Wine-growing villages of the Val d'Allier

At the A75 exit, follow the signs for Montpeyroux, then the signs for the car parks to the 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 indicates, heading north along the path that runs alongside the educational farm. Follow the yellow markings of this PR®^®. The grassy path is interrupted from time to time by large outcrops of arkose, a pale stone used to build houses and churches. You will arrive at the edge of an old arkose quarry (^PR®® sign) and continue straight on until you reach a fork (not shown on the map).

(1) Follow the^PR®® on the left. Further on, at another fork (not shown on the map), continue left again until you reach an intersection and turn right. At the next intersection, turn right and, when you reach a wider path, continue on the left. Further on, ignore a path on the right, then a path on the left.

(2) At the crossroads of several paths, take the path on the right (barrier) that enters the Domaine de Chadieu. Pass by a stream and, at the château, note the beautiful lime tree. Turn left to pass in front of the entrance to the Château de Chadieu, then take the main driveway and go around the pond to exit the estate. Go through the gate near a sequoia tree and note the information panels about the estate on your right. Continue straight ahead on the road for about 50 metres, then turn right. Leave this path before the edge of the woods to turn onto a path on the right and continue through the undergrowth.

(3) You will arrive near a clearing with a lovely view of the Château de Chadieu. You will also see information panels about the alluvial forest and a scale showing the flood levels of 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 crossroads, continue straight ahead. 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 ahead. At a fork, ignore the path that branches off to the left. The path veers south-west and you will arrive at a small road.

(5) Follow it to the left. It soon turns into a path and passes close to a water treatment plant. The path approaches the Allier river.

(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 to the right.

(7) Take Rue du Pont on the left to cross the Allier River on 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 River on your left. Further on, the path also runs alongside a railway line on your right and above you.

(8) Ignore the path on the right that goes under the railway line. Further on, you will come to a children's playground.

(9) Continue straight ahead to cross the site. The path narrows and becomes a trail. It turns right and climbs uphill, following a stream. You will come to a bridge that the stream also crosses (making this a canal bridge). Cross the railway line via this bridge, then continue straight ahead uphill. At the intersection with another path, continue straight ahead until you reach the D229 road.

(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 ahead on Rue de la Poste. Turn right onto Rue de la Mairie, then at Place du Quaire (fountain), go 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. This street turns into a path further on, which soon heads east-southeast.

(12) At the intersection with another path, you will see yellow directional signs and yellow and red^GRP®® markings. Turn right. At the next intersection, turn right again onto Allée de l'Anneau. Continue along the small road that extends this path to reach a larger road at the entrance to Coudes, Avenue de la Libération.

(13) Cross and follow this avenue to the left, on the pavement. Take the steps and then the alley on the right, which will allow you to cut across the bend and come back onto the avenue, opposite the station. Follow the avenue to the right, staying on the pavement, then, before the bridge, cross and continue along the alley opposite to find 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 goes downhill, then take the next road on the right to reach a street called Pas du Pont. Turn left, then take the first street on the right, Rue du Vieux Marché. At the next intersection, a few metres to your right, you will see the remains of a fortified house. Turn left onto Rue du Nord. Ignore the alleys on your right that lead to the cemetery.

(14) Take Chemin du Cuel on the right. This small road quickly turns into a path at a small vineyard. Continue on the left-hand path and pass a beautiful fountain and wash house. Further on, at the crossroads marked with a cross, continue to the right, taking the rough staircase that climbs towards the Montpeyroux tower. At the fork, turn right to reach Rue du Chaume.

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

(16) Go down the steps on the left and take the path on the left. Walk along the cemetery on your right. On the street, continue to the left and take the second path on the right. Ignore a path on the right. Shortly afterwards, do not go down towards the farm buildings but turn left and then immediately right. At the fork, continue following the bend to the left. Ignore the path on the right just after to walk along the educational farm. Shortly afterwards, you will return to the car park (S/E).

Moderate difficulty hike, standard hiking equipment required.

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

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

In the three villages crossed by this route, don't hesitate to stray from the suggested route to explore and discover, perhaps with the help of a larger scale map, if you take care to download and print one. You can also use the Visorando app.

Montpeyroux is listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France. The stone of Montpeyroux, called arkose (a type of feldspar 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 arkose quarrying in Montpeyroux is due to its exposure to the open air, which made it easy to extract. On the beautiful Romanesque churches in the region, the alternating colours of the pale arkose and 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 we passed through all have 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 that these efforts will continue to produce quality wines, using environmentally friendly methods and at affordable prices!