Le Cergne: Mid-mountain landscapes, hiking trails and cultural heritage

Le Cergne lies in the mid-mountains at an altitude of 476 to 793 metres. Marked trails, the Way of St. James in the Roannais and the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Fàtima offer concrete points of reference when choosing a destination. This lets you shape your stay around landscapes, hiking or cultural heritage.

Hiking trails and views

The Balade entre Monts et Forêts – PR 10 is a marked hiking trail in Le Cergne, starting from the car park opposite the town hall. The route offers remarkable views of the Roanne plain, the Monts du Forez, the green Beaujolais, the Monts du Lyonnais and the bocage landscape of the Brionnais. The views described therefore range from a plain and several mountain ranges to a landscape of hedgerows and pastureland.

The PR 10 has three ratings under FFRP standards: effort 3 (“not very difficult”), technical difficulty 2 (“fairly easy”) and risk 2 (“fairly low”). These separate ratings relate to different assessment dimensions, so you can consider them individually rather than reducing them to a single difficulty score. The leisure area by the municipal chalets also has a fishing pond and marked walking trails.

The Way of St. James in the Roannais

In the Roannais, Le Cergne is the starting point of the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. The 90-kilometre route can be walked from here to Pommiers-en-Forez. Rivers and forests line the route, with beech and fir forests and pastureland nearby. The route can thus be described in terms of a named stretch between two places and the landscape along it.

The PR 10, a local hiking trail, offers specific panoramic views and a three-part rating. The Way of St. James, by contrast, is defined by the 90 kilometres between Le Cergne and Pommiers-en-Forez and the landscape along and near the route. These distinct details give you a factual basis for choosing the focus of your hiking trip, without assuming a walking time for either route.

Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Fàtima in Fontimpe

In the hamlet of Fontimpe stands the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Fàtima, a chapel of religious cultural heritage. It was built between 1943 and 1948 at the initiative of Father Guyot. Local residents donated funds for its construction and prayed for the prisoners’ return. The history of the place and the chapel itself offer a cultural point of interest alongside the hiking trails.

In 2026, the chapel is open daily throughout the year; check the opening information before your visit. A statue stands above the chapel. Steps lead up to the top of the tower, which offers an exceptional panorama. A visit thus combines the historic chapel with a viewpoint reached by climbing the steps.

Accommodation and getting around

Le Cergne offers seven wooden chalets year-round. Check their availability before booking. The chalets are a separate accommodation option and are not the same as a hotel; if you are looking for hotels, you can compare them according to your travel plans.

A local route accessible to everyone connects Le Cergne with Charlieu. A weekly market is held there. If you plan to use the connection for your trip, check the timetable and operating conditions in advance. Alongside the hiking and cultural attractions, this gives you a specific point of reference for getting between the two places.

Discover more destinations: Pouilly-sous-Charlieu, Rozier-Côtes-D'aurec, Rive-De-Gier, Noailly, Villemontais, Saint-Bonnet-Le-Courreau, Pommiers, Saint-Marcel D'urfé.

For the regional travel overview: Loire.