Coutansouze between hiking trails and viaducts

Coutansouze appeals to travelers who want to combine hiking and cycling with forest landscapes and regional heritage. If you’re looking for a hotel for a trip to Coutansouze, you can start by deciding whether hiking, cycling or heritage will shape your stay. Concrete points of reference include trail lengths and routes, the dimensions of the viaducts, and the history of the Viaduc du Belon.

Choose hiking trails by length and route

At 22 kilometers, Le Gour de l’Annet is longer than the 12-kilometer Chemin des Amoureux and the 16-kilometer Le Belon hiking loop. The difficult Le Gour hike passes through the beech forests of the Forêt des Colettes and the Veauce valley. It starts at the Rond point des Fayes forest crossroads on the D118 in Coutansouze. Length, the explicitly stated difficulty, and the starting point give you concrete criteria for choosing a route.

The Chemin des Amoureux route can be started from Coutansouze or Vert Plateau. Le Belon is a 16-kilometer loop that descends past the Viaduc de la Perrière to the Coutansouze washhouse. The three routes therefore differ in both distance and route: the Chemin des Amoureux has two possible starting areas, Le Belon passes a viaduct, and Le Gour is a 22-kilometer hike explicitly rated as difficult. The Le Gour route can also be completed by mountain bike or on horseback.

Forêt des Colettes: forest and wildlife

The Forêt des Colettes extends mainly across the communes of Coutansouze, Échassières, Lalizolle and Bellenaves. Beech is the dominant tree species there; the forest is also home to rare yellow-bellied toads and alpine longhorn beetles. The forest is therefore a natural area spanning several communes, not one limited to Coutansouze alone.

Cycling routes connecting the viaduct and forest

The VTT'Sioule 14 km – Circuit N°2 mountain-bike loop follows the Chemin des Amoureux to the Coutansouze washhouse, passing the arched Viaduc de la Perrière along the way. The VTT'Sioule 36 km – Circuit N°4 mountain-bike loop reaches the Forêt des Colettes just below Coutansouze, near the commune’s washhouse. The loops thus differ both in length and in their points of interest: the 14-kilometer route includes the trail, viaduct and washhouse, while the 36-kilometer route reaches the forest.

Viaducts and local heritage

The Viaduc du Belon lies on the boundary between the communes of Coutansouze and Louroux-de-Bouble. Construction was completed in 1869, and the viaduct opened in June 1871. At 231 meters long and 48.50 meters high, it is larger in both dimensions than the Viaduc de la Perrière in Coutansouze, which is 125 meters long and 34 meters high. The Perrière has an arched design, is built of masonry and has several arches. Thus, the Belon is notable for its dimensions and construction history, while the Perrière also stands out for its specific design.

There are named examples of local heritage beyond the viaducts, too. In the hamlet of l’Étang, southwest of the present-day village center, are the remains of Coutansouze’s former Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais church. At Les Fayes stands a wayside cross known as the Croix Saint-Antoine.

Discover more destinations: Chassenard, Arfeuilles, Agonges, Huriel, Commentry, Bourbon-Lʼarchambault, Espinasse-Vozelle, Saint-Menoux

For the broader travel overview: Allier.