Pranzac feudal park and valley with fords and footbridges

In Pranzac, head to the car park on the Place de la Lanterne des Morts (follow the signs). Please note that this route is signposted with brown signs indicating "Circuit du Parc et Circuit de la Vallée - Pranzaco". The circuit is also marked with brown signs (Circuit du Parc) and blue signs (Circuit de la Vallée).

(S/E) Leave the square heading towards the village centre, towards the east, and head for the church. As you pass the heritage house, look for and follow the signs for the "Circuit de Pranzaco" and the brown route markers. Go around the church on the right and take the Chemin de l'Église, which will take you to the departmental road 699. This will bring you to the GR®4; follow it to the left.

(1) Take the dirt track on your left. At an elevation of 130 metres, at the fork, take the path on the left through the woods, then continue along the edge of the woods. You will be walking alongside the remains of the park's boundary walls.

(2) Turn onto the first path on the left and continue straight ahead, still following the remains of the park's surrounding walls. At the end of the dirt track, take the tarmac road on the left and go downhill to the junction with the departmental road 33.

(3) Cross carefully and continue straight ahead on a stone path that will soon lead you to a footbridge over the Bandiat Canal. Once you have crossed the footbridge, the markings turn blue (Circuit de la Vallée). Continue straight ahead until you reach the Bandiat stream, which you follow on your right until the next footbridge. Cross it and turn right, then left before reaching a municipal road.

(4) At elevation 86, at the crossroads, turn left and follow this road until you reach the junction with the departmental road 699.

(5) Cross it with caution (it is very busy). After crossing, turn right along the ditch, then take the road immediately on the left towards Les Clos. At elevation 110, continue straight ahead.

(6) Leave the asphalt road and take the dirt track that slopes down into the woods. When you reach the Bandiat stream, cross it via the footbridge, then rejoin the dirt track. Turn left and continue to elevation 86.

(7) Turn left again. Follow the dirt track until you return to the village of Pranzac and cross a tarmac road (this is the old railway platform for the Mairat trains). Turn right, going around the wooden barrier, then turn left onto the Place de la Lanterne des Morts and you will find your car park (S/E).

Bring something to drink and good walking shoes.

The ground is often clayey and can be very uneven.

At the Heritage Centre, you can find out all about Pranzac's feudal past and the "Secrets of Pranzac" association, which offers several dates for theatrical performances and tours of the castle ruins.

The church is well worth a visit, with its unique architecture and beautiful interior decorations. Some of the keystones are spectacular. The reconstruction of the organ will also amaze you.