Saint-Nectaire via the Couze Valley Chambon

The route starts in the hills above the Couze Chambon valley and is circular, looping back via Saint-Nectaire and its unmissable Cornadore Basilica. There are numerous viewpoints along the route, particularly over the Couze Chambon valley, dominated by the hilltop Château de Murol, and the entire Massif du Sancy.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.52 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,158 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,129 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,887 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,274 ft

Description of the walk

On the D996, at the junction with the Route de Boissières (D145) and the educational farm, park at the picnic area.

No signposting

(S/E) With the picnic tables on your right, cross the D145, then the small car park opposite (private, educational farm), cross the bridge over the Frédet, join the D996 and follow it to the right, passing in front of the educational farm, then cross carefully to reach the Pont de Boissières signpost at the start of a path.

GR®® red and white markings

Follow this path towards Bouche.

Mountain bike signpost no. 3

(1) At the fork in the road, leave theGR®® markings and turn right, following the MTB markings. You will come out onto a road at the Pont de Sapchat signpost.

(2) Turn right, with no signposted direction, and head towards a bridge over the Couze Chambon. Take the path on the left, before the bridge, towards Les Couverts. You will reach a crossroads, at the Les Couverts signpost.

Yellow markings

(3) Leave the MTB route and follow the yellow markings, turning right towards Jeanson. Further on, ignore a path on the left. You will arrive on a street in the hamlet of Les Granges.

Mountain bike signpost no. 38

(4) Follow the road to the left, then, at the bend, continue straight on along the track.

(5) Further on, ignore a path on the left. At a Fork in the road (not shown on the IGN map), keep left and you will immediately reach a T-junction with a path (also not shown on the map). Turn right. Join a road (D150) on the outskirts of Saint-Nectaire, at the Jeanson signpost.

(6) Turn left onto the small road, passing the care home, towards Cornadore. Pass an information sign about the salt marsh and arrive at a crossroads of paths.

No signposting

(7) Leave the MTB markings and continue straight on towards Clos du Valon. Cross a bridge over the Frédet and arrive at a junction of roads, near the Cornadore Caves. Follow the road opposite towards the church. At the next junction, climb the steps on the right, heading towards the church. At the top, continue straight on along the road then, at the junction, climb another flight of steps on the right. You will arrive at a street.

(8) Follow it to the right, then turn right again towards the Basilica of Notre-Dame du Cornadore. After a visit, if you wish, retrace your steps back to the main street, then turn onto the first street on the right, signposted towards the caves and markedGR®® and Yellow.

(8) Ignore the steps leading uphill and continue straight on to reach the Clos du Vallon signpost.

Blue markings

Continue straight on towards Châteauneuf. Further on, ignore two paths on the left and arrive at a junction of paths, at the Châteauneuf signpost.

(9) Turn left towards Le Pavé. You will reach a T-junction with a wide path at the Le Pavé marker.

Mountain bike signposts no. 36 and 38 reversed

(10) Leave the blue markings and turn left, following signs for Pont de Boussières and MTB markings. At the Fork in the road shortly afterwards, keep left. Further on, the path becomes a small road. Ignore an old road on the right, just before you come out onto the D145. Follow it to the left for about fifty metres.

No markings

Take the path on the left, leaving the mountain bike markings behind. Further on, join the D145 and follow it to the left to quickly reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,625 ft - Picnic area D996 x D145
  2. 1 : mi 0.28 - alt. 2,690 ft - Fork in the road
  3. 2 : mi 0.83 - alt. 2,572 ft - Path/road junction - Couze Chambon (rivière) - Affluent de l'Allier
  4. 3 : mi 1.44 - alt. 2,677 ft - Crossroads
  5. 4 : mi 2.02 - alt. 2,388 ft - Les Granges
  6. 5 : mi 2.73 - alt. 2,631 ft - Crossroads
  7. 6 : mi 3.56 - alt. 2,287 ft - Jeanson district, St-Nectaire
  8. 7 : mi 3.99 - alt. 2,385 ft - Crossroads of paths. Bridge over the - Fredet (cours d'eau) - Affluent de la Couze Chambon
  9. 8 : mi 4.22 - alt. 2,434 ft - Return - Eglise de Saint Nectaire
  10. 9 : mi 4.89 - alt. 2,703 ft - Trail junction
  11. 10 : mi 5.91 - alt. 2,887 ft - Path/track junction
  12. S/E : mi 6.52 - alt. 2,625 ft - Picnic area D996 x D145

Notes

Difficulty: Moderate, rather easy. Some very steep slopes. Standard hiking equipment.

Worth a visit

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

Photo album here

The Church of Notre-Dame du Cornadore in Saint-Nectaire is a beautiful Romanesque church in the Auvergne style. It is well worth visiting the interior, particularly to see its carved capitals.

There are many unobstructed views along the route, particularly of the Château de Murol with the Massif du Sancy in the background.

There are many farms in the area where you can buy Saint-Nectaire cheese... farm-fresh, of course!

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
armelle thibout
armelle thibout

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in mid-April. Spring flowers to delight the eye, accompanied by birdsong all along the route.

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Marden68
Marden68

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A route offering beautiful views of Murol Castle and the village of St Nectaire. Some sections have been eroded by recent storms and are best avoided in heavy rain.

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pierre5205
pierre5205

OK, thank you for your reply.

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grandin
grandin ★

pierre5205

I have other hikes that pass through these caves, so I skipped this one.

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pierre5205
pierre5205

Last Wednesday, we did this route with the Issoire club, but we happily stopped off at the Châteauneuf caves.

This route could be modified between points 9 and 10 in this direction, as the caves are well worth seeing!

Best regards

PS: I took photos of the caves if needed.

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NicoleMichel
NicoleMichel

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with many pleasant woodland passages when the weather is warm.
If you set off in the morning, you can stop for lunch during your visit to St Nectaire.

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jacques15
jacques15

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route that can or must be done in reverse. Don't miss the caves!

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Langeclint
Langeclint
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A descent with large rocks just before St Nectaire in wet weather requires good footwear and is a bit difficult. The climb just after is tough, so this route is not suitable for children. Overall, I find that there are few viewpoints and a lot of woods. It is quite shady. The last part passes through some beautiful oak groves and a few pine trees too. It's quite wild and not very busy. I would describe this route as quite challenging given the elevation gain, and it goes up and down all the time. No respite!

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Ksg
Ksg

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk, description OK

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pierjac4477
pierjac4477

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike that allows you to discover St Nectaire and its surroundings. Beautiful views in the second half of the route. Thank you for the detailed description.

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gl59
gl59

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route that can be shortened or lengthened as desired by studying the map.
Two rather unpleasant descents, the first with a steep slope on slippery gravel, the second particularly stony.

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