L'Auzon and the Montagne de la Serre

In Chanonat, park in the car park near the cemetery, to the north of the village.

(S/E) With your back to the road, head south, walking alongside the cemetery on your left, and go down a few steps to reach a small street. Turn left, then, at the next junction, turn right onto Rue Saint-Jean. Ignore Rue Margaud on your left and continue to the end of Rue Saint-Jean. Turn right onto Rue Savaron, then take the first street on the left for a short round trip to the beautiful façade of the Commanderie des Chevaliers de Malte. Back on Rue Savaron, continue to the left and, at the Fork in the road, head slightly left. Shortly afterwards, take the steps on Rue Cote du Prieuré, which lead down towards the Auzon. At the bottom, you’ll find yourself in front of the entrance to the old castle.

(1) Turn right without crossing the stream. Continue along Rue de la Fondette, which initially runs alongside the River Auzon before veering away from it slightly. Ignore the streets on the right and, at the junction with Rue du Chabris, turn left. Back along the banks of the Auzon, look for the yellow signpost marked ‘Chanonat’. Ignore the road on the left that crosses the stream and continue along Rue du Sault Guillaume, following the Auzon on your left towards Nadaillat. Further on, the road bends to the right and joins Chemin du Pont du Batin. Turn left.

(2) A little further on, cross the Auzon; just after this, ignore a path on the left and continue along the path that runs alongside the Auzon on your right, higher up. Walk past the beautiful Château de la Batisse and its gardens, on the other side of the Auzon. Shortly afterwards, ignore a path on the left, then you’ll come to a Fork in the road at the yellow signpost marked ‘la Bughe’.

(3) Turn left, towards Chadrat. Further up, ignore a path on the left and continue climbing through this lovely woodland, where you can see the old, ruined, moss-covered stone walls that once marked the boundaries of cultivated plots. At the junction with another path, by the yellow marker ‘Coutolas’, turn right towards the Moulin de Flory.

(4) Further on, at a junction, ignore the paths to the right and left (the latter is not shown on the map). Enjoy the view of the Auzon valley on your right, then you’ll reach a junction at the yellow marker ‘la Vernède Haute’. Carry on straight ahead towards the Observatory. Further on, the path takes a sharp left-hand bend.

(5) At this bend, ignore the path on the right and continue along the left-hand path, heading south-east again. Note, on your right, further ruined low walls and terraces, then emerge from the woods and continue along the edge of the woodland. Further on, the path takes a wide bend to the right, heading south, then reaches a junction at the yellow marker ‘Paquette’.

(6) Turn left towards Le Crest. Further on, ignore a path on the right and you’ll reach a crossroads at the yellow marker ‘Creux de Cerfette’.

(7) Continue straight on towards the Crest via La Serre, along this path running along the edge of the Limagne plain. On this section of the route, you can clearly see the erosion caused by the River Auzon at the foot of the Montagne de la Serre.

(8) Further on, at a Fork in the road, ignore the path to the left; then, a little further on, you’ll reach a crossroads marked by the yellow signpost ‘Revers de la Serre’.

(9) Carry on straight ahead towards Le Crest via La Serre. Ignore a path on the right and, further on, ignore another path on the right.

(10) At the Fork in the road shortly afterwards, turn left, following the yellow markings to reach the first houses in Le Crest. Follow these yellow markings to explore Le Crest unless otherwise indicated. At the other end of this path, go round the side of the gate to find yourself on a street. Carry on straight ahead to the church, then follow the street as it bends to the right. Ignore Rue Croix Saint-Roch on the left, then let Rue Neuve branch off to the right whilst you continue straight ahead.
You’ll reach the junction with Rue Neraud. Turn right, ignore a small lane on the left, and you’ll reach the junction with Rue Docher. Walk a few metres to the left until you come to a council signpost indicating directions to the town hall, the orientation table and the viewpoint, amongst other things. Head diagonally left onto Rue du Muret.

(11) A few metres further on, temporarily leave the yellow markings behind, turn left onto Rue du Château to pass above the town hall. Shortly afterwards, on the right, you’ll find a small road sign reading “Donjon, orientation table”, followed, just behind it, by an information board about the Montagne de la Serre. Immediately after this, turn right into the small dirt car park and head up to the left to reach the orientation table. Pay particular attention to the location of Nadaillat on the map, and then in the landscape. This village marks the western end of the Montagne de la Serre. You can also extend the round trip to the Tour de l’Horloge. Turn back to pass by the top of the town hall again.

(11) Back on Rue du Muret, turn left, following the yellow markings again until otherwise indicated. You’ll soon come across an information board about the Crest on the right-hand side of the street, just before the parking spaces. Walk past the town hall and carry on, with a lovely view on your right. At the next junction, turn right and then left onto the Chemin de Ronde. Carry on, ignoring the streets on your right and left, until you reach Rue Saint-Esprit (a cul-de-sac) on your left. Take this street and, shortly afterwards, go down a flight of steps on the right to reach Rue de la Chevalerie, then continue straight ahead onto Rue du Pressoir.

(12) Further down, you’ll reach Rue Paul Gaubin, near a fountain, and carry on straight ahead onto Rue sous les Murs, which takes a wide bend to the left. Turn right onto Rue du Bosquet (note the beautiful house at this junction) and, as the road curves, continue straight ahead along the path. You’ll come out onto Chemin de Fontaine-Vieille; turn left to find, shortly afterwards on the left-hand side of the street, under a stone archway, the Fontaine-Vieille. Further on, leave the yellow markings behind and turn into the first street on the left – still Chemin de Fontaine-Vieille – which leads back towards the village centre at the church.

(13) At the junction with a main road—Rue Rivallier on the left (the name is not signposted here) and Route de Chanonat on the right (also unmarked)—cross over to find, just on the other side, behind the electricity pole and the fire hydrant, a beautiful wash house. Turn round and take a few steps back onto Route de Chanonat, then follow it to the left – with your back to the village – for a few metres, before turning left onto a track, the Chemin du Thuel de Saint-Pierre. Walk past the cemetery situated below on the right, then ignore a track leading down to the right. Pass under a high-voltage power line, then through the middle of some private recreational plots. Further on, ignore a path on the left. You’ll eventually reach a crossroads marked by a yellow sign (slightly leaning) reading “la Piboule”.

(14) Turn right, towards Chanonat, and carry on until you reach a Fork in the road.

(15) Veer to the right, following the direction indicated by a small yellow PR®® sign^. At the next two junctions, follow the^PR®® signs again by turning left. You’ll pass a beautiful sequoia before approaching the River Auzon. Ignore a private footbridge on the right; further on, you’ll reach the footbridge near the castle. Cross the River Auzon.

(1) Return to the car park, near the cemetery (S/E), via the same route as on the way there.

Moderate difficulty hike, standard hiking equipment required

Discover more walks in this area, complete with descriptions, via the Visorando app here, and more generally in the Puy-de-Dôme region here

The Montagne de la Serre is a plateau around ten kilometres long, stretching from east to west from Nadaillat to Le Crest. It consists of a layer of limestone topped by two eroded basalt flows, the remains of an eruption originating from the Monts-Dore. Three rivers – the Auzon, the Veyre and the Taut – have eroded the limestone all around them without being able to cut through the Serre, which is covered by its basaltic mantle. The Auzon is a beautiful stream, 18 km long, which flows into the Allier.

The village of Chanonat is very charming, with its old stone houses, its château – the fine remains of which have been converted into accommodation – and the former Commandery of the Knights of Malta.

The route offers a magnificent view of the Château de la Batisse. Originally, it was a simple defence tower built in the 13th century which, together with the towers at Le Crest and La Roche Blanche and the fortress at Opme, formed the defensive belt to the south of Clermont-Ferrand. In the 14th century, three further towers were added to the original one and then linked by connecting buildings, forming a proper fortified castle. In 1693, the castle was restored as a country retreat – a true 18th-century-style manor house – and fitted out with a French-style garden.

Le Crest is the easternmost village in my Montagne de la Serre region. It is a former wine-growing village, as evidenced by the characteristic architecture of the old houses, which all feature large vaulted cellar vaults on the ground floor. All that remains of the 11th-century fortress are the ruins of the ramparts, on the left as you walk along the Chemin de Ronde, and the Donjon de l’Horloge. The Fontaine-Vieille is a spring said never to have run dry. The view from the orientation table is very interesting.