Courcourt tower

Tour de Courcourt

Starting from the village of Seychalles, you follow a path that runs alongside gardens, orchards and vines to reach the top of a hill that peaks at 463 m: the butte de Courcourt. From up there, you get a vast panorama, geometric fields stretching as far as the eye can see, the great plain of the Limagne, with to the east its highest point, Pierre-sur-Haute, Thiers and the Bois Noirs, then your gaze drops back down to Ravel, the Petit and the Grand Turluron of Billom. To the west, the Chaîne des Puys closes the horizon and, closer, Beauregard-l’Évêque.

Start: In the car park on the church square and facing the starting sign, take the rue "sous le fort" on the left. Go about 100 m and turn onto the street on the right. At the Square, turn onto the path on the left towards the cemetery.

1. Take the first turning on the left, going up. At the fork, continue on the main path on the right and go along the wood. Then reach the Courcourt tower (orientation tables: panoramic view over the Chaîne des Puys, the Sancy massif, the Monts du Forez and Livradois, the Limagne plain, Clermont-Ferrand, Billom, Thiers, Beauregard-l’Évêque, Pont-du-Château and Riom as well as the castles of Mauzun and Ravel…).

2. Go past the tower (information lectern) and continue on the main path. Near the wooded area, turn right. At the crossroads, 100 m further on, turn right again.

3. At the T-junction, on the way down, turn left and leave two paths on your left (possible shortcut: take the second path on the left and go down to Seychalles). Go down to the SNCF railway bridge; cross it and pass in front of the domaine de Châteauneuf; continue to the road.

4. Turn right onto the D104 then turn left straight away onto the first path. At the next intersection, bear left and reach a level crossing.

5. Cross it then turn right straight away onto a good path; continue to the road. Take it to the left to go along the multi-sports pitch. At the fork, take the road on the left, then immediately a path on the left. At the next intersection, turn right. Then enter Seychalles and reach the church car park.