Our take
Water that comes out of the ground already sparkling, freely accessible beside the road: you park, you hold out your bottle. A local ritual in Coudes, where this water has been known for centuries.
In Coudes, a naturally sparkling, iron-rich spring flows in a small building beside the road. Locals fill their bottles there.
A small building beside Avenue de la Libération, a car park in front, and inside, water that sparkles all by itself. The Coudes spring, known as the Champ Robert spring, comes out of the ground naturally sparkling and iron-rich.
It had its hour of glory: marketed from the end of the 19th century, then sold as a medicinal product, up to 30,000 bottles a year in the 20th century. A thermal centre was even considered, but classification as a hydrothermal resort was refused, and operations stopped in 1940. Today, it is the locals who come to fill their containers.
Taste it: the iron aftertaste is a surprise, then you get used to it. Afterwards, head up to Montpeyroux, the hilltop village right next door.
Why we love it
- Water that comes out of the ground already sparkling
- The iron aftertaste that surprises you on the first mouthful
- The small building beside the road, where locals fill their containers
- Water once sold as a medicinal product, up to 30,000 bottles a year
Top tip
Bring several bottles, and a cup to taste it on the spot: the water flows from a spout carved from lava stone.
Before you go
- On the way out or back from a walk at Montpeyroux or in the Issoire area.
- There is a car park right in front of the building, on Avenue de la Libération, and access is free.
- Bring several bottles, locals come to fill their containers there.
- Montpeyroux, the hilltop village, is right next door: a stop at the spring fits in well with the visit.
Practical info
- Address
- 14-20 Av. de la Libération, 63114 Coudes, France
63114 Coudes
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Around Coudes spring
Enough to build your day around this address.
Worth seeing nearby
Montpeyroux
Montpeyroux · 1.2 km away
Sources de Sainte-Marguerite
4.3Saint-Maurice · 6.2 km away
Sources salées du Saladis
4.2Les Martres-de-Veyre · 6.4 km away
Forêt de la Comté
4.6Pignols · 7.4 km away
Hikes nearby
Waymarked routes within 15 km, GPX track included.
On foot
CyclingHikes around Coudes spring
On footCycling
On footPérignat-ès-Allier, Landscapes marked by an ancient and medieval past
Start: Pérignat-ès-Allier
- 7.9 km
- +66 m
- 2 h 30 min
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