Lac de la Cassière from Nadaillat and via Rouillat Haut

In Nadaillat, leave your vehicle in the car park at the cemetery, at the bottom and south of the village.

Blue markings, lines or small^PR®® signs

(S/E) Head towards the village, passing in front of the cemetery entrance, then follow the one-way street straight ahead. At the cross, go straight ahead, leaving the church on your left, until you reach a street with a fountain and the Nadaillat sign. Turn left towards L'Oradoux. Ignore Chemin du Lavoir on your left. You will come to an intersection.

(1) Ignore Rue du Sabotier on the left, which will be the return route, then a dead end on the right. Continue along the road, pass the chicanes, then turn left onto Rue de la Croix Saint-Roch. You will soon arrive at this cross framed by beautiful lime trees. Take the street on the right at the intersection, then immediately turn onto a path on the right. You will arrive at a road at the L'Oradoux signpost.

(2) Continue straight on Chemin de la Vigerale, towards Les Condamines. Much further on, you will arrive at an intersection at the Les Condamines signpost.

No signposting

(3) Leave the blue markings and follow the path on the right towards La Condamine Ouest. You will soon reach another path marked by the^GR®®30.

Red and white^GR®® markings

Follow it to the right. Ignore two paths on the left, arrive at a small road at the intersection and keep to the right. You will arrive at the D90 at the La Cassière signpost. Follow the direction of L'Épine to reach the centre of the hamlet of La Cassière, crossing carefully, then turning left. Turn right shortly afterwards onto Rue Roland Brousse.

No signposts

Turn left onto Rue du Four^, leaving the^GR®® signposting^. At the next intersection, turn left, then continue straight ahead, following Route du Lac, to reach the edge of Lac de la Cassière, at a picnic area.

(4) Continue straight ahead on the street running along the left side of the lake. Pass a beautiful enamelled lava information panel about toads. At the end of the lake, near the recycling bins, continue a little further along the road and you will soon find a path leading off to the right.

(5) Follow it. In the undergrowth, it approaches the lake shore and joins it at the rocks, which are popular with birds. This is another possible spot for a picnic. Then continue along the path that leads away from the lake and narrows into a trail in the undergrowth. Caution! As there are no markings in the direction of travel, a GPS may be useful. You can also use the blue markings on the ground. Always stay on the most obvious path, without trying to return to the lake. You will come to a T-junction with a wider path. Follow it to the left, ignoring the (official) blue markings. You will come to the D90.

(6) Cross carefully (use the pedestrian crossing on the left if necessary), take the small road opposite, then immediately turn onto a path on the left. It climbs to an intersection with the path marked by the^GR®®30at the L'Épine marker.

^GR®® Red and White markings

(7) Follow the signs to L'Épine Sud on the right and you will soon reach this marker.

Mountain bike markings no. 11 and 12

Leave the^GR®® and follow the mountain bike trail on the left towards Rouillat Haut. Ignore the path on the right further on and you will arrive at a street in Rouillat Haut, at the Chemin de la Cassière street sign. Continue to the next intersection with Rue de l'Oie.

No signposting

(8) Leave the mountain bike trail for a short while and turn left to visit a small chapel, which also has a drinking fountain and a wash house. Then return to the junction with Rue de l'Oie.

Mountain bike signs no. 11 and 12

(8) Follow it to the left to cross the hamlet, keeping to the mountain bike trail. Ignore a street on the right. At the T-junction, turn right, then follow Chemin de la Serre to the left. At the bend in the street, you will arrive at the Rouillat Haut signpost.

(9) Continue straight ahead along the path towards Yvée. Further on, pass an old drinking trough on the left. You will arrive at a T-junction at the Yvée signpost.

No signposts

Turn left towards Pré Montrand, leaving the mountain bike signpost. You will soon reach this signpost at a crossroads.

(10) Turn left towards Tertre de Fontarbre. Ignore a path on the left just before reaching this signpost and a crossroads. Continue straight ahead towards La Trulière and reach this signpost at a T-junction. Find the blue signposting again

Blue markings, lines or small^PR®® signs

(11) Follow the marked path to the right towards Nadaillat. Further on, after a wide left turn, the path becomes a trail and passes in front of a wooden cross. Shortly afterwards, you will come to a fork in the trail.

No markings

(12) Leave the blue markings and follow the path on the left. You will reach a street in Nadaillat. At the fork in the road, keep right. At the next T-junction, turn right, pass a fountain and you will return to the junction you passed on the way there.

(1) Return to the car park (S/E) by following the same route as on the way there: turn right and, at the Nadaillat signpost, turn right towards La Trulière.

Difficulty: Moderate to easy, no particular difficulties, standard hiking equipment required.
Picnic tables at the edge of the lake.
The Visorando app, or another GPS guide, may be useful between (5) and (6), on a fairly short section. If you do not have this tool and are not comfortable in the forest without markings, you can go to the edge of the lake, after (5), then retrace your steps and follow the road to the right to reach (6).

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

Photo album here

The shores of Lac de la Cassière are accessible from the road. You can see birds, wagtails, ducks, cormorants, frogs, dragonflies, etc.
In Rouillat Haut, take a stroll through the streets to discover numerous enamelled lava plaques, including street signs and illustrated fables by La Fontaine, a form of street art.
There are beautiful unobstructed views from the heights.