Besson: Heritage, Hiking Trails and Vineyards

Besson brings together woodland, vineyards and bocage countryside. Several hiking trails offer opportunities to discover the local heritage. This gives you different ways to focus your destination choice: church art, a hike with a castle connection, or a cycling loop. The following trails and buildings offer concrete points of reference for planning a stay in Besson.

Hiking and Heritage

The PR 3: Circuit des vignes et châteaux circular trail is listed as 16.4 kilometres long, taking four hours and with 151 metres of elevation gain. It passes through vineyards used to produce Saint-Pourçain wine. Hikers can also see Château de Fourchaud along the route. This makes the circular trail a way to combine countryside, winegrowing and a specific heritage destination. Its distance, duration and elevation gain provide different details to help you factor the hike into your plans.

Château de Fourchaud still has the original entrance gate of the western defensive wall, which was protected by a drawbridge. Seeing the building adds a historical destination to the PR 3’s connection with the vineyards. If your main aim is to explore the area on foot, this circular trail is one of the options described for bringing local landscapes and heritage together.

Church Architecture in Besson

Église Saint-Martin is a 12th-century church. Its four-bay nave is flanked by aisles; it also has a non-projecting transept, a semicircular apse and semicircular apsidioles. A bay is a section of the nave, so “four-bay” describes how it is divided. The different architectural features give the church a clearly identifiable floor plan, with details that are not limited to a single decorative feature.

The furnishings also make the church a specific destination for those interested in cultural history: it is known for its capitals, sculptures, stained-glass windows and classified statues. These include a 15th-century statue of Saint Sebastian and a 17th-century statue of Saint Roch. The different dates of the two statues offer a brief chronological comparison within the furnishings.

Église Saint-Martin can be visited without a guide. An information sheet is available in French or Dutch. Check whether visits are possible before your trip if visiting the church is an essential part of your plans.

Cycling Routes and Route Planning

Balade au milieu des vignes et des châteaux is a 24.9-kilometre cycling loop in Besson. It is recommended for cyclists and e-bike users. Unlike the PR 3, the information provided for this cycling loop includes a route length and a recommendation for the types of cyclists mentioned; no duration is given. The route uses roads shared with motor vehicles. Take this into account when planning.

The Via Allier cycling route also passes through Besson: stage 04 from Moulins to Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule runs past Château de Fourchaud. Check route conditions and signage before setting off on this stage. The two cycling routes therefore offer different points of reference: a loop in Besson and a stage of the Via Allier route that passes the château.

Vineyards and Domaine Gardien

The connection with wine is not just part of the PR 3’s name. The route passes through vineyards used to produce Saint-Pourçain wine, which has had a protected designation of origin since 2009. This also makes it possible to see the hike as a route through a winegrowing landscape, while the information about the château and church provides distinct cultural points of interest.

Domaine Gardien in Besson was founded in 1924 and produces white, red and rosé wines, as well as wines made using the traditional method, on more than 20 hectares of vineyards. If you would like to explore winegrowing not only as a landscape theme but also through an activity, guided vineyard tours and wine tastings are available there by reservation. Confirm the arrangements for tours and tastings before your trip.

You can weigh up your interests in concrete terms when choosing your destination: a hiking trail and castle, the church’s architecture and furnishings, a cycling loop, or winegrowing. The destinations and activities listed offer different focuses, without requiring you to settle on just one way of exploring.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Verneix, La Guillermie, Vieure, Beaune-d'Allier, Poëzat, Prémilhat, Thionne, Montbeugny.

For the wider travel guide: Allier.