The wine-growing villages of the Huriel region

(S/E) From the Place du Prénat in Boueix, walk 50 metres towards the village entrance and turn left onto Rue des Bergers. At the end of the street, turn left onto Rue des Chiez des Boueix, which becomes a path, then a little further on a sunken lane (known as ‘la via perfond’ in the local dialect) and leads out onto a wide stony track at the foot of a wayside cross (on the right), of which only the base remains (Croix d’Exandre).

(1) At the end of the sunken path, turn left onto the wide track then immediately right towards the village of Beaumont. The track leads onto a tarmac road. Take it on the right, entering the village.

(2) At the right-hand bend, leave the road to the left and take Rue Via Chatre. Walk down the street for about thirty metres and, at the last house, just before a vineyard, take the path on the far left. Continue along this path, which turns into a stony track after crossing the Ruisseau de Beaumont. Keep climbing until you reach a wide stony track.

(3) Take this track (Chemin de La Peyro) on the right and continue until you reach a road, after a wide left-hand bend. Turn right onto this road towards the village of La Croze, and cross the level crossing.

(4) A few metres further on, follow the path to the right which runs alongside the railway line for a while; continue along it, ignoring the tracks to the right and left.

(5) Cross the Bartillat and continue until you reach the village of Vignoux, after passing an old restored mill (Moulin Dubreul).

(6) At the end of the path, turn left and walk through the village to a small square.

(7) Take Rue Marie Barnier on the right and continue along this street until you reach the level crossing, then turn immediately right, after the railway line, onto the grassy track. Continue until you come to a small tarmac road at a place called Les Chézeaux.

(8) Turn left at the hairpin bend, then 150m further on, turn right onto the uphill street (Rue Félix Lebourg). Continue along this street until you reach a wide tarmac road.

(9). Turn right and follow for 100m. At the crossroads, cross over (take care) and continue along the lovely, ascending track opposite. Continue to the summit of the "Peu de la Croix" (antennae and water tower) and immediately descend to the right along the small tarmac road for about 400m

(10) At the crossroads, take the left-hand path and follow it straight on for about 800m. At the cowshed, turn right and return to the start (S/E).

(1) A "sunken lane" typical of the Bourbonnais bocage. A cart passage between embankments or low stone walls. The remains of the calvary: Alexandre’s Cross (Croix de l’Exandre in the local dialect) holds no memories for the older generation... investigation ongoing.

Between (2) and (3) a very beautiful stretch, after the stream. You’re not dreaming; this isn’t a stream bed, but an old track once used by carts and tipper wagons.

Between (4) and (6), you cross the old Marignat vineyard. Just imagine, 50 years ago, this hillside was entirely covered in vines. In fact, if you look closely, you’ll see vines growing in every patch of scrub.
At the bottom of the descent, there is an old, restored mill. The historic leat is magnificent.

(6) The village of Vignoux had a large wine-growing population. The same is true of the villages of Boueix, Beaumont, Prunet, La Croze and Les Chezeaux....In those days, every farmer and many labourers owned a few ‘journaux’ of vines (a ‘journal’ is an old unit of measurement: the area that can be ploughed in a day... approximately 5.5 ares) for their own consumption and for sale to the workers at the numerous factories in Montluçon.

At the summit of the “Peu de la Croix”, before heading back down towards (10), take in the view to the north-east towards Huriel. Imagine that 50 years ago, 80% of everything you can see here was covered in vines.