A wooden walkway leads into the heart of the Tourbière de Gimel; an old road-building technique has been preserved on the Chemin de Petaloup. Saint-Régis-Du-Coin combines these natural and cultural details with trails in the heights of the Pilat. When planning a stay, you can choose between moorland, historic traces, trail running and Nordic skiing—depending on which of these aspects of the area you want to focus on.
Moorland and ponds
The Tourbière de Gimel is a wetland at the source of the Dunerette, at an altitude of 1,200 metres. A purpose-built wooden walkway leads visitors to its centre. Dragonflies and cotton grass can be seen there in June. A car park serves as a starting point; the peat bog is accessible to wheelchair users with assistance. There is also a family activity: “Drosira et la Tourbière musicale” combines a nature trail with investigative tasks, challenges and a final game. Nature observation and playful discovery thus come together at the same named location.
The Plans d’eau de Prélager form another wetland landscape with a different character: a chain of seven artificial ponds created for leisure in the second half of the 19th century along the Dunerette, near its source. They extend across an altitude of around 1,100 metres, just below the hamlet of Prélager. The area is classified as a Natura 2000 wetland. The pond La Couronne is a first-category fishing area.
Historic traces along the trail
A 100-metre stretch of paving and slabs has been preserved along the Chemin de Petaloup. The construction method is considered typical of the Ancien Régime. The trail is also part of a pilgrimage route to Compostela that connects the Rhône with Le Puy. Its preserved surface and its role as part of a longer route offer two distinct points of reference: here, the focus is both on historic road-building techniques and on a trail linked to a pilgrimage route extending beyond the local area.
At the Chapelle et le petit clos, the enclosure of the first cemetery lies opposite the original church, built in 1830. The new church was completed in 1896; its stained-glass windows were created the following year. The Pierre des 3 évêques illustrates a different historic function as a boundary marker: the stone is 2.50 metres in diameter and lies on a watershed. Under the Romans, it marked the boundaries between the provinces of La lyonnaise, La Gaule and La Narbonnaise. In the Middle Ages, it became the meeting point of the dioceses of Lyon, Vienne and Le Puy-en-Velay. These named places thus bring ecclesiastical history and older territorial divisions into focus.
Trails, training and winter sports
The Pôle Trail is located in the Parc Naturel Régional du Pilat. It includes more than ten marked routes with varying levels of difficulty and technical requirements, as well as three training loops: “TRAINING ZONE”, “TRAINING COTE” and “FARTLEK”. The facilities also include a reception area with changing rooms, showers and lockers, a Nordic walking trail, a Cani-Cross trail, two permanent trail-running routes and a Training Park. Check route details before setting out.
The individual routes differ considerably in length and elevation gain: La Glacière is a 6.8-kilometre Cani-Cross route with 100 metres of elevation gain. Les Menhirs de Gimel is a 21-kilometre trail-running route with 540 metres of elevation gain. La Glacière is shorter and has less elevation gain than Les Menhirs de Gimel. Mountain biking is also an option: most trails in Saint-Régis-du-Coin are suitable for it; conditions may vary from one trail to another.
The Domaine Nordique de St Régis du Coin offers 15 kilometres of groomed and marked Nordic ski routes, with access from the village of Saint-Régis-du-Coin. This activity therefore has a stated starting point in the village; the trail-running routes and ski routes offer different options for planning your visit.
Viewpoints and access
The Table d’orientation du sommet de Panère is at an altitude of 1,302 metres and can only be reached on foot from the village of Saint-Régis-du-Coin or the hamlet of Gimel. The Table d’orientation du crêt de Chaussître is at an altitude of 1,220 metres. From the car park above the hamlet of Teil, the Chemin du Teil leads there in a ten-minute walk; from the viewpoint, you can see the Yssingelais and Haute-Loire. Access routes differ: two starting points are given for Panère, while the crêt has a specified walking time and path from the car park.
Discover more destinations: Villars, La Pacaudière, Neulise, Bonson, La Fouillouse, Cherier, L'etrat, Palogneux.
For the main travel overview: Loire.
