Our take
Before the walkways, the Saut du Chien rock stopped the riverside walk and the PR 623 was done as an out-and-back. Today, you pass above the Loire as if on a balcony, then loop back via L'Hermet.
Suspended walkways above the Loire to get past the Saut du Chien rock: the gorges walk from Aurec-sur-Loire.
Le Saut du Chien is a rock on the bank of the Loire, deep in the gorges. For a long time it stopped the riverside walk: you came as far as this and turned back. Today, metal steps and then a walkway suspended above the river take you past the rock as if on a balcony.
Start at the leisure centre in Aurec-sur-Loire. You follow the Loire to the walkways, on a simple path with no height gain: about 5 km there and back. Or you can link up the PR 623 loop, about 9 km and 2 hours 30 via the hamlet of L'Hermet, with a steep climb just after the walkways.
A word of advice: the path is not passable in times of flood. In October 2024, the Loire in flood swept away the walkway, which has since been repaired by the communauté de communes (the local intercommunal authority).
Why we love it
- Metal walkways hanging like a balcony above the Loire
- The Saut du Chien rock, which you pass by metal steps and then the walkway
- A way through where the rock used to stop the walk, which lets you loop back via L'Hermet
- The hamlet of L'Hermet if you complete the PR 623 loop
Top tip
Just after the walkways, the PR 623 climbs steeply towards L'Hermet. With young children, stick to the out-and-back along the Loire, with no height gain.
Before you go
- All year round, except in times of flood: when the Loire rises, the riverside path is not passable.
- Dogs are accepted.
- The start is at the leisure centre in Aurec-sur-Loire; the recommended car park is the one at the Respirando area.
- Two options depending on how much time you have: the out-and-back to the walkways (about 5 km, no height gain), or the PR 623 loop, about 9 km and 2 hours 30 via the hamlet of L'Hermet.
- The path is not passable in times of flood, and the loop climbs steeply just after the walkways.
Weather for the next 3 days
Today
16°/5°
0 mm · 22 km/h
Tomorrow
15°/3°
dry · 8 km/h
Tue 27
22°/7°
0 mm · 8 km/h
Source: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0). General lowland forecasts, to be cross-checked with specialist mountain forecasts at altitude.
Practical info
- Address
- Le Saut du Chien, 43110 Aurec-sur-Loire, France
43110 Aurec-sur-Loire
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Around Le Saut du Chien
2 spots in and around Aurec-sur-Loire, enough to build your day.
A place to see, a night to spend?
Hotels, gîtes and B&Bs within 20 km of Aurec-sur-Loire. Availability and online booking.
Worth seeing nearby
Base de Loisirs d'Aurec-sur-Loire
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Gorges de Bilhard
4.7Monistrol-sur-Loire · 6.9 km away
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