Le sentier des contes, un sentier pour tous dans l’Espace Naturel Sensible de la forêt de la Comté

This walk has been designed for the comfort of all : families, wheelchair users, the visually impaired and the disabled.

The entire circuit has network coverage, so you can use your pedestrian GPS or call for help if you need it.

PRM accessibility, guidance and safety
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This walk has been designed for the comfort of all : families, wheelchair users, the visually impaired and the disabled.

The entire circuit has network coverage, so you can use your pedestrian GPS or call for help if you need it.

PRM accessibility, guidance and safety
To help you find your way around, the north and south sides of the parking lot are equipped with audible beacons that can be triggered by remote control. To the south of the parking lot is the Maison des Espaces Naturels, open to the public on Wednesday afternoons and weekends. To the north of the parking lot is the start of several trails.

At the start of the Tales of the Shire trail is a tactile map of the route. To guide you along the path, follow the grass-bordered mineral surface on the ground and listen to your pedestrian GPS : a GPX track is available for download from the website.

Comfort
The parking lot features a picnic area and dry toilets for people with reduced mobility. There are two other picnic areas on this trail : the first is 100 metres from the start and has a drinking water point. The second is about two-thirds of the way along the trail, about 600 metres from the start.

For everyone’s comfort, there are plenty of seats with backrests and armrests. All sensitive passages have been neutralized, and access to the pond is secured with barriers.

Let yourself be guided…
Once upon a time in the Shire, there was an earl who counted the tales of the forest. Now quite old, he’s decided to share them with you. But he’s tired. So the Département du Puy-de-Dôme set up a trail where he could rest and read his stories to you. And that’s how this trail came to be !

As you stroll along, you’ll find 7 educational areas designed to help you discover the themes explored on the County’s other trails, which are not accessible to people with reduced mobility or baby carriages.

Each of these educational areas has benches and information material. There’s a tale, i.e. a short story, and a count, i.e. a number. Tactile and audio devices reveal the different facets of the Shire forest.

Take the time to do nothing but listen and feel the forest on the benches and tables in the shade of the trees. These furnishings are made from local wood. Very, very local wood : it was cut here, in this parcel of the Comté forest.

Practical info : bikes and horses
The trail is closed to mountain bikers and horse riders.
Why not ? Because bicycles leave tracks on the ground that quickly become obstacles for wheelchair users. As for horses, they leave in their wake… how shall I put it… little mounds in which wheelchair users don’t like to put their wheels !

This trail has been awarded the Tourism and Handicap label for hearing, mental, motor and visual impairments.