Les Eaux Minérales in Saint-Priest-des-Champs

A pleasant, short, shaded walk, mainly through woodland, with a point of interest to discover: the site known as Eaux Minérales (a source of iron-rich water, not commercially exploited but showcased).
No major difficulty; just a slight elevation gain, with a fairly steep slope at the end of the route.
A particularly refreshing walk in summer as it is largely under the cover of trees.

Details

n°831364

Creation:
18 Oct 2017

Last update:
11 Jan 2024

Last review:
12 May 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 5.01 km
Average duration: 1h 45
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 124 m
Descent: - 133 m
Highest point: 688 m
Lowest point: 583 m

Country: France
Area: Massif central
City: Saint-Priest-des-Champs (63640)
Start/End: N 45.962224° / E 2.751902°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2430SB
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Photos

Description of the walk

Location: the commune of Saint-Priest-des-Champs.
In the village of Les Ancizes-Comps, at the post office, head towards Pontaumur.
At the Pont du Bouchet roundabout, turn right onto the road to Saint-Priest-des-Champs, then drive through the village of La Mazière: the start and finish points are on the D110, about 2.5 km after the village, on a small open space on the right, at a place called Les Riots, almost at the junction with the small road leading to the hamlet of Lacost but well before the junction with the road to Pontaumur.

Park your car on this open space, near the old pigeon shooting refreshment stand (an open, wooden building, visible from the road).

(S/E) Shortly after the refreshment hut, turn right onto a wide path, at a large wooden cross. Follow this path at every junction until you reach the stone markers (it is downhill and a bit stony in its final section).

(1) Take the path to the left of the first marker, then reach a small road. Turn left onto the road and follow it for about 100m. You will reach the Eaux Minérales site at the bottom of the descent, on the left.

(2) Then, head back along the road in the opposite direction, going straight on. After the climb, pass a horse farm on the left. Reach the crossroads leading to the hamlet of La Buchaille.

(3) Leave the road and take the path on the right, towards Lacost.
Pass the sign for the Resistance Site (on the right) and leave the path leading to Pérol on your left. Continue until you reach the start of the path on the right.

(4) Turn right, heading straight up this steep path.

(5) At the fork, take the path on the left.
Note: at this junction, there is a possible shortcut: by continuing straight ahead, you will reach the (6) (^2nd junction) directly, thus avoiding an uphill climb followed by a descent. In this case, you will need to continue by taking the path on the right.

(6) If you have not taken the aforementioned shortcut, you will need to turn left: the path becomes steep after a few dozen metres.
On leaving the woods, walk along the right-hand side of a field of broom. At the road, turn right and return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 687 m - Refreshment stand at the old clay pigeon shooting range
1 : km 1.37 - alt. 631 m - 2 stone markers
2 : km 1.85 - alt. 599 m - Eaux Minérales site
3 : km 2.36 - alt. 595 m - Path on the right, towards Lacost
4 : km 3.12 - alt. 607 m - Path sharply to the right, uphill
5 : km 3.61 - alt. 644 m - Path on the left
6 : km 4.35 - alt. 651 m - Steep path to the left
S/E : km 5.01 - alt. 687 m - Refreshment stand at the old clay pigeon shooting range

Notes

Total duration (excluding breaks and shortcuts): approximately 1½ hours at a normal pace.
No shelter apart from the old pigeon shooting hut at (S/E).
Picnic table and benches available at the Eaux Minérales site (2)
See all available photos of the walk on the Visorando website.

Note: most, if not all, of the paths used may be private. Therefore, please be mindful of the surroundings; also ensure, where applicable, that you do not let your dog(s) run free.
You should also ignore any painted markings and signs indicating hiking trails.

Warning: at the Eaux Minérales site (2), there is no guarantee that the water is safe to drink.

Reviews and comments

3.9 / 5

Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.9 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5

Route interest
3.6 / 5

NinaB

12 May 2025 at 09:34 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

This walk isn’t particularly interesting, but it was an easy little stroll to take my dog for a walk and I didn’t see a soul

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nicolechauvin

30 Jul 2024 at 10:23 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, mainly through woodland. No signposts, but the route description is clear.

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Chevalier

29 Jun 2022 at 11:02 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely little shaded route, but there’s hardly any water at the spring

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madopat

22 Aug 2020 at 17:26 7200

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

too many crossroads
we never knew which way to go
we ended up driving x extra kilometres

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rambo18

02 Sep 2019 at 16:30 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

A short, shaded walk, well worth taking to see a little-known attraction.

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rouelibre77

01 Oct 2018 at 18:32 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A nice little walk to get you moving.
Do watch out, however, for the dogs at the farm (2), which are not tied up.

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Pascotte

06 Sep 2018 at 13:24 7200

Hello micpal63,

I have taken your comment on board and, in the hope that this will make it easier to read, I have therefore amended my description of points 5 and 6.
Kind regards.

Pascal (Pascotte)

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gazok54

30 Aug 2018 at 20:54 7200

Thank you both.
Pascotte: your method for finding the starting point is correct.
The GPS coordinates are also included in the technical data sheet, as well as the IGN map.
In the meantime, if you could add a few more details to the description, that would be great.

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Pascotte

27 Aug 2018 at 11:45 7200

Hello Grégoire,

I’m really sorry you couldn’t find the starting point for this short hike.
Did you try the location tool on the Visorando website called“click here to find out how to get to the start of the walk”? I’ve tested it myself and I find it’s quite accurate.
In any case, I’ll take your comment on board and update my description (this is my first published route, so I need to get the hang of it :-)) by adding further details.
Have a good day.

Pascal (Pascotte)

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Grégoire L.

27 Aug 2018 at 09:59 7200

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable

We couldn't even find the starting point – it was really poorly signposted.

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