Pierre Châtel - Allée des Sorcières

This short hike takes you past two remarkable sites: the Pierre Châtel with a beautiful view from its summit and the mysterious "Allée des Sorcières" (Witches' Alley) with its twisted beech trees.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.64 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 183 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 179 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 949 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 766 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the church or in the village square.

(S/E) Go up the street, keeping the town hall on your right and the D420 on your left. At the large white cross, turn left onto an uphill road (ignore the various signs and markings: we will be following our own route). When you reach a wooden cross, follow the road to the left, which climbs steeply. At a place called La Caton, the road becomes a path; continue along it. Just before the reservoir, take a path on the right. Go down through a beech forest to reach a road. Turn left to arrive at a crossroads and a large meadow with a picnic area.

(1) Cross the road and take the path on the left that runs alongside a toilet block (water point). Follow the path that enters a coniferous forest. When you reach some rocks, take a path on the left that descends, bordered by a wattle fence.

(2) At the intersection of the paths, go straight up to the summit via a small path. This path is steep and the summit is bordered by sheer drops: be careful! After admiring the view, descend via the same path.

(2) Continue along the path on the left. It descends steeply and has some difficult steps. Follow the rock face and the climbing routes. At the southern end of the rock, you can climb up to a small oratory via a narrow, steep staircase. Continue along the wider staircase facing the woods.

Go down the few steps and join the path that goes into the forest. This path is poorly marked, so follow the slope down through the woods without crossing the stream. You will come to a fork in the path. Take the path straight ahead that descends. At the next intersection, turn right. The path crosses a wooded area and then follows a stone wall to reach a crossroads lined with a wooden cross.

(3) Follow the path downhill opposite you; this is the famous "Allée des Sorcières" (Witches' Lane). At the end of the lane, cross the D477 and take the road that leads to the hamlet of La Bletterie.

(4) In the hamlet, just before the second house on your right, turn onto the dirt track running alongside this house (wooden cross in the corner). The track climbs steeply and joins the D477 on the right. Cross it and take the stony track opposite, which climbs steeply. Pass three wooden crosses set back on the right-hand side of the path and arrive at a crossroads (with another wooden cross).

(5) Continue along the tarmac road that leads opposite and descends towards the hamlet of Boffet. Continue straight ahead and cross the hamlet. At the three-way junction, take the tarmac road on the right, between the sawmill and the house called "Les Aubépines". This small road takes you back to the village (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 895 m - Saint-Nicolas Church
  2. 1 : km 1.1 - alt. 929 m - Picnic area, water supply
  3. 2 : km 1.35 - alt. 905 m - Pierre Châtel
  4. 3 : km 2.12 - alt. 820 m - Allée des Sorcières
  5. 4 : km 2.73 - alt. 766 m - La Bletterie
  6. 5 : km 3.64 - alt. 902 m - Crossroads, opposite
  7. S/E : km 4.64 - alt. 895 m - Saint-Nicolas Church

Notes

Access to the summit of Pierre Châtel is via a steep path and the summit is surrounded by sheer drops: take care! This rock is a nesting site for ravens (between January and June), so take care not to disturb them.

Water point at the toilets in the Pierre Châtel picnic area.

Worth a visit

The summit of La Pierre Châtel offers a beautiful panorama. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Puy de Dôme. In the past, lovers would sit on top of the rock and throw a stone. The number of times the stone bounced told them how many years they would have to wait before getting married. If the stone brought others with it, they would not marry.below the rock, at its southern end, a steep staircase leads up to a small chapel with a bench where you can sit and meditate. La Pierre Châtel is also a great place to try rock climbing, with dozens of routes graded 2 to 6 around the rock and on a wall below on the western side.

The Allée des Sorcières is a path lined with twisted beech trees. An ancient technique of bending branches to form living wooden fences has given the trees a tortuous shape and the path a fairy-tale atmosphere.

Glass Museum in Saint Nicolas des Biefs (check opening times).

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 25 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 2764467

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk, beautiful views. I recommend it.

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Louvat
Louvat

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It's difficult to follow the route to the climbing rock, even with a Garmin watch.

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jcleGaulois
jcleGaulois

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful walk ❤️ and interesting 🧐

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Vivestido
Vivestido

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Superb view from the rocks at Pierre Châtel, but otherwise it's rather disappointing.
The advantage is that this hike is very short.

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fortunedemeragitée
fortunedemeragitée

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Why did you prefer it in the opposite direction to the one already marked?

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Jean Schoen
Jean Schoen

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A little disappointed by the reliability of the map, which was not helped by the lack of signposting on site.
Part of the route is very technical for older people.

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Stéphanie Le Touzé
Stéphanie Le Touzé

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty hike accessible to children. Unfortunately, we were mostly walking in fog, which was a shame, but we could see that in good weather, it would be worth returning.
As for the description, I think we were lucky to have the app on our phones... otherwise, we might have taken a few wrong turns...

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philippe.schotte
philippe.schotte

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Interesting hike: the plessis, beautiful rocks, remarkable trees

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piermi3@orange.fr
piermi3@orange.fr

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

the writing is fairly average, so you have to keep your eyes on the map at all times. We took a few wrong turns because of this.

this route is simply superb.

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patrick.drifford
patrick.drifford

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

nice quiet stroll

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P'tit Léon
P'tit Léon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty and relatively easy hike, except for the access to Pierre Chatel, where the path is very slippery. There are some beautiful stone houses along the walk. The route description is excellent, so it's impossible to get lost.

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Theoflox
Theoflox

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A parish-specific to Brittany, very beautiful walk in the countryside. The hamlets you pass through are magnificent.
The description was spot on with what we found when we got there, and with the app and map, there was absolutely no risk of getting lost.
Recommended and worth repeating.

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anne.petitjeanrobert
anne.petitjeanrobert

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful short walk, but with some elevation gain. It's never boring, as you pass through villages and forests, enjoy unobstructed views and, above all, see the witches... The locals are very friendly.

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ROLANDDUFOUR
ROLANDDUFOUR

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The signposting along the route is very poor.

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PascalEynard
PascalEynard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A varied route with varying degrees of difficulty: it is worth noting the descent below Pierre Châtel, which may be difficult for those who are not very fit.

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