The Combraille lighthouse in Marche

A journey through the centuries: history, legends and mysteries await you. At the foot of the village tower, strange fields of stones spread out and serve as hiding places for fairies and elves.

Details

1785
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.92 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 236 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 243 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 653 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 467 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure in front of the church in Toulx-Sainte-Croix.

(S/E) Walk past the war memorial, then descend towards the archaeological excavation site. Pass under the cemetery, near the Saint-Martial Chapel, then walk back up the road a little.

(1) Go down the path on the right and come out onto the D14. Turn right. Go up the D14 for 300 metres.

(2) Take thefirst path on the left to reach Lavaud. Cross the hamlet, pass a road on the right and, at the exit, follow the road on the left for about 300 m.

(3) Take the track on the right.

(4) At the four-way intersection, turn left and you will come out onto the D14. Cross the road and continue straight ahead until you reach a second road.

(5) Turn left and, at the next crossroads, continue straight on until you reach the hamlet of Les Maisons.

(6) Facing the pond, take the small road on the right, then the path on the right that passes between the houses. Continue until you reach a T-junction about 700 metres away.

(6) Take the path on the right. After about 900 m, turn left and continue to Pradeau, passing three paths on the right. At the cross, continue straight ahead to the D67 and cross the road.

(8) Immediately afterwards, turn left. Walk along the pond on your left and continue to the D77

(9). Turn left onto the road and continue until you reach an intersection with a cross. Continue straight ahead. When you reach the intersection with the road leading to Les Bordes, turn right onto this road.

(10) After 50 metres, turn left onto the path and continue until you reach the first crossroads. Continue straight ahead until you reach the next crossroads.

(11) Go straight ahead. The path curves to the left and returns to Toulx-Sainte-Croix, at a small reservoir. The water tower is just opposite. Turn right onto the road that curves to the left and leads to the church, our starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 653 m - Church of Toulx-Sainte-Croix
  2. 1 : km 0.47 - alt. 627 m - Fork in the road
  3. 2 : km 1.35 - alt. 582 m - Fork in the road
  4. 3 : km 2.4 - alt. 556 m - Fork in the track
  5. 4 : km 2.96 - alt. 521 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 3.58 - alt. 490 m - Road junction
  7. 6 : km 4.27 - alt. 502 m - Les Maisons hamlet
  8. 7 : km 5.52 - alt. 467 m - T-junction
  9. 8 : km 7.55 - alt. 504 m - Fork in the road after the D67
  10. 9 : km 8.39 - alt. 544 m - D77
  11. 10 : km 9.41 - alt. 578 m - Fork in the road
  12. 11 : km 10.17 - alt. 596 m - Crossroads
  13. S/E : km 10.92 - alt. 653 m - Church of Toulx-Sainte-Croix

Worth a visit

Toulx-Sainte-Croix: the church, the tower.
Les Pierres Jaumâtres.
Boussac and its castle.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
User 12262884

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

Only the part near the Toul Sté Croix hill is pretty, but the appeal is largely spoiled by around fifty hunters surrounding the area, with barking dogs and vehicles everywhere.
The paths are wide and well maintained because they are frequently used.

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randolim78
randolim78

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A peaceful and pleasant hike, with a short section on the road, otherwise well signposted and without difficulty, winding through forest and countryside, ending in the fog that was beginning to fall. I recommend it 😀👍

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DaDoRando14
DaDoRando14

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike. We added a detour to Pierres Jaumâtres, a site not to be missed, about 3 km extra. The yellow markings, which are quite old, are not always very clear, so be careful!

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Gilles Baudat
Gilles Baudat

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is pleasant, gently undulating.
The explanations are very clear.
From point 8, I added a return trip to the Pierres Jaumâtres.

At Toulx Sainte Croix, we also enjoyed the view from the top of the tower/observatory.

Gilles Baudat
French Alpine Club of Châteauroux

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PaléoScriB
PaléoScriB

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We have added a detour to this route to take in the winter fountain and wash house, an exceptional site that is not to be missed, which has been undergoing restoration since 2011 by Pierres en Marche. From Saint-Martial Chapel, with its breathtaking view of the Chaîne des Puys, cross the D14 and continue straight ahead. The path has a steep incline. This is the most interesting part of the hike, with a 300° view of the Chaîne des Puys between points 3 and 4! The rest was more monotonous, but very peaceful. The church of Toulx-Sainte-Croix is a must-see. We thought we would be able to climb the tower, which has since been turned into a water reservoir, which is a shame. The paths are pleasant, especially during a heatwave! A beautiful walk to do on a clear day.

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Petitours29
Petitours29

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Although we were unable to find out what this "Phare de Combraille" (the Toulx-Sainte-Croix Panorama Tower?) was, this route is nonetheless magnificent and easy (11 km in 2 hours 45 minutes). The explanations are very clear and, what's more, the route is marked with yellow signs from start to finish. In short, we had a wonderful time around Toulx-Sainte-Croix.
One small comment: it would be interesting to know whether some of the paths taken, especially at the beginning, are not old Roman roads, as it seemed to me in certain places... It's up to the experts to decide.

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jeannette vallet
jeannette vallet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a beautiful hike that would benefit from including a detour to the yellowish stones. The trails are clean and easy, the few sections of local roads are very quiet, and the scenery is relaxing. Thank you for this walk.

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Joel2503
Joel2503

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A round trip to Pierres Jaumatres, 2 km in total, makes the hike even better.
Joel

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PRamon
PRamon

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely, undulating route along shaded paths. However, there are no real highlights and no particularly nice places to stop for a bite to eat. That said, you pass less than 1 km from the Pierres Jaumatres site. I recommend taking this little detour to discover a truly magnificent site.

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sydam18
sydam18

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk that can easily be enjoyed with the family and your dog.
The scenery is magnificent, and the paths lined with stone walls are very pleasant.
There are a few sections of road, but given the low volume of traffic, it's no problem to walk.
A short detour to the Pierres Jaumatres site was the perfect way to end the day.

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Céline P5.
Céline P5.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We pushed on to Pierres Jaumatres, 14.7 km away. Very nice.

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nene52
nene52

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

very beautiful hike.

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