On the heights of Désertines

de fr

A walk through the hills above the Montluçon basin to admire the view. Along the way, you’ll pass through the Biache district and see the oldest houses in the village.

Details

n°1000648
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.55 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 109 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 111 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 337 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 228 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Désertines (03630)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 46.355109° / E 2.622882°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2428SB
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Photos

17th-century house with a front steps.
View of the Montluçon Basin
Communal wash house
Fontaine Sainte-Catherine

Description of the walk

Car park in front of Saint-Georges Church in Désertines.

(S/E) From the car park, walk past the right-hand side of the church and take Rue Christophe Thivrier for 150m; turn left onto Rue du Lavoir and walk down it, then follow a path uphill to the first houses of a housing estate.

(1) Take the first path leading off horizontally to your right, and walk for 500m until you reach a crossroads.

(2) Cross this to join a path opposite which climbs through a chestnut wood, then follows the hillside to a heathland. The path widens as it descends to your right towards the Rocher de la Petite Suisse. Go round it on the right, cross the stream via a footbridge, climb the steps opposite and rejoin the track.

(3) Turn right and follow the road down to a junction of tarmac roads. Turn right and continue to the first road on your left (Rue Henri Martin), which leads straight down to Rue du Lavoir, the road you took on the way out. Then walk to the church where you will find your car (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 244 m - Saint-Georges Church
  2. 1 : km 0.55 - alt. 262 m - Crossroads, turn right
  3. 2 : km 1.03 - alt. 286 m - Crossroads, opposite
  4. 3 : km 2.39 - alt. 279 m - Vehicle-accessible track, on the right
  5. S/E : km 3.55 - alt. 244 m - Saint-Georges Church

Worth a visit

Origin of the word ‘biache’ and ‘biachets’ (names given to the inhabitants of Désertines): as the inhabitants are winegrowers and gardeners, they spend their time digging, ‘biasse’ in the local dialect, hence the origin of this name.

Reviews and comments

4 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.8 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 28788266

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant and peaceful walk. Some lovely views.
However, it isn’t ‘easy’ – there are plenty of steep sections, and getting round the large rock is very much like rock climbing, or perhaps we just couldn’t find the path.
The signposting is rather sporadic, but the clear route description and the trail markers helped us follow the path.

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Lenz
Lenz

The path is clearly visible as you cross a sort of moorland, but when you reach the large rock, you either have to climb down at your own risk or look out for a small path on the right that lets you go round it safely.
It’s a brilliant walk that I often do.
At the start, there’s a chestnut grove as a bonus in autumn!

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bcathy70
bcathy70
• Edited:

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I was really disappointed with this route, which was probably lovely but very poorly signposted!
I ended up with another lady who was also trying to find her way; we had to turn back because there were no signs at all!
No facilities, no signposting – I definitely wouldn’t recommend it!

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Lenz
Lenz

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An interesting and fairly challenging walk: when you reach the rock, you need to find the path that goes well around it. Fortunately, there are a few trees to hold on to on the way down.
Superb views of the town and the surrounding area.

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LOUIS MASBET
LOUIS MASBET

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, no difficulty, superb views.

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jo Macé
jo Macé
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We were very disappointed with this hike and its ‘easy’ rating!!!!
We had a hard time: a narrow and often very stony path between points 2 and 3 with lots of steep ascents and descents (magnificent views of Montluçon), especially as we approached point 3, which we didn’t manage to reach. The last yellow marker at the top of the rock didn’t make us want to carry on towards point 3. The route around the rock is far too steep, or perhaps we simply couldn’t find the path and so turned back!!!

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Serge_Augusta
Serge_Augusta

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A nice, short walk to fill out the rest of the afternoon.
No particular difficulty.
Stunning views of the surrounding area from the plateau. At this time of year, the vegetation is very vibrant; it’s really interesting.
A lovely walk.

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