Vallée des rouets
Start: Thiers (château-Gaillard)
Themed trail on the cutlery trade. The rouets were noisy workshops that used the motive power of the Durolle river. At the start of the 20th century, before electrification, nearly 700 people worked here.
- Distance
- 2.1 km
- Elevation gain
- +85 m
- Elevation loss
- -85 m
- Duration
- 1 h
Route on the map
Base map © OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA): route licensed under ODbL via Données : Parc Naturel Régional Livradois-Forez · rando.parc-livradois-forez.org — sous licence ODbL.
The route in detail
Start: From the reception building, go down to the left towards rouets nos. 1 to 10. At the junction, continue down on the left to reach the Durolle and rouets nos. 1, 2 and 3. Carry on along the path beside the river (“vers rouets n°4 à 10”, towards rouets nos. 4 to 10). Cross the footbridge to the left of the Chez Montagnac and La Broche rouets. At Chez l’Âne, do not go up the steps, but carry on along the Durolle. Then pass the Chez le Rouge, Chez Picot and Chez Pianti rouets (wheels in fairly good condition). At the Chez Dumas-Miolho rouet (three grindstones visible), follow the path that climbs. At the junction, keep climbing on the left and carry straight on to get back to the starting point (end of the Fourniot rouets circuit, 20 minutes).
Back at the reception building, you can extend the walk by going out and back (40 minutes) along the section signed “vers rouets n°11 à 18” (towards rouets nos. 11 to 18), the circuit of the rouets of the colline des Boules.
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