Sarran and the woodland

A short, very pleasant walk, starting with a warm-up on flat ground; much of the route follows grassy paths, with lovely views, including of the Cézallier (Le Pependille), as well as Mercœur and the Forez... Much of the route is shaded yet still bright. Hellebores adorn the path.
You can take the opportunity to visit the picturesque village of Rentières, with its church, small chapel, fountain square, viewing points and rich flora.
Take a short break at the start or on your return at L’Accueillette des Pensées, visit the garden or enjoy a cup of herbal tea made from the garden’s herbs

Details

3038435
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.05 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 247 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 242 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 983 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 735 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Set off from the car park at the end of the village of Rentières, near the fortified house.

(S/E) Head east along the D23e. At the fork (Croix du Sagadour), continue along the road (ignore the road branching off to the right). Pass the town hall and then the cemetery and continue along the road.

(1) At the crossroads, follow the D23 to your left. After about a hundred metres, take a path on the right.

(2) Just before the stream, at a fork, take the path that climbs up to the left. Ignore a junction with the road and continue along the path, which is not shown on the IGN map but does exist on the ground...

(3) At a water catchment on the right, turn sharply left and head uphill to rejoin the D23. Follow this road downhill for a few dozen metres, then take a path that climbs up to the right. Take a hairpin bend to the right, then another to the left.

(4) At the junction (clearing on the left), continue along the track to the right. At the next junction, turn sharply left. Follow the track to the entrance of a quarry (there is the option of a detour into the quarry).

(5) Continue along the track (west). At the end, turn left. After a green agricultural ‘tunnel’, the track turns right.

(6) At the T-junction with the main road, turn left. After about 400 m, take thefirst path on the right. Enter a wood and walk alongside a pretty moss-covered wall. Go under the wire fence (opposite a large oak tree) and cross the meadow in front of you, following the hedge on the right (the landowner has been informed).

(7) At the end of the hedge, veer left, then climb over the fence on your right (under the hazel tree). Head down into the undergrowth.

(8) At the junction, turn right and continue down to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 746 m - Car park at the end of the village
  2. 1 : km 1.18 - alt. 745 m - Crossroads - War Memorial
  3. 2 : km 1.98 - alt. 765 m - Vieilleprade Stream
  4. 3 : km 3.08 - alt. 848 m - Water catchment
  5. 4 : km 3.73 - alt. 921 m - Junction
  6. 5 : km 4.74 - alt. 980 m - Quarry
  7. 6 : km 5.49 - alt. 943 m - T-junction
  8. 7 : km 6.23 - alt. 899 m - At the end of a meadow
  9. 8 : km 6.68 - alt. 795 m - Junction
  10. S/E : km 7.05 - alt. 746 m - Car park at the end of the village

Notes

Bring sturdy shoes, water, rainwear and a camera.

Worth a visit

The pretty village of Rentières, its church (the key is available at the Accueillette des Pensées for a visit to this building with its unusual décor), its chapel, its viewpoint, its fountain square and its rich flora.
The Ardes-sur-Couze Wildlife Park, the Roche Charles Chapel, and the viewpoint from the village of Le Fromental

Reviews and comments

3.8 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
3.8 / 5
User 13338270

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

indication cannot be found from point no. 7

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mick15
mick15

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a nice, easy, enjoyable walk

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CLAUROUX
CLAUROUX

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The route through the final pasture is a bit of a maze; it would be worth marking it out – perhaps we should ask the owner.

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bcg243
bcg243

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Towards the end of the route, when you reach a pasture, it’s easy to get lost. You’ll pass very close to beehives, so keep well to the right along the moss-covered low wall (which is hard to see), then veer left as soon as possible to enter a narrow passage and go to the left of a ruin. Continue for 50 metres across the pasture, then head diagonally to the right to rejoin the path taken by the motorbikes. Then follow the path.

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Philippe rando 63
Philippe rando 63
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

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

At 4, it’s not a clearing! It’s easy to say there’s a new hairpin bend to the right.
A bit of uncertainty in the woods trying to find the right path... Some markings would be helpful.
At 6, we didn’t see the wall. No fence wire. Where’s the oak tree?
At 7: you can’t see where the path starts in the woods. It’s too hit-and-miss: there are hazel bushes everywhere! So we went back to the road and took a detour just after the field onto a path on the right. It didn’t really add much distance and there were no difficulties.

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raffio
raffio
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A pleasant little walk, well described. In section 6, it would be helpful to specify: turn RIGHT into the woods
(for 30 metres) and in section 7: the descent through the undergrowth is a matter of feeling your way: there isn’t really a marked path.

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