Les Bonnes Fontaines de Courbefy

Discover the Bonnes Fontaines de Courbefy, unique places of worship that are found in large numbers in Limousin. Those in Courbefy were particularly renowned and frequented, one of them even accompanied by a cross covered with ex-votos, offerings and marks of devotion.
Courbefy is an abandoned village, and the announcement of its sale made international headlines a few years ago.

Details

772688
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.75 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 193 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 194 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 543 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 375 m

Photos

Description of the walk

It is very easy to park in Courbefy. You will find a car park on your left just before the gates of the former holiday centre.

(S/E) Head towards the 13th-century chapel, which you will recognise among the other buildings thanks to its cross.

(1) Retrace your steps and follow the yellow markings. The path descends towards the nearby Bonnes Fontaines.

(2) After descending into the Rétabout woods, follow the signs for Combelevrault and ignore any turnings to the right or left.

(3) Turn right towards Le Fournial. At the entrance to the hamlet of Combelevrault, leave the road on the right and follow the path opposite. Walk a few metres and turn right onto the grassy path. Go around the small pond on the right, then join the road and continue to Le Fournial.

(4) At Le Fournial, turn right onto a path that descends. It is not uncommon to encounter deer in this area. The path descends to a small stream, which you can easily cross via the wooden footbridge to reach Moulin de la Jaurie.

(5) Discover a magnificent pond that is a delight for anglers. Please note that this is private property. Take the path on your right and head back up into the woods. At the next crossroads, take the path on the right as the signposting is rather inadequate at this point. Cross the fields (communal path) and reach Les Frauds.

(6) Take the road on the right for about 200 metres and head up into the Courbefy forest on the left. Keep your eyes peeled, as it's not uncommon to find mushrooms in these woods. Head to the village of Saint-Nicolas-Courbefy.

(7) At the road, turn right for a few metres, then right again to climb back up to Courbefy. Ignore the paths branching off to the right or left to return to the car park in Courbefy (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 538 m - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.38 - alt. 543 m - Chapel of Courbefy
  3. 2 : km 0.63 - alt. 511 m - Descent to Les Bonnes Fontaines
  4. 3 : km 1.66 - alt. 441 m - Descend towards Combelevraud
  5. 4 : km 2.91 - alt. 436 m - At Fournial, on the right
  6. 5 : km 4.44 - alt. 379 m - On the right at Moulin de La Jaurie
  7. 6 : km 5.85 - alt. 418 m - After Les Frauds, on the right
  8. 7 : km 7.22 - alt. 440 m - On the right at Saint-Nicolas-Courbefy
  9. S/E : km 8.75 - alt. 538 m - Car park

Notes

It is important to take enough water with you.
Rétabout has become famous since a Belgian couple of elephant keepers settled there. They have created a sanctuary to take in retired circus elephants:
Elephant Haven

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 21 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Claude-Meignen
Claude-Meignen

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the woods, with ponds, beautiful paths and charming little fountains (better than the "Bonnes Fontaines" in Cussac!) – and a touch of nostalgia with the abandoned village of Courbefy! A wonderful experience!

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User 4820573

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route with magnificent views

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lobigman
lobigman

I am very pleased to read your comments on my trip to the land of my childhood.

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Céline24
Céline24
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice circuit and very beautiful hike

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joey8731
joey8731

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The hike was very interesting, with many passages through woods and across plains.
We discovered the 13th-century medieval chapel and the Couberfy fountains.
Be careful, it was hunting season

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Chantal&Olivier
Chantal&Olivier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The fountains are unremarkable, but the walk is pleasant

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lobigman
lobigman

Thank you very much for your comment. I created this hike several years ago.

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David L-T
David L-T

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It is very well signposted. The signs are clear and easy to follow. Beautiful landscapes of the Limousin region, I highly recommend it to all sports enthusiasts.

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Josiane MALLET-DIAKITE
Josiane MALLET-DIAKITE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Well-designed loop. Reassuring yellow markings to follow, even if you sometimes have to venture forward to find them.
More cultural information about the village of Courbefy and the fountains would have been welcome.
Note: the location of the car park could be described more accurately: a gate leading to an abandoned park with no visible buildings.
Overall positive.

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Fabienne B
Fabienne B

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
A very nice, well-marked hike.
Here too, we wondered if we had missed something – because when we arrived in the village of St Nicolas de Courbefy, we went to the church, which was very charming – but to get back to the car park, we were surprised to have to walk several kilometres along the road (almost 3 km).
It would have been useful for the distances to be specified when it comes to "going back up", "turning right", "then right again"... point 7 wasn't clear enough for us!
Perhaps we are not attentive enough or experienced enough when it comes to hiking!
Thank you for your work and for suggesting walks that allowed us to enjoy some beautiful walks.

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patchauvet
patchauvet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

You can extend this hike by doing the following: "Les Demoiselles".

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lobigman
lobigman

Thank you for your comment.

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occibret
occibret

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello
The entire route is marked with yellow signposts, which appear to be fairly recent, so there are no navigation difficulties.
Beautiful views in the first part. The second part is varied, with woods, meadows and ponds. Please note that even though most of the route is shaded, in hot weather you should wear a hat as there is a lot of tree felling going on along the route (we came across lumberjacks at work). For the sake of this route's charm, I hope the felling will be limited.
Thanks to the author.
Best regards
Occibret

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lobigman
lobigman

Thank you very much. This is my first hike published on visorando.
Best regards.

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castordudimanche
castordudimanche

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a shame that the climb up to Courbefy, which used to be through forest, is now exposed after extensive logging. At midday, under the sun, it's a hot finish to the route!

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