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Starting point: 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 north to the first houses, skirting the old bottling plant.
(1) The path forms a circular loop around the buildings on the right (a large house with a shed). Do not take this circular path but continue straight ahead on a newly constructed path. On the right is a small building housing an old bread oven. A few metres away, a spring feeds a pond: a watercress bed. Continue to the road, turn left to pass under the railway bridge and turn right a few metres further on.
(2) The stele marks the start of the André Monnot trail (named after a former athlete). The trail runs alongside the Allier River on the left and the Vichy-Puy-Guillaume railway line on the right, all the way to Abrest. Pass under the railway bridge over the Allier River, continue for about 100 metres, then turn right into the underpass beneath the railway line.
(3) Turn right, pass under the railway line and climb the steps to the Place de l'Église.
(4) Turn right, then left and go down Impasse de la Liberté, then take the path that leads to the railway bridge. Cross the bridge using the footbridge.
At the end of the bridge, take the path down to the left. Be careful not to follow the sign for "Les sources chaudes" (hot springs), but go to the left at the foot of the bridge pier and go down the steps to the path that runs 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 that leads to it on the right), and continue straight ahead until you reach a sharp bend to the right.
(6) At this point, temporarily leave the path (for about 400 m) and follow the narrower path on the left, where you can enjoy the riverbanks and birdsong. After rejoining the path that runs alongside a field, cross a stream via a wooden footbridge as you enter a wooded area.
(7) When you reach the watering hole (known as La Marceau to fishermen), turn right and walk alongside it: the views of the watering hole are more interesting here.
(8) At the end of the watering hole (you will rejoin the path), follow the tarmac road to the end of the building on your right. Turn left onto the path 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 crossroads, take the path on the left to the Saint-Yorre bridge. Please note that this is a ford which is usually dry but has a fairly steep gradient! You will enter some undergrowth.
(11) Cross the bridge and turn left onto Avenue des Sources. Follow it to Rue de Stalingrad. Turn right onto Rue de Stalingrad and continue to the entrance to Nicolas Larbaud Park (S/E).
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