L'Auzon and the Montagne de la Serre

In Chanonat, park in the car park near the cemetery, 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 right at the next intersection 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 walk to the beautiful façade of the Commanderie des Chevaliers de Malte. Back on Rue Savaron, continue to the left and, at the fork, turn left. Shortly afterwards, take the steps on Rue Cote du Prieuré, which lead down to the Auzon. At the bottom, you will arrive at the entrance to the old castle.

(1) Turn right without crossing the stream. Continue along Rue de la Fondette, which first runs alongside the Auzon before veering away from it slightly. Ignore the streets on the right and, at the intersection with Rue du Chabris, turn left. Back at the edge of the Auzon, look for the yellow "Chanonat" sign. Ignore the street 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 street turns right and ends at Chemin du Pont du Batin. Turn left.

(2) Further on, cross the Auzon, ignore a path on the left just after the bridge and continue on the path that runs along the Auzon on the right and higher up. Pass behind 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 arrive at a fork at the yellow signpost "la Bughe".

(3) Turn left towards Chadrat. Further up, ignore a path on the left and continue climbing through this beautiful wood where you can see the old ruined walls covered with moss that once marked the boundaries of cultivated plots. At the intersection with another path, at the yellow marker "Coutolas", turn right towards Moulin de Flory.

(4) Further on, at an intersection, 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 arrive at an intersection at the yellow signpost marked "la Vernède Haute". Continue straight on towards the Observatory. Further on, the path makes a sharp left turn.

(5) At this bend, ignore the path on the right and continue on the left, heading south-east. Notice the other ruined walls and terraces on your right, then leave the woods and continue along the edge. Further on, the path makes a wide right turn to head south, then arrives at an intersection at the yellow marker "Paquette".

(6) Turn left towards Crest. Further on, ignore a path on the right and you will come to a crossroads at the yellow "Creux de Cerfette" signpost.

(7) Continue straight ahead towards Crest via La Serre on this path overlooking the Limagne plain. On this part of the route, you can clearly see the erosion caused by the Auzon river at the edge of the Montagne de la Serre.

(8) Further on, at a fork, ignore the path on the left and continue until you reach a crossroads marked with a yellow signpost for "Revers de la Serre".

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

(10) At the fork shortly afterwards, turn left, following the yellow markings to reach the first houses of Le Crest. Follow these yellow markings to visit Le Crest, unless otherwise indicated. At the other end of this path, go around the side of the barrier to reach a street. Continue straight ahead to the church, then follow the street as it curves to the right. Ignore Rue Croix Saint-Roch on the left, then let Rue Neuve go off to the right and continue straight ahead.
You will arrive at the intersection with Rue Neraud. Turn right, ignore a small street on the left and you will arrive at the intersection with Rue Docher. Walk a few metres to the left to arrive in front of a municipal sign indicating the directions to the town hall, the orientation table and the panorama, among other things. Turn left onto Rue du Muret.

(11) A few metres further on, leave the yellow markings for the moment and turn left onto Rue du Château to pass above the town hall. Shortly afterwards, on the right, you will see a small road sign for "Donjon, table d'orientation" (keep, orientation table), then, just behind it, an information sign about the Montagne de la Serre. Immediately afterwards, turn right into the small dirt car park and go 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 Montagne de la Serre. You can also extend the round trip to the Clock Tower. Turn back to return to the top of the town hall.

(11) Back on Rue du Muret, turn left, following the yellow markings again until further notice. You will immediately see an information panel about Le Crest on the right-hand side of the street, just before the car park. Pass under the town hall and continue, enjoying the beautiful view on your right. At the next intersection, turn right and then left onto Chemin de Ronde. Continue, ignoring the streets on your right and left, until you find Rue Saint-Esprit (dead end) on your left. Take this street and, shortly afterwards, go down the stairs on your right to Rue de la Chevalerie, and continue straight ahead onto Rue du Pressoir.

(12) You will arrive at Rue Paul Gaubin, near a fountain, and continue straight ahead onto Rue sous les Murs, which curves sharply to the left. Turn right onto Rue du Bosquet (note the beautiful house at this crossroads) and, at the bend, continue straight ahead along the path. You will arrive at Chemin de Fontaine-Vieille and turn left to find, shortly after on the left side of the street, under a stone archway, the Fontaine-Vieille. Further on, leave the yellow markings and turn onto the first street on the left, still Chemin de Fontaine-Vieille, which leads back to the village at the church.

(13) At the intersection with a larger street, Rue Rivallier on the left (whose name is not indicated at this point) and Route de Chanonat on the right (also unnamed), cross over to find a beautiful wash house just on the other side, behind the electricity pole and fire hydrant. Turn around and walk a few steps back to Route de Chanonat and follow it to the left, with your back to the village, for a few metres before turning left onto a path, Chemin du Thuel de Saint-Pierre. Walk behind the cemetery below on the right, then ignore a path that descends to the right. Pass under a high-voltage power line, then through the middle of private recreational plots. Further on, ignore a path on the left. You will eventually come to a crossroads marked by a yellow signpost (slightly leaning) for "la Piboule".

(14) Turn right towards Chanonat and continue to a fork.

(15) Turn right, following the direction indicated by a small yellow PR®® sign^. At the next two intersections, follow the^PR®® signs again, turning left. Pass by a beautiful sequoia tree before approaching the Auzon. Ignore a private footbridge on the right to reach the footbridge near the castle further on. Cross the Auzon.

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

Moderate difficulty hike, standard hiking equipment required

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here and more generally in the Puy-de-Dôme here

The Montagne de la Serre is a plateau about ten kilometres long, stretching from east to west from Nadaillat to Crest. It is a layer of limestone topped by two eroded basalt flows, remnants of an eruption from the Monts-Dore. Three rivers, the Auzon, the Veyre and the Taut, have eroded the limestone all around without being able to attack the Serre, covered by its basalt mantle. The Auzon is a beautiful 18-kilometre-long stream that flows into the Allier.

The village of Chanonat is very pleasant, with its old stone houses, its castle, whose beautiful remains have been converted into accommodation, and the former Commandery of the Knights of Malta.

The route offers a beautiful view of the Château de la Batisse. Originally a simple defence tower built in the 13th century, it formed part of the defensive belt south of Clermont-Ferrand, along with the towers of Crest and Roche Blanche and the fortress of Opme. In the 14th century, three other towers were added to the first and then joined by buildings, forming a veritable fortified castle. In 1693, the castle was restored as a pleasure residence, a true 18th-century manor house, complete with a French garden.

Le Crest is the easternmost village in the Montagne de la Serre. It is a former wine-growing village, as evidenced by the characteristic architecture of the old houses, which all have large vaulted cellars on the ground floor. Remains of the ramparts built in the 11th century can still be seen on the left when you are on the Chemin de Ronde and the Donjon de l'Horloge. The Fontaine-Vieille is a spring that is said to have never run dry. The view from the orientation table is very interesting.