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In Mezel, leave your vehicle in the car park of the Aimé Rudel School Group, on the street of the same name.
No signposts
(S/E) Head towards the roundabout, heading north-west. As you walk past the school, you will see a mural and sculptures of insects. Go around the roundabout on the left, passing in front of the pretty fountain with blue animal sculptures, cross Rue de la Font Grande and then turn left.
Yellow markings
Look for the yellow markings and follow them along Chemin Neuf. Notice a small statue of Saint-Verny in a niche at street level on the left. At the fork in the road, near a restored dovecote, turn right and continue along the path when the tarmac disappears, passing behind the Château du Pradal and on the southern slope of Puy de Mur.
(1) At the T-junction, with an information panel on the southern flora of Puy de Mur, make a short detour to the left to the Verger Pédagogique et Conservatoire (recent plantings of local varieties), then retrace your steps.
(1) Continue straight ahead at the information sign. Just before reaching a road, turn left onto the path towards Domaine de Sainte-Marcelle. Further on, pass the small chapel on your right and you will reach a four-way crossroads.
No markings
(2) Leave the yellow markings and turn left, going around the Puy de Mur to the east. You will come to an intersection with a sign for the Tour du Puy de Mur short route, where you will find the yellow markings again.
Yellow markings
(3) Turn left. Pass an information sign about volcanic geology, then arrive at a road. Follow it to the left and leave it 100 m further on for a path leading off to the right. Then ignore a grassy path on the left and arrive at the first houses in Dallet.
(4) Do not go as far as the road but turn onto a path on the left (despite the impression that you are entering someone's property), walking alongside a recent house on your right. Further on, at a crossroads with four paths, continue straight ahead and you will come to a road.
(5) Follow it to the right, then, in the left-hand bend, take the small road that branches off to the right. After a water catchment on your right, the tarmac gives way to a path. Immediately after, in the left-hand bend of the path, ignore a path on the right. Pass an information sign about rural heritage, ignore a path on the left, and pass an information sign about natural environments. After a very short but steep descent, you will arrive at a crossroads.
(6) Go up to the left, ignore a path on the right shortly afterwards and, further up, you will reach the intersection with the Puy de Mur Aller-retour sign.
(7) Continue climbing to the left and you will come to an information panel about human occupation of the area. Ignore the path on the right, continue to the left, ignore the two paths on the right shortly afterwards and keep left on a path that continues with high steps. Further up, ignore a path on the left, climb more steps and reach the summit of Puy de Mur.
(8) Panoramic view of the Allier valley and its old villages, which have become densely populated communities. Further away, you can see the Chaîne des Puys and the Massif du Sancy. Two orientation tables. Retrace your steps to the intersection with the Puy de Mur sign.
(7) Continue straight ahead, ignoring a path on the left and then, further on, another on the left and immediately another on the right. You will arrive on a tarmac road at the first houses of Mezel and continue straight ahead on Chemin du Trat. You will arrive at Place Porte-Berranger.
No markings (in fact, several yellow-marked routes cross the village, making these markings unnecessary)
(9) Turn onto the second street on the left, Rue Porte-Berranger, ignore Rue du Chemin de Ronde, then turn onto the first street on the right. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the side streets, until you reach the foot of the old feudal castle (now a restaurant). Continue straight ahead, walking alongside the castle on your left on Rue Guyot-Dessaigne, then turn left at the corner of the building. Pass an old fountain on your right, continue straight ahead along the alleyway and you will arrive at the church entrance. Turn right onto Place de l'Église, pass in front of the Source de la Tête d'Ail, then turn right. You will arrive at a crossroads opposite the town hall, the former Château de Bellevue (information panel).
(10) For a return trip, continue straight ahead, cross the courtyard with its old fire engines, turn left to enter the park: panorama, orientation table and information about the Allier, note the beautiful frame of the rear door of the town hall. Retrace your steps.
(10) At the crossroads, turn right towards the large cross and then left onto Rue de la Balalong. At the end of the street, note the patrol controller, probably for the fire brigade, on the door of a house. Climb a few steps to reach Rue de la Mairie. At the fork in the road (circular fountain a few metres straight ahead), turn right onto Rue du Bargaud, arrive at the square of the same name and continue straight ahead, then turn left onto Petite Rue Saint-Esprit. At the T-junction, turn left onto Rue Saint-Esprit and, at the intersection, leave this street which turns right and go straight up two flights of steps to arrive, once again, at Rue de la Mairie. Turn right to follow Grande Rue Pavée, then turn left onto Grande Rue Traversière. You will arrive at Rue de la Font Grande.
(11) Make a short detour to the left to an old double fountain, then retrace your steps.
(11) Go back past the intersection with Grande Rue Traversière, then turn right onto Petite Rue Traversière and rejoin Grande Rue Pavée. Follow it to the left, return to the roundabout with the fountain with blue sculptures, which you passed on the way there, and continue straight ahead to return to the school car park (S/E).
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