Écopôle du Val d'Allier from Mirefleurs

In Mirefleurs, park in a small carpool area between the cemetery and a playground.
Note: the names of the different ponds are indicated in this description, but not on the ground.

Yellow signposts

(S/E) Head east to quickly reach Rue du Guichet and follow it to the left. At the end, climb the stairs that lead to the church. Cross the square and you will find yourself at Place de la Molle. Turn left and walk past the fountain. At the end of the square, ignore the street on the left, continue up a short hill and then turn left to follow Rue de la Grande Chareyre. When you reach Place Jean Domat, continue straight ahead until you reach an intersection.

No signposts

(1) Leave the yellow signs and follow Rue du Pavé on the left, then turn right at the first street, at the corner of the town hall, Rue George Onslow. Continue straight ahead when the street becomes Rue de la Roche Noire. At a fork in the road, keep left. About 50 metres further on, at the junction with a road (small cross on the right), continue straight ahead on Chemin de la Roche Noire.

(2) When you reach La Roche Noire, at a fork in the road, turn right onto Rue du Four Banal and, at the next fork, turn right again onto Chemin sous le Puy. Take the stairs on the left and, at the bottom, follow the alley on the right which leads to a street on the left. Follow this street until you reach the town hall.

Continue straight ahead, to the left of the town hall, passing a pretty fountain on your right, then keep to the right and take Impasse de la Fontaine (signposted impasse). Ignore the streets on your left. At the end of the street, continue in the same direction on Chemin des Voissières, a steeply descending path. Ignore a street on your right and you will come to a path.

(3) Follow it to the right. Further on, cross a road and take the path opposite that branches off to the left. It joins a road at a small business park. Turn right and continue along the path that continues from there. This is not the most picturesque part of the hike, so it is best to walk at a brisk pace. At the T-junction with a path, follow the path to the left. After a sharp right turn, you will arrive at an intersection with a path leading off to the left, near an organic market garden.

(4) Turn left (information sign). About 150 m further on, don't miss a path that branches off to the left between two large stones. This takes you under the D1 road. On the other side of the pedestrian tunnel, you will arrive at one of the ponds of the Écopôle du Val d'Allier site, the Étang des Varennes. Information signs (cliffs, eco-grazing). Follow the path to the right.

(5) Shortly afterwards, a sign for the observatory invites you to climb up to the left to discreetly observe the pond's inhabitants. You can make a small loop by continuing after the observation site to the right on a path (which may be a little overgrown) that goes around a small meadow. Pass under a "Sentier fruitier" sign and, in front of the fence, return to the right onto the path you took to climb up (information sign on the right of the path). Walk a few metres to the left to return to the intersection.

(5) Continue left and arrive at a small car park, next to a large information sign about the Écopôle du Val d'Allier. Take the path that branches off to the left and, shortly afterwards, leave it for a path on the right.

Old Red Disc signpost (not always very visible)

(6) Follow this path, which stays close to the bank of the Étang Sous-le-Torre, ignoring the paths on the left towards the riverbank and on the right towards the road. After going around the northern part of the pond, at the intersection with the "sortie" sign, keep left. At the next fork, keep left and you will soon come to another fork.

(7) Keep left for a round trip between two ponds, take a footbridge and climb up to an observation point.

(7) On your way back, turn left and pass some old machinery from the former quarry (information sign about the gravel pit). Further on, ignore a path on the right and go through a wooden gate to reach a sandy, ochre-coloured path.

(8) Turn left, following the sign for "Boucle des étangs". Further on, at a fork, keep right and you will soon see an information board about George Onslow's castle, of which only the steps remain! Continue along the ochre path. Pass the information board about the ponds, then ignore a path on the left. Shortly afterwards, ignore a path that branches off to the right with red markings.

No markings

(9) Facing the Étang du Pacage, turn right, immediately ignore a path on the right and continue between the pond and the Allier. Pass an observatory on the pond and its inhabitants. Further on, the path moves away from the pond. Pass an information panel on biodiversity management. You will arrive at a paved area and continue for a few more steps.

(10) Immediately take a path on the right. At the fork shortly after, follow the path on the left, along the edge of the meadow (you can stay on the right for a few metres, along the river, but the path does not continue). The path approaches the D1 to go around a "property" (shack), then heads back towards the woods. In the undergrowth, the path remains clear, even without markings.

(11) At a fork in the paths, keep right, then stay on the left and you will soon come out facing the Allier. Continue left on the path. You will come to a wide track and immediately take a path on the right.

(12) You will arrive at a wide path. On the left, a sign indicates "private property", but this only applies to one of the paths, the one that enters the quarry. So turn left and immediately turn right and walk between the quarry and the Étang de Mirefleurs (this pond is not part of the ecopole).
After passing the end of the pond and walking along a small reed bed, ignore the path that branches off to the right and go over a small embankment on the left to join a path. Follow it to the right and join a road.

(13) Follow the road to the right. Turn onto the first path on the left (wooden barrier). Ignore a path on the left and continue until you reach an intersection with another path.

(14) Turn left, continue on the road that extends the path, cross the D1 with caution, and continue straight ahead on Rue du Parc. Turn right onto Rue du Hameau sous le Parc (actually a housing development). At the end of the street, go a few metres to the left onto Rue des Chelles to return to the parking area (S/E).

The hike is of moderate difficulty, leaning towards easy, requiring standard hiking gear and perhaps a pair of binoculars.

This is not a hike in the wilderness. The site is surrounded by the densely populated towns east of Clermont-Ferrand. The noise from the D1 road can be annoying in some places.

As with all natural areas surrounded by urban areas, some places may be colonised by individuals who consider these sites to be barbecue areas. To fully enjoy the site in peace and quiet, I recommend visiting when the weather is less favourable to this type of individual. However, please note that many birds are only present during the summer months.

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here

Photo albums here and here

The Val d'Allier Ecopole is a site covering approximately 140 hectares located in the municipalities of Pérignat-ès-Allier and La Roche Noire, on the outskirts of the Clermont-Ferrand conurbation. Composed of former gravel pits, major ecological work carried out in partnership with the LPO Auvergne has helped to promote the return of biodiversity to this former industrial site. This site, emblematic of the ecological transition, is intended to become an educational centre that reconciles human activities with environmental protection.
https://ecopolevaldallier.fr/