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Park in the car park of the Breuil sports complex, west of Royat.
(S/E) Walk back down towards the roundabout and you will see a narrow street on your left, opposite a house with a white balustrade and a post box at the bottom of the wall. Cross the D68 on the pedestrian crossing a few metres to the left, then take this lane. It is only tarmac at the start and quickly turns into a fairly steep path.
(1) You will come out onto Chemin des Crêtes. Opposite you are wooden directional signs. Take a good look around so that you can find your way back down on the return journey. Turn right towards Royat, following the yellow disc markings. Further on, you will find an information sign on your right about Royat, its thermal baths and its church. Continue walking along the heights of the Tiretaine valley. Near a house, you will find the "Puy de Chateix" sign.
(2) Turn left and head towards Les Hauts de Chamalières. About 100 metres further on, at a fork, go up to the left, following the wooden signs for Villars via the Bois de Villars. Further on, ignore the path on the right (which is not shown on the IGN map) and continue in the direction indicated by the sign for "À la découverte des ambiances forestières" (Discovering the forest atmosphere).
(3) At an intersection, with a bench on your right and signs for "À la découverte des ambiances forestières" pointing both right and left, turn right, leaving the yellow markings (yellow cross on a tree). Further on, you will enjoy a beautiful view of Clermont-Ferrand, then the path veers eastwards. Go down a few steps and turn right. The paths shown on the map at this point are no longer really visible on the ground. Shortly afterwards, you will find information signs about the plants in the undergrowth. Go down a few more steps, turning left, and you will come to a road.
(4) Turn left, following the sign for "À la découverte des ambiances forestières" (Discovering forest environments). Continue along the path that extends the road to go around the Colombier stadium. Don't miss the information panel on your right, "Géoscope de Chamalières", which explains the geology of this area of the Puy de Dôme. Further on, you will find another information panel on your left, this time about birds. From this point, facing the bird panel, you will see a sign for "À la découverte des ambiances forestières" (Discovering forest environments) a little further on your right. Head towards this sign and you will come to a wide, beautiful path.
(5) Turn left and climb the cobblestones of this ancient Roman road. Shortly after a wooden post bearing a yellow disc marker, leave the Roman road and the yellow marker to climb more steeply to the left. At a fork, continue to the left.
(6) At the crossroads with wooden signs, a "PR®®" sign and a "Discover the forest atmosphere" sign, turn right towards Villars and Fontanas. At the intersection, at the wooden signs indicating Royat in several directions, continue straight ahead. At the intersection a few metres further on, ignore the path that branches off to the left.
(7) At the next intersection, turn left, following the direction indicated by the wooden signs "Fontanas par les Mortiers, Royat par les Crêtes".
(8) At the next intersection, you will see wooden signs, a sign for "Coté Tiretaine" and yellow signs. Turn left towards Royat via Chemin des Crêtes and follow the yellow disc markings again. Continue along this beautiful path overlooking the Tiretaine valley.
(1) Descend to the right towards the roundabout via the same path as on the way up. Take care on this fairly steep path, which is easier to climb than to descend. Cross the D68 to return to the sports complex car park (S/E).
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