Wine-growing villages of the Val d'Allier

On leaving the A75, follow signs for Montpeyroux, then for the car parks, north of the village. Park in car park 2, near the educational farm.

(S/E) At the car park entrance, look for the sign indicating the start of^{the PR®®} “Chemin de l’Arkose”, and follow the direction it points to, heading north along the path that runs alongside the educational farm. Follow the yellow markings of this PR®^®. The grassy path is occasionally interrupted by large outcrops of arkose, a light-coloured stone used to build houses and churches. You will reach the edge of an old arkose quarry (^PR®® sign) and then continue straight on until you reach a fork in the road (not shown on the map).

(1) Follow the^PR®® to the left. Further on, at another Fork in the road (not shown on the map), continue left again, then reach a junction and turn right. At the next junction, turn right, then, when you reach a wider path, continue to the left. Further on, ignore a path on the right, then a path on the left.

(2) At the junction of several paths, take the path on the right (barrier) leading into the Domaine de Chadieu. Pass close to a stream and, near the château, you’ll notice a beautiful lime tree. Turn left to pass in front of the entrance to the Château de Chadieu, then take the main driveway and go round the pond to leave the estate. Pass through the gate near a sequoia and note the information boards about the estate on your right. Continue straight ahead along the road for about fifty metres, then turn right. Leave this path before the edge of the woods to turn onto a track on the right and continue through the undergrowth.

(3) You’ll arrive near a clearing where you can enjoy a lovely view of Chadieu Castle. You’ll also see information boards about the alluvial forest and a flood scale for the Allier. Turn left onto a path for a short round trip to the Allier.

(3) On your return, continue to the left. Further on, at a junction, carry straight on. At a large rock, pass an information panel about the Domaine de Chadieu, then arrive below the Roche de Gournier, a cliff on your right which is also a climbing site.

(4) Continue straight on. At a fork in the road, ignore the path leading off to the left. The path veers south-west and you’ll come to a small road.

(5) Follow it to the left. It soon turns into a track and passes close to a sewage treatment plant. The track approaches the River Allier.

(6) Ignore a path that climbs to the right, taking the yellow markings with it, and continue along the road with the Allier on your left, to enter Coudes. At the foot of the footbridge, climb up to the right.

(7) Take Rue du Pont on the left to cross the Allier via the footbridge. On the other side of the river, turn left, then left again to take the path that runs alongside vegetable gardens and then the Allier on your left. Further on, the path also runs alongside a railway line situated on your right and higher up.

(8) Ignore the path on the right that goes under the railway line. A little further on, you’ll come to a children’s playground.

(9) Continue straight on to cross the site. The path narrows and becomes a footpath. This turns right and climbs, following a stream. You’ll reach a bridge which the stream also crosses (making this a canal bridge). Cross this bridge to get over the railway line, then continue straight up the hill. At a junction with another path, carry on straight ahead until you reach a road, the D229.

(10) Cross with extreme caution as there is very little visibility on your left. Take the small road opposite, Rue du Chirot, which climbs up to the village of Parent. Ignore the streets on the right. At Place du Courtol, continue straight on along Rue de la Poste. Turn right onto Rue de la Mairie, then, at Place du Quaire (fountain), head back down Rue des Écoles. Ignore Route de Buron on the left.

(11) Take the next street on the left, at the fire station, Rue de Chabonnat. Further on, this turns into a path that soon heads east-southeast.

(12) At the junction with another path, look for yellow signposts and yellow and red^GRP®® markings. Turn right. At the next junction, turn right again onto Allée de l’Anneau. Continue along the small road that extends from this path until you reach a main road at the entrance to Coudes, Avenue de la Libération.

(13) Cross over and follow this avenue to the left, on the pavement. Take the steps and then the alleyway on the right, which allow you to cut across the bend and rejoin the avenue, opposite the station. Follow the avenue to the right, staying on the pavement, then, before the bridge, cross over and continue along the alleyway opposite to reach the footbridge over the Allier.
Take the footbridge again to cross to the left bank of the river.

(7) Ignore the alleyway on the right (which you took on the way there) that leads downhill, then take the next right to reach a street, the Pas du Pont. Turn left, then take the first street on the right, the Rue du Vieux Marché. At the next junction, note the remains of a fortified house a few metres to your right. Turn left onto Rue du Nord. Pass the narrow lanes on your right that lead to the cemetery.

(14) Turn right onto Chemin du Cuel. This small road soon turns into a path near a small vineyard. Continue along the path on the left and pass a beautiful wash house. Further on, at the crossroads marked by a cross, continue to the right, taking the rough steps leading up to the Montpeyroux tower. At the fork in the road, turn right to reach Rue du Chaume.

(15) Turn right. The street heads northwards to reach Rue de la Poterne. Continue up the steps opposite. On Rue du Donjon, turn left, pass below the tower and continue to reach Rue de la Grande Charreyre. Turn left then take the first street on the right, Rue de Tralume.

(16) Go down the steps on the left, then take the path leading off to the left. Walk alongside the cemetery on your right. On the street, continue left then take the second path on the right. Ignore a path on the right. Shortly afterwards, do not go down towards the farm buildings but veer left then immediately right. At the Fork in the road, continue by following the bend to the left. Ignore the path on the right just after to walk alongside the educational farm. Shortly afterwards, you will reach the car park (S/E).

Moderate difficulty hike; standard hiking kit required.

This hike can easily be shortened if, at (7), you turn right towards (14).

Discover more walks in this area to follow, with a description or via the Visorando app here

In the three villages along this route, feel free to stray from the suggested path to explore and discover, perhaps with the help of a larger-scale map, provided you take care to download and print one. You can also use the Visorando app.

Montpeyroux is listed among the most beautiful villages in France. The stone of Montpeyroux, known as arkose (a type of feldspathic sandstone), has been widely used in local construction since the 12th century. This stone is robust but difficult to work with. The long history of quarrying Montpeyroux arkose stems from the fact that it outcrops at the surface, which made it easier to extract. On the region’s beautiful Romanesque churches, the alternating colours of the pale arkose and the black Volvic stone create stunning patterns.

Not far from Clermont-Ferrand, agriculture in the Val d’Allier has long been dominated by wine-growing. The old houses in the villages along the route all feature a large door on the ground floor leading to a cellar. Today, efforts are being made to reintroduce vine cultivation in this region. Let’s hope these efforts continue to produce quality wines, using environmentally friendly methods and at affordable prices!