Country:
District:
Park in the small car park on the edge of the D1, opposite the Sainte-Marguerite bottling plant. Information panel (in enamelled lava) on the Sainte-Marguerite Springs site.
(S/E) Opposite the factory, cross the D1 and turn left to walk along the perimeter of the factory. Take the path that climbs to the right. You will come to an intersection with a smallPR® sign. Follow the direction indicated by turning right. You will come to another path.
(1) Turn left. Further on, on the right-hand side of the path, you will see the beautiful Fontaine Marguerite fountain and a small waterfall. Continue along the path until you reach a crossroads marked by a beautiful new cross. Continue straight ahead, ignoring a street on the right and two streets on the left. Further on, ignore a path on the right and you will arrive at a crossroads. You are now in Lissac.
(2) Cross the road and continue straight ahead along Rue de la Pierre. Follow this road as it turns left, ignoring Rue du Four on your right. Pass to the left of the fountain and continue along Rue des Portes Rouges until you reach an intersection marked with a cross.
Turn right up Côte de Courieux. At the intersection, continue straight ahead, walk past the cemetery on your right, then turn left onto Chemin de la Chevaleyre to reach Saint-Maurice.
(3) At the intersection, turn left and then quickly take the stairs down to the left. Continue along the street and then turn right onto Petite Rue de l'École. You will come out higher up on Rue du Saint-Romain. Turn left and you will arrive at the small Place du Tiari, where you will see yellow directional signs at the foot of a purple lamppost.
You will see the town hall and fountain in front of you. Walk past the fountain and then the church on your right at the top of the steps. Then turn into the first street on the right to arrive immediately at Place de la Halle. Turn left to walk down Rue de la Halle for a few metres, then take a path that descends to the right to arrive at a street.
(4) Turn right and look for the yellow directional signs. Continue straight ahead on the street, ignoring the path on the left and following the direction of the Route du Vallon des Bouys. Cross a stream and, just after that, the tarmac gives way to a path. Further on, ignore a path on the left and continue to an intersection marked with yellow directional signs.
(5) Continue straight ahead in the direction of the route du Vallon des Bouys. Further on, you will come to a small road. Turn right for a round trip to the antenna to enjoy a view of the Vallon des Bouys, whose lawns slope down towards the Allier. Then drive back down the small road and continue straight on towards the village of Mirefleurs. Ignore the roads on the left and, as you enter Mirefleurs, drive through a housing estate, ignoring all the roads on the right and left. You will eventually come to an intersection with a stop sign.
(6) Turn left. Shortly afterwards, ignore a street on the left and you will arrive at the wash house at a crossroads. Continue straight ahead along Rue du Grand Bac. You will come to a beautiful fountain topped with a cross on your right at an intersection. Continue left along Rue des Aires, then turn left onto the first street, Impasse de la Fontaine de Chêne.
At this beautiful fountain, you will reach Rue du Petit Pont. Follow this street to the right for a few metres, then go back up Rue des Aires via a narrow tarmac path. Turn left and you will soon reach an intersection. Turn right onto Rue de la Grande Côte to reach Place Jean Domat. Note the "ceremonial" fountain on your right (it bears an engraved list of those elected in 1893) and then, at No. 2, near the cross, the beautiful residence where Jean Domat, a renowned jurisconsult under Louis XIV and friend of Pascal, lived.
Leave the square via Rue des Rocs. Further on, turn right onto Rue du Clocher to reach the foot of the old castle and this isolated bell tower. Take a few steps to the right to admire the beautiful castle wall and its four-leaf clover-shaped oculi. Retrace your steps and walk past the fountain and then the church porch (feel free to go inside; the interior of this church is beautifully painted and contrasts with the austere appearance of its façade). Then take a narrow street to the left of the church. The descent is made easier by a ramp. Continue down the stairs and you will come to a small road.
(7) Continue straight ahead on the small road until you reach the intersection at the corner of the cemetery. Continue straight ahead, walking alongside the cemetery on your right. At the next intersection, turn left and then take the first street on the right, Rue du Champ de la Reine. Continue straight ahead until you reach the D1. Then walk a few metres to the left, on the picnic area, until you reach the pedestrian crossing.
(8) Cross the D1 with caution. Continue along the street opposite, which serves businesses and sports facilities. At the end of the road, turn left. Further on, you will come to another path.
(9) If you wish, from this intersection, turn right for a round trip to the Source du Sail (about 1 km round trip), but, frankly, in December 2017, it's not worth it: the spring and its small salt meadow are completely neglected and overgrown with brambles.
To continue the route, turn left instead. Further on, ignore a path on the left that serves a small pumping station and continue straight ahead on a path that is normally closed to motor vehicles (the tracks in the mud on the path indicate that the law is not necessarily respected...). Continue along this path through the undergrowth, which runs alongside the Allier river on your right. Pay attention (there are no signs on the site) to notice, on your left, opening into the limestone cliff, a gallery entrance and an old lime kiln. At the top of this kiln is a shaft or "gueulard" from which limestone rocks from the Vallon des Bouys were dropped to be transformed into lime. Continue along the banks of the Allier to the Sources Sainte-Marguerite site.
(10) Continue following the Allier until you see a small sign on your left pointing towards the Geyser. Follow this path to discover this small geyser, which may be active... or dormant... Turn left to find the gate that allows you to exit the site (you can also explore this unusual site further; see "During the hike or nearby"). Continue along the small road to the right to reach the D1 at a large house with green shutters, above the door of which is a superb piece of enamelled lava. Follow the D1 to the right for a few metres to reach the car park (S/E).
Visorando member
Easy 
