Start: entrance to Nicolas Larbaud Park (car park 100 m away, Rue de Verdun, or Rue N. Larbaud).
(S/E) From the entrance, follow the path northwards to the first houses, running alongside the former bottling plant site.
(1) The path is circular and loops round towards the buildings on the right (a large house with a shed). Do not take this circular path but continue straight on along a newly laid path. On the right is a small building housing an old bread oven; a few metres further on, a spring feeds a pond: a watercress bed. Continue to the road, turn left to go under the railway bridge and turn right a few metres further on.
(2) The memorial stone marks the start of the André Monnot trail (named after a former athlete). The path runs alongside the River Allier on your left and the Vichy–Puy-Guillaume railway line on your right, all the way to Abrest. Go under the railway bridge spanning the River Allier, continue for about 100 metres, then take the underpass on the right beneath the railway line.
(3) Turn right, go under the railway line and climb the steps to the Place de l’Église.
(4) Turn right, then left, and walk down Impasse de la Liberté, then take the path leading to the railway bridge. Cross the bridge using the footbridge provided.
At the end of the bridge, take the path leading down to the left. Please note: do not follow the sign for “Les sources chaudes”, but head left at the foot of the bridge pier and go down the steps to the path running alongside the river.
(5) Follow the newly built path (Via Allier de Vichy Communauté), leaving the village of Hauterive on your right (do not take the path leading there on the right), and continue straight on until you reach a sharper bend to the right.
(6) At this point, temporarily leave the main path (for about 400 m) and follow the narrower path on the left, where you can enjoy the riverbank and the birdsong. After rejoining the main path which runs alongside a field, cross a stream via a wooden footbridge as you enter a wooded area.
(7) When you reach the Boire (known as the Marceau to fishermen), turn right and follow it along: the views of the Boire are more interesting here.
(8) At the end of the stream (you’ll rejoin the footpath), follow the tarmac road to the end of the building on the right. Turn left onto the footpath and follow the river.
(9) Take the footbridge to cross the stream and turn left. Follow the path between the fields and the river.
(10) At this junction, take the path on the left to the Saint-Yorre bridge. Please note that this is a designated fording point which is usually dry but has a fairly steep gradient! You will enter a wooded area.
(11) Cross the bridge and turn left onto Avenue des Sources. Follow this road until you reach Rue de Stalingrad. Follow Rue de Stalingrad to the right until you reach the entrance to Nicolas Larbaud Park (S/E).
