The Ribeyre Forest starting from Vernines

In Vernines, park on the Place des Marronniers, which features young chestnut trees, a communal oven and a blacksmith's workshop with a picnic table. Signpost for the Balirando Haute Vallée de la Sioule hike, parts of which (marked in green) will be used at the start and end of the hike.

Green markings

(S/E) Return to the main road and follow it to the left. You will soon arrive at Place de la Forge, with its beautiful carved stone cross. Continue towards the church on Rue des Forges, then turn right onto Rue de l'Église just before the church.

(1) At the crossroads, follow Rue de l'École to the left until the street turns left. Continue straight ahead on the path, ignoring a path on the right, and you will arrive at a street in the hamlet of Bessat.

(2) Continue straight ahead on the road, then turn right onto Rue du Four. Pass a fountain-drinking trough-wash house, follow the bend in the street to the left, pass another fountain-drinking trough-wash house, then turn right onto a grassy path (do not follow the Passage des Roches). Ignore a path on the right and you will come to a road.

(3) Follow it to the left, cross a bridge over the Sioule and ignore the path on the left. Reach the hamlet of Ribeyre. At the fork in the road, follow the left towards Ribeyre. At the oven and the shoeing machine, which serves as a wood shelter, turn left onto Rue des Garettes. Follow the street around a right-hand bend, ignoring the path on the left.

No markings

(4) At the next intersection, leave the green markings and turn left. The street curves to the right. Shortly afterwards, at a small iron cross, take the hairpin bend to the left and immediately turn onto the path to the right of the access to a house. At the tarmac section, follow the path that curves to the left, ignoring the path on the right. Ignore another path on the right and continue to the road.

(5) Follow it to the right and you will soon reach the marker at 1036 m, in the bend in the road.

Blue markings in the opposite direction

Follow the path that branches off to the right towards La Croix. At the entrance to the Ribeyre Forest (sign), take the path going up to the right. Further on, at a bend in the path on the left, ignore a forest path (very recent, end of 2023, suggesting forestry work at the end of 2023-beginning of 2024) and continue straight ahead. You will arrive at a crossroads.

(6) Turn right. At the T-junction, follow the path on the right and, at the next fork in the path, keep to the right.

(7) Further down, at the edge of the forest, ignore a path on the left and continue downhill. Ignore a hairpin bend on the right, then you will soon reach the marker at 980 m. Note the^GR®®30markings coming from the path on the left.

Red and white^GR®® markings

Continue straight ahead towards Voissieux and you will soon arrive at Juégheat. Follow the road as it turns right and ignore the hairpin bend on the left (unless you want to visit the hamlet and its fountain and wash house).

(8) At the next intersection, at the picnic table (oven, fountain and loom below), continue straight ahead on the road, leaving the hamlet. In the right-hand bend, stay on the road and ignore the path on the right. You will arrive at an intersection in Voissieux.

(9) Cross the road and, on the other side, follow Chemin des Noisetiers to the right. Immediately afterwards, stay on the^GR®® and Rue des Mésanges, leaving a blue-marked path on your left. The street turns left and becomes a path. Shortly afterwards, ignore a path on the left. Further on, the path turns left and crosses the Sioule.

(10) Immediately afterwards, at the intersection, take the path that climbs to the left. Further up, ignore a path on the left. You will come to an intersection at a water catchment. Follow the path to the right and you will immediately come to another intersection.

No markings

(11) Leave the^GR®® and follow the path to the right. You will come to an intersection where you will see a green marker.

Green markings

Take the path on the left and head towards Neuville. At the entrance to the hamlet, ignore the Chemin des Quatre Vents on the left and you will arrive at a crossroads at the Place des Querades (oven, fountain-wash house and picnic table).

(12) Continue straight on Chemin des Vergnes. Ignore a path (farm access) on the right and immediately after a path on the left. Further up, ignore another path on the left. You will come to the D561 road, opposite a pond.

(13) Follow it carefully to the left for about 150 metres, then turn onto the small road on the right. Turn onto the first path on the right.

(14) Cross the D561 and continue on the path opposite. This soon turns left, runs alongside a water treatment plant and ends at a road. Follow it to the left, ignoring a path on the right, to reach Vernines and the Rue de l'École crossroads.

(1) Go straight ahead towards the church and then on to Place de la Forge. Instead of going straight ahead to Place des Marronniers, turn right to see a row of small drinking troughs. Then turn left onto Rue des Mésanges to return to Place des Marronniers (S/E).

Moderate difficulty hike. Standard hiking equipment required.
Please note that forestry work is planned for early 2024 in the Ribeyre Forest.

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

Photo album here

Unobstructed views, particularly of the Chaîne des Puys, along almost the entire route.
The hamlets and villages you pass through have preserved their beautiful traditional houses, as well as numerous fountains, often combined with drinking troughs and wash houses, and ovens.
The Ribeyre Forest is a mixed forest (with some larch trees).