The Queuille meander loop at the Fades Viaduct

The Sioule River shapes the landscape of the Combrailles. Between valleys, wild gorges, forest paths and volcanic peaks offering magnificent views... here, it is the Queuille meander that takes our breath away with its strange tranquillity and perfect curves.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.96 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 311 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 310 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 700 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 583 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start: car park near Queuille church.

(S/E) From the starting sign, descend into the village for 200 metres until you reach Chemin des Coudiots on the right.

(1) Take this road and descend into a beech forest. At the T-junction, turn right, then at the fork, go left. Continue along this road on the hillside.

(2) After a steep climb, descend to the right. At the next fork, go up to the left and, 30 m further on, continue climbing to the left.

(3) At the edge of the woods, turn right onto the road and continue to Montfaucon. Turn right onto Rue des Hirondelles and continue to the first path on the left.

(4) Take this road and descend to the left at the first intersection. Leave a path on your right and climb up opposite. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead until you reach the four-way intersection at the top of the hill.

(5) Turn right. At the road (viewpoint over the Combrailles plateau), turn right towards Puy Gilbert. At the entrance to the hamlet, follow Chemin des Cures on the left. Then turn down the first road on the right.

(6) At the first intersection, turn right and go back 20 metres (view of the Fades viaduct and the dam), then go up to the left.

(7) At the edge of the woods, turn right and drive 150 m for another round trip (view of the Fades viaduct and the dam). Then continue uphill. On the plateau, ignore a path on the left and continue to a T-junction.

(8) Take the road on the left and turn left at the next crossroads. After 300 metres, take the path that descends to the right, returning to the four-way crossroads you passed earlier.

(5) Turn right.

(9) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. At the next crossroads, make a quick left-right turn to take Rue du Lavoir (wash house on the left). At the crossroads, turn left and continue straight ahead towards the start sign (30 m from the start sign, view of the Queuille meander) (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 680 m - Church car park
  2. 1 : km 0.22 - alt. 673 m - Coudiots Path
  3. 2 : km 1.03 - alt. 630 m - Trail junction
  4. 3 : km 1.56 - alt. 666 m - Montfaucon
  5. 4 : km 1.79 - alt. 664 m - Path on the left
  6. 5 : km 3.34 - alt. 674 m - Four-way junction
  7. 6 : km 4.79 - alt. 602 m - Intersection, turn right
  8. 7 : km 5.15 - alt. 647 m - Trail to the viewpoint on the Fades Viaduct
  9. 8 : km 6.61 - alt. 685 m - Chagots Trail
  10. 9 : km 8.01 - alt. 688 m - Crossroads, opposite
  11. S/E : km 8.96 - alt. 680 m - Church car park

Notes

Yellow markings

Worth a visit

Queuille meander.
Fades Viaduct.
Fades dam.
Sioule.
Combrailles.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 54 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 9834163

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike. Great in sunny weather, as you are often sheltered in the woods. Bring plenty of water for the 3-hour hike. The views and light are magnificent.

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Marcheur solitaire
Marcheur solitaire

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

From the platform at the start, there is a beautiful view of the Queuilles meander. The hike then continues mainly through woods, along pleasant paths, sometimes stony, with only two or three places offering beautiful views, notably over the Fades viaduct. Nevertheless, this hike is still quite enjoyable.

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User 5989370

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

This hike lacks a bit of interest because the magnificent view is visible right from the start of the hike, in Queuille, which significantly reduces the suspense. Perhaps it would be better to start from another town. The view of the Fades viaduct is partially obscured by vegetation. It's a shame that you can't see more of the Sioule. The terrain is often stony, especially at the beginning, so you need good shoes, but the hike itself is still enjoyable and well marked.

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User 26762816
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Medium-difficulty hike. Fairly easy if you follow the route provided by the app, which is very well detailed in its description.
Allow 2 hours and 20 minutes for the walk. It's a shame there aren't more viewpoints along the route. There weren't many people on this hike. However, the final viewpoint is magnificent 😍

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User 18722814

Thank you very much for the detailed description of this hike. In the end, we didn't do it due to a change in plans. We'll do it next time, hopefully very soon.
Best regards

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User 25925732

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Magnificent, well worth the detour

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User 25481771

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, well-marked hike, but be careful not to miss section 5. We had to retrace our steps to complete the loop. Beautiful views and the meandering Queuille river are a must-see!

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User 6184814

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very useful description. Beautiful hike with few people.

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NinaB
NinaB

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I did this hike with my dog in about 2.5 hours. I set off on a Saturday at 9 a.m. and didn't see any other walkers. Be careful at the start if you have dogs, as you have to pass a hunter's lodge, but when I went through, the dogs were chained up. A great walk, easy and enjoyable.

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Bruno leray
Bruno leray

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, well shaded. No problems with signposting.
At the end, the icing on the cake was a viewpoint to admire the superb view

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Serge_Augusta
Serge_Augusta

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with a moderately rugged route, but generally shaded. Ideal in warm weather.
Easy circuit, no particular difficulties.
Several observation points along the route with stunning views.
A lovely walk for the whole family.

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Bruno leray
Bruno leray

Beautiful hike, well shaded. No problems with signposting, superb views

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Perrieredela
Perrieredela

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike in the forest, pleasant in hot weather. A word of advice: save the view of the meanders for the end, rather than the beginning, for a surprise!
The route is easy, with some nice climbs but well spaced out.
One small downside is that the yellow markings are missing at point 5, which is misleading when you reach the crossroads.
A lovely open-air café awaits you at the end!

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joel pokrzywa
joel pokrzywa

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

The only point of interest is at the starting point, which offers a beautiful view of the meandering Sioule River. After that, there are few or no views worth mentioning, and the view of the Fades Viaduct begins to be obscured by vegetation.

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17tz6jr9rjz2
17tz6jr9rjz2
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

the walk was very nice, but it was a shame that the view of the Queuilles des Fades meanders was obscured by vegetation. But I remain positive about the fact that I really appreciate the gesture made by Visorando. Keep up the good work! :mdr(mdr)mdr(love)whistle:

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