A tour of the Pôle du Cheval et de l'Âne starting from La Celle-Condé

A nature and leisure park, the Pôle du Cheval et de l'Âne is a beautiful playground dedicated to donkeys and horses. Here you’ll find an exhibition space devoted to donkeys and their history, giant games, a maze, ExplorGames, horse-drawn carriage rides, donkey grooming workshops and summer activities. A short stop in the village of La Celle-Condé will give you the chance to enjoy a picnic or a break by the River Arnon in a bucolic setting.

Details

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  • Horse riding
    Activity: Horse riding
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.14 mi
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 4 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 220 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 233 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 623 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 495 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: La Celle-Condé (18160)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 46.769373° / E 2.170029°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2225SB, 2226SB, 2325SB, 2326SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Description of the walk

Car park at the Pôle du Cheval et de l'Âne nature and leisure park.

(S/E) With your back to reception, head back out to the road you arrived on. Turn left. After about 150 m, take the path on the left.

(1) At the end of this path, head straight on towards the hamlet of Les Feuilloux and continue until you reach a three-way junction.

(2) Follow route no. 1 straight ahead, signposted for the hamlet of Grange Vert d’en Bas.
Take the path on your left, then, at the junction, take the first road on the left.

(3) Continue to the right after the sign for Les Feuilloux nos. 6 and 8, which continues along a path.
Ignore the path on your right.

(4) At the end of the path, return to the tarmac before turning right, then take the first path on the left.

(5) At the junction of the paths, continue to the right.

(6) You’ll come to a short stretch of tarmac before continuing left, then right, onto a new path.

(7) At the crossroads, continue along the path opposite.

(8) When you reach the tarmac, turn left to reach the hamlet of l’Orme, then Les Magnoux.
Head along this hamlet, passing the “Elevage de Saba” holiday cottage, and continue along the track until you reach another junction.

(9) Then turn left (to the right lies Les Prairies de Beauvoir, a nature reserve).

(10) When you reach the water tower and the hamlet of Les Soumards, continue straight on.

(11) At the next junction, return to La Brande Sainte-Marie via a small tarmac road on the left.

(7) At the crossroads you passed on the way out, carry on straight ahead.

(12) At the cross, turn left and pass through the hamlet of La Richarderie. Take thesecond left, the Route de l’Ancienne Gare. Turn right onto the street to reach the foot of the church (open-air theatre behind the church).

(13) Opposite the church, turn right towards the village centre. Pass the town hall and follow the D219 towards Le Feuilloux. At the Fork in the road (cross), veer right. Leave the hamlets of La Vignole and Felouze on your left.

(14) At the La Vignole crossroads, head slightly left towards La Buzerolle. Pass through the hamlet and reach a junction you took at the start of the walk.

(1) Turn left onto the path that runs alongside the cottages. You’ll come out onto a road; follow it to the right, then turn right to reach the visitor centre (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 528 ft - Pôle du Cheval et de l'Âne
  2. 1 : mi 0.98 - alt. 577 ft - Crossroads of the Grande Boucle
  3. 2 : mi 1.23 - alt. 614 ft - Grange Vert d'en bas
  4. 3 : mi 1.83 - alt. 623 ft - Le Feuilloux nos. 4 and 6
  5. 4 : mi 2.62 - alt. 610 ft - Small road
  6. 5 : mi 3.13 - alt. 607 ft - Les Brandes du Fenouillet
  7. 6 : mi 3.66 - alt. 594 ft - D129 road
  8. 7 : mi 4.51 - alt. 587 ft - Crossroads of the Petite Circular Route
  9. 8 : mi 5.33 - alt. 558 ft - L’Orme
  10. 9 : mi 6.24 - alt. 495 ft - T-junction
  11. 10 : mi 6.83 - alt. 568 ft - Les Soumards - Water tower
  12. 11 : mi 7.62 - alt. 584 ft - Junction
  13. 12 : mi 8.46 - alt. 600 ft - T-junction – Croix. Towards the
  14. 13 : mi 9.32 - alt. 522 ft - Église du prieuré Saint-Germain (La Celle-Condé)
  15. 14 : mi 10.56 - alt. 604 ft - Croix de la Vignole
  16. S/E : mi 12.14 - alt. 528 ft - Pôle du Cheval et de l'Âne

Notes

Lignières Berry Tourisme Tourist Office
32 Grande Rue, 18160 Lignières
02 48 60 20 41

lignieres@destination-sud-berry.com

www.destination-sud-berry.com

Tourist information about the area and a shop selling local crafts and gourmet produce from Berry

Accommodation at the Pôle du Cheval et de l'âne cottages – cottages for 2, 4/6 or 6/8 people
Holiday let accommodation in Lignières
Bed and breakfasts in Lignières
Restaurants in Lignières

Carrefour Market supermarket in Lignières, towards Châteauroux

Worth a visit

The Pôle du Cheval et de l'Âne: A nature and leisure park, this is a haven for donkeys and horses. A venue for national and international competitions, spend a day exploring this site.
On the programme: horse-drawn carriage rides, donkey grooming, a maze, giant games, adventure games, summer activities: a donkey-led walk with a snack...
www.polechevaletane.fr

You can stop for a picnic or a nap behind Saint-Germain Church in La Celle-Condé: a peaceful spot, perfect for a break or a nap by the banks of the Arnon. Don’t miss the frescoes, six scenes painted in the 12th century.

Saint-Denis Church in Condé: dating from the late 11th century, Condé Church makes a striking impression as soon as you arrive. Inside, the walls reveal frescoes, including a 16th-century dance of death.
The crypt is accessible via two side corridors located beneath the raised choir.

The Beauvoir Meadows (Villecelin). In early spring, the floodplains of Beauvoir reveal a veritable botanical treasure: a carpet of spotted squill stretching as far as the eye can see, a rare and protected flower in the Centre-Val de Loire region. This unique realm in Berry will allow you to satisfy your curiosity about the flora and fauna so characteristic of wet meadows. Accessible during guided tours organised by the Conservatoire.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.