter. On the right bank of the Couze, the opening of the road from Besse to Clermont in^{the 18th} century encouraged the development of the Place du Pré and Quai d’Aubary districts. In^{the 18th century}, Champeix became the capital of the Marquisate of Tourzel. Mme de Tourzel, who was governess to the children of Louis XVI, is well known.
Today, the multitude of gardens, both ornamental and kitchen gardens, has earned the town the title of ‘city of gardens’: source

In Champeix, you can follow a short signposted trail, ‘In the Footsteps of Madeleine’, named after a local woman who was involved in maintaining the small gardens dotted across the hills above the village, at the foot of the Marchidial.

Montaigut-le-Blanc.
Once fortified (town gate), the village clings to a slope and is dominated by a large castle (^{12th–15th centuries). In the 13th}century, two Montaiguts were born in this castle, one of whom was elected Grand Master of the Order of Jerusalem, whilst his brother attained the same rank in the Order of the Knights Templar.
The fort (private) has retained its large square keep, a stair turret, an ogival gate and the remains of the old chapel (^{12th century}). The partly Romanesque Church of Saint-Blaise features beautiful capitals and an interesting baptismal font. A stunning view from the top of the village: source

The Couze Chambon, or more precisely the Couze de Chaudefour, rises at an altitude of around 1,580 metres in the Puy-de-Dôme department, in the Monts Dore, on the slopes of the Puy de Cacadogne, within the Chaudefour Valley National Nature Reserve. It flows through the village of Chambon-sur-Lac and empties into Lake Chambon at an altitude of 875 metres.
Under the name Couze Chambon, it then flows through Murol, passes through Saint-Nectaire, drops seven metres at the Saillant waterfall, and flows through Verrières and Montaigut-le-Blanc. It then flows through Champeix, passes through Neschers and flows into the Allier at an altitude of 347 metres, on the left bank, at Coudes.
It is 39.7 kilometres long and its catchment area covers 195 km² (source: Wikipedia).