A la rencontre de la nature

Starting from the village of Tancon, admire in season the flowering of this village and in particular that of the church. The church was rebuilt in 1852, replacing, as in many other villages in the canton, a Romanesque chapel that was too small to accommodate the Christian fervor of the population. Go down to the right of the church, at the second crossroads, opposite the cross, turn right. You walk on the dike of the old pond of Bourvier on your left, this pond would have been dried up during the war of 1939/1945. It should have been used as a landing strip. Cross the Botoret and continue until you reach the point N°2 "VertPré", turn completely right. Continue the walk and appreciate the numerous small works of art which, although modest, can only be the work of qualified masons.

Cross the Botoret, a 1st category river. Your walk will lead you to the Farginet rocks, lost stones that you may see below in winter. These are huge rocks that appear in scattered ways in this area. At point N°3 you are at "Moulin Milan" at the confluence of the Aron and the Botoret; below, this mill still operates as a flour mill. Turn right and follow the Botoret valley until you reach "Michaudon" where you will discover the old Boussac factory, now partly disused. More than 200 workers were involved in the weaving of cotton cloth, thread and fibrane. Before its closure in 1988, the "Jalla" sponges were made in this factory.

Continue to point N°4 "Château de Barnay" which will make you discover a jewel of the Brionnais region, the Château de Barnay. It is a private castle dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. It is said that around 1180 it was the property of the famous heretic Valdo, founder of the Vaudois sect, whose followers included the poor of Lyon, the Dauphiné and the Midi. Together with the church, it is the most important heritage element in the commune of Saint Martin de Lixy. It was built in ochre limestone from the quarries of Chambarey. Go around it and go up on the plateau to the point N°5 " Rochemond ". Turn around for a moment to admire the striking charm of the roofs of the castle of Barnay. Along this ridge path you will see the Barnay cross in a meadow on the right at the top of the hill, overlooking the parallel valleys of the Botoret and the Sornin, and a statue of Notre Dame. In front of you, there are magnificent views of Saint Denis de Cabanne and Charlieu. Turn right and continue to the "IGN point 350m", N°6 on an old Roman road dominating the Sornin valley, linking Roanne to Beaujeu in the past. Behind you, the view extends to the Madeleine mountains; if they are veiled, the weather will be fine the next day, if they are clearly visible, the rain will come? Continue to the village of Saint Martin de Lixy, point N°7. The slope of Barnay was once covered with vines.

On your right, if you pay attention, you will be able to see in some meadows vast holes called "foletières", a name that might come from "folle terre" (crazy earth). These are apparently small underground streams that dig the subsoil and make the surface collapse, which are particularly dangerous for the cattle that graze in these meadows.

In the village of Saint-Martin-de-Lixy, stop for a while, some will be able to play on the multi-sport leisure area that every village in the canton has, others will admire the 12th century church, surrounded by its moving cemetery. The church has a rectangular nave and an apse on which the former seigniorial chapel of the Clavières period opens on the right. The picturesque exterior of the chapel is due to a double-arched bell tower. Every year on Saint Martin's Day, a mass is said there. It attracts many believers. Take advantage of the picnic table for a snack. Cross the village and continue along the small road that will take you through the typical Brionnais bocage and then to beautiful views of the villages of Ligny-en-Brionnais in the distance, but also closer to the village of Saint Maurice les Châteauneuf with the white chimney of one of its lime kilns, passing in front of the cemetery of the village of Tancon, which in the 18th century was still located around the church.