De Machal à Cortal

Guidebook with maps/step-by-step :

Étape 1 : From the start sign, go up the road, turn left onto the Chemin de Décauville (information sign at “fil de l’Allier”), go straight on until you reach the railroad bridge.

Étape 2 : Pass under the bridge, go straight on along the Allier. Just before the fork, turn left down the path. At the edge of the Allier, follow the path to the right (signposted “Les falaises de Machal”). At the “patte d’oie”, turn left and follow the Allier. Leave the first path on the right, and at the water hydrant on your left in the grass, turn right and climb the path which leads to a track. Follow it to the left, (information panel “Histoire des moulins”), leaving the Chemin des Vacants to the left, as far as the D783 road.

Étape 3 : Turn right, and after about 50 m, take the left-hand path up to the fork in the road. At the top of the bend (view of Dallet), continue through the fields, turning right onto the 1st stony track. After 300 m, turn left onto the grassy path and, after the tree, go right (view of Clermont-Ferrand and the Limagne plain). At the bend, turn right towards a vineyard hut. At the T junction, go left down the main road and, before the railroad footbridge, go right. At the crossroads after the station, go straight ahead on chemin de la Banche, find the railroad bridge on the left, pass under it and rejoin the starting point.