Via Puy Rousset, Yronde and Buron

In Parent, park in the town hall car park.

Yellow^PR®® markings in the opposite direction (not really useful) throughout the hike, plus other markings indicated in this description.

(S/E) Return to the main street and turn left towards the town centre, leaving the D760 on your right. Stay on this street until you reach Place du Quaire, then continue straight ahead towards the church (road sign). When you reach an intersection with a cross (yellow house), turn right. At the next intersection, continue straight ahead onto Rue des Frères Mirales.

(1) At the T-junction, turn right, still on Rue des Frères Mirales. Further on, the street becomes a path. Ignore a path on the left at the arrow pointing to Puy d'Escouyat, and follow the light green markings.

(2) At a small iron cross, leave the light green markings that go to the left and continue straight ahead. You will come to a T-junction with a yellow^PR®® arrow.

(3) Turn right, then immediately left. You will come to a five-way crossroads. Bear slightly left to follow the path downhill, passing to the left and away from the farm buildings. You will come to a T-junction.

(4) Turn right and you will come to a road. Follow it to the left, immediately reaching an intersection, and follow the road to the left until you come to a busier road. Cross carefully and continue on the path opposite until you reach a T-junction. Turn right and you will reach a road at Col de la Croix des Gardes.

(5) Carefully follow the road to the right for about 50 metres before turning onto the path on the left. Continue straight up to Puy Rousset, passing an antenna on your left, until you reach a T-junction with a sign pointing to "Gare de Parent". Look out for the yellow and red^GRP®® markings around Issoire.

Yellow and red^GRP®® markings

(6) Turn right at the hairpin bend. At the four-way crossroads, continue straight ahead. You will reach a wide path.

(7) Follow it to the right, ignoring a path on the right immediately. You will reach a crossroads at the entrance to La Molière. Continue straight ahead on Rue du Châtaignier. Follow this street as it turns right. You will arrive at a cross at the crossroads with Rue des Meules. Go behind the cross, go down a few steps to follow the path, Chemin des Vias, which descends and arrives at Yronde.

(8) Continue along the street, straight ahead, towards the church. Pass to the left of the church (a visit is recommended) and continue straight ahead. Shortly afterwards, you will see a well on your left, below. Turn right onto Rue de l'Horloge, which will take you straight to Place du Pavé, then continue straight ahead onto Rue du Haut Pavé. You will reach the cemetery.

Leave the^GRP®® trail

(9) Leave the road and take the path on the right. Further on, you will come to a tarmac road, then a crossroads at Les Verdiers, opposite a reservoir and a totem pole. Turn left to cross the village, continuing straight ahead, then cross the village of Buron until you reach Place de la Chapelle.
Look up at the basalt promontory, its organ pipes and the ruins of the feudal castle.

(10) Turn right, then immediately take the street that descends to the left of the cross facing the entrance to the chapel (closed when we passed by). Stay on this street until you reach a crossroads with the main street. Opposite, go down a few steps, then follow the street down to the right. At the T-junction with a path, turn right. Pass a beautiful fountain and drinking trough (on the right) and a wash house (on the left), then arrive at an intersection and rejoin the GRP®^®.

Yellow and red^GRP®® markings

(11) Follow it to the right. Ignore a path on the right, then keep to the right at the fork just after. Further on, ignore a path on the right and you will soon reach an intersection with a yellow^PR®® arrow and a sign indicating the direction of the Citadelle de Buron.

Leave the^GRP®® trail

(12) Follow the path on the right, leaving the^GRP®® trail on the left. Further on, rejoin the tarmac road and cross a housing estate in Parent. You will arrive at a crossroads opposite the town hall. Turn right to return to the car park (S/E).

This is a moderate to easy hike. Standard hiking equipment is required.

If you prefer to follow the yellow^PR®® markings, do the route in the opposite direction. The official start of this Balirando route, "La citadelle de Buron" (The Citadel of Buron), is located in the car park on the right above the Parent holiday village. Personally, I preferred a route that allowed me to visit the villages at the end of the route, which meant I could stroll around a bit if I still had time (in any case, I hadn't noticed that the Balirando route existed...).

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here

Photo album here

The villages you pass through, former wine-growing villages, have preserved their beautiful architectural heritage: traditional houses, fountains and wash houses.

All along this route, there are sweeping views of the Chaîne des Puys, the Limagne and the Sancy massif.

Information on the history of Yronde, Buron, La Molière and Les Verdiers here