First pick
Bois de Charmeil
Wood or forest
537 ha12.1 km of path
2 h 40 minto walk all 12.1 km of path
3.6 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Max03200 · CC BY-SA 4.02.2%of the land protected
Outdoors in Bellerive-sur-Allier · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Bellerive-sur-Allier is within 800 m of a park or wood
51 km of footpaths cross Bellerive-sur-Allier (2.7 km per km²). Mapped woodland covers 23% of Bellerive-sur-Allier. Bellerive-sur-Allier has 7 km of waymarked hiking routes. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
2.2%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
23%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
51 km
2.7 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
7.3 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
11
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Bois de Charmeil
Throughout this page, the Allier median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median.
Against French towns
How Bellerive-sur-Allier compares with French towns
Each figure against the 3,798 compared French towns (communes with an overall grade): the marked bar is the town’s, the line the median. Described, not graded.
Protected areas2.2%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
59out of 100
Woodland23%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
67out of 100
Footpaths2.7 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
69out of 100
Hiking routes0.4 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
53out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Bellerive-sur-Allier has the 21st fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (8,768 to 9,117 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Magny-le-Hongre (6.5 km per km²) to La Fare-les-Oliviers (0.2 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magny-le-Hongre Seine-et-Marne | 6.5 | 11% | 0% | 167 km |
| 2 | Grabels Hérault | 6.1 | 9.7% | 0% | 17 km |
| 3 | Le Portel Pas-de-Calais | 5.5 | 3.3% | 6.7% | On it |
| 4 | Les Angles Gard | 5.1 | 27% | 13% | 56 km |
| 5 | Bessancourt Val-d'Oise | 4.6 | 29% | 0% | 127 km |
| 6 | Epagny Metz-Tessy Haute-Savoie | 4.4 | 24% | 0% | 264 km |
| 7 | Tomblaine Meurthe-et-Moselle | 4.3 | 2.9% | 0% | 368 km |
| 8 | Périgny Charente-Maritime | 4.1 | 3.4% | 0% | 4.1 km |
| 9 | Chartres-de-Bretagne Ille-et-Vilaine | 4.1 | 5.2% | 0% | 55 km |
| 10 | Quetigny Côte-d'Or | 4 | 0.7% | 0% | 406 km |
| 11 | Meulan-en-Yvelines Yvelines | 3.8 | 11% | 0.4% | 118 km |
| 12 | Gouvieux Oise | 3.5 | 43% | 100% | 122 km |
| 13 | Velaux Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.2 | 29% | 25% | 19 km |
| 14 | Longvic Côte-d'Or | 3.1 | 3.4% | 0% | 406 km |
| 15 | Pibrac Haute-Garonne | 3 | 27% | 0% | 159 km |
| 16 | Gretz-Armainvilliers Seine-et-Marne | 3 | 57% | 0% | 176 km |
| 17 | Quéven Morbihan | 2.9 | 26% | 5.9% | On it |
| 18 | Chécy Loiret | 2.9 | 18% | 9.7% | 210 km |
| 19 | Escaudain Nord | 2.9 | 6.3% | 0.2% | 101 km |
| 20 | Irigny Rhône | 2.8 | 13% | 0% | 242 km |
| 21 | Bellerive-sur-Allier Allier | 2.7 | 23% | 2.2% | 289 km |
| 22 | Cébazat Puy-de-Dôme | 2.6 | 5.6% | 0% | 263 km |
| 23 | Lamorlaye Oise | 2.5 | 42% | 100% | 125 km |
| 24 | Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux Drôme | 2.3 | 19% | 0% | 100 km |
| 25 | Boucau Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 2.2 | 26% | 5.8% | 3.1 km |
| 26 | Saint-Jean-de-Monts Vendée | 2.2 | 13% | 73% | On it |
| 27 | Golbey Vosges | 2.2 | 26% | 0% | 411 km |
| 28 | Morières-lès-Avignon Vaucluse | 2.1 | 4.7% | 0% | 54 km |
| 29 | Roquevaire Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.1 | 11% | 66% | 15 km |
| 30 | Cornebarrieu Haute-Garonne | 1.9 | 13% | 0% | 158 km |
| 31 | Pithiviers Loiret | 1.5 | 2.2% | 0% | 198 km |
| 32 | Monistrol-sur-Loire Haute-Loire | 1.4 | 34% | 16% | 192 km |
| 33 | Joigny Yonne | 0.9 | 70% | 0% | 274 km |
| 34 | Gonfreville-l'Orcher Seine-Maritime | 0.9 | 5.2% | 6.1% | On it |
| 35 | Veauche Loire | 0.9 | 1.5% | 3.3% | 223 km |
| 36 | Le Thor Vaucluse | 0.7 | 0.9% | 7.2% | 54 km |
| 37 | Ombrée d'Anjou Maine-et-Loire | 0.7 | 11% | 0% | 94 km |
| 38 | Nangis Seine-et-Marne | 0.6 | 10% | 0% | 205 km |
| 39 | Entraigues-sur-la-Sorgue Vaucluse | 0.5 | 2% | 11% | 61 km |
| 40 | Grenade Haute-Garonne | 0.5 | 9.5% | 14% | 165 km |
| 41 | La Fare-les-Oliviers Bouches-du-Rhône | 0.2 | 0.8% | 44% | 23 km |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park or wood. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is the commune’s boundary.
Green: parks, gardens and woods mapped on OpenStreetMap, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · INPN / PatriNat · IGN
Places to walk
Parks and woods to walk in, in and around Bellerive-sur-Allier
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois de Charmeil leads, at 537 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Forêt de Montpensier
Wood or forest
1,226 ha10.3 km of path
2 h 20 minto walk all 10.3 km of path
5.2 km south-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Napoléon III
Park or garden · 140 m outside the commune
7.8 ha3.3 km of path
45 minto walk all 3.3 km of path
1.4 km north-eastfrom the center
Allée Napoléon III
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Bourins
Park or garden · 30 m outside the commune
5.6 ha2.6 km of path
35 minto walk all 2.6 km of path
2.3 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc du Pont d'Allier
Park or garden
5.3 ha1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
1.2 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Kennedy
Park or garden · 130 m outside the commune
3.6 ha1.8 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.8 km of path
1.6 km eastfrom the center
Allée des Justes Parmi les Nations
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Célestins
Park or garden · 200 m outside the commune
1.1 ha0.7 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.7 km of path
1.8 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc Lardy
Park or garden · 300 m outside the commune
0.4 ha0.2 km of path
1.9 km eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
All 11 named parks, gardens and woods
Bois de CharmeilWood or forest · 537 ha · 12.1 km of path
DirectionsForêt de MontpensierWood or forest · 1,226 ha · 10.3 km of path
DirectionsParc Napoléon IIIPark or garden · 7.8 ha · 3.3 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc des BourinsPark or garden · 5.6 ha · 2.6 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc du Pont d'AllierPark or garden · 5.3 ha · 1.9 km of path
DirectionsParc KennedyPark or garden · 3.6 ha · 1.8 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc des CélestinsPark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.7 km of path · just outside
DirectionsParc LardyPark or garden · 0.4 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsAnciens chalets de l'Empereur et de l'ImpératricePark or garden · 0.6 ha · just outside
DirectionsPavillon SévignéPark or garden · 0.3 ha · just outside
DirectionsJardin Germaine et Albert LouisPark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
2.2% of Bellerive-sur-Allier lies in protected areas
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
Vallée de l’Allier sud
2.2% of the commune1.1 km from the center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area2.2%
Natura 2000 site2.2%
Designations overlap (a regional park can hold a Natura 2000 site), so the rows don’t add up; the first counts each piece of land once.
2.2% of Bellerive-sur-Allier’s land is protected, more than in 59% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Allier has 3%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
51 km of footpaths and 7 km of hiking routes cross Bellerive-sur-Allier
Paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, and waymarked hiking routes, mapped on OpenStreetMap inside the commune; woods are mapped forest and woodland, private woods included.
Footpaths
51 km
2.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
7.3 km
waymarked: 0.4 km per km²
Woodland
23%
about 4.2 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Bellerive-sur-AllierAllier medianFrance median
Footpaths2.7
Hiking routes0.4
024 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Bellerive-sur-AllierAllier medianFrance median
Woodland23%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 69% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 67% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. Every home in Bellerive-sur-Allier is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
3 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
De Néris-les-Bains à Chabanne12 km
PR4612 km
Chemin de Szombathely, Roanne - Vichy0.5 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Bellerive-sur-Allier: April, June, July and September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Vichy-Ville, 2.9 km away, and the daylight at the town’s latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 15 to 30 °C and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 53 | 43 | 45 | 68 | 84 | 76 | 73 | 84 | 70 | 76 | 74 | 55 |
February is the driest month (43 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 28 °C). 84 mm of rain falls in August, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 45 nights a year. The climate in Bellerive-sur-Allier →
Neighbors
Next to Bellerive-sur-Allier
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
VichyAbrestCussetCreuzier-le-VieuxSaint-YorreSaint-Germain-des-FossésBellerive-sur-Allier
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerive-sur-Allier | 2.2% | 23% | 2.7 |
| Vichy 25,115 · 2.3 km | 12% | 1.3% | 8.8 |
| Abrest 2,915 · 4.1 km | 14% | 19% | 1.4 |
| Cusset 13,316 · 4.6 km | 1.4% | 18% | 0.9 |
| Creuzier-le-Vieux 3,205 · 5.2 km | 3% | 10% | 0.8 |
| Saint-Yorre 2,641 · 7.4 km | 15% | 23% | 1.4 |
| Saint-Germain-des-Fossés 3,579 · 10 km | 25% | 11% | 1.4 |
Vichy, Abrest and Saint-Yorre have at least twice as much protected land.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected areas. National-park cores, national parks’ outer areas, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites, from INPN. A national park’s core is strictly protected; its outer area and a regional park are charters between communes, not bans. Designations overlap, so the total counts each piece of land once.
- Woodland. Forest and woods as OpenStreetMap maps them, private woods included: woods nobody has mapped are missing, and a mapped wood isn’t necessarily open to walkers.
- Footpaths and hiking routes. Footpaths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, then waymarked hiking routes (GR and others) measured apart. A route often follows a path or lane already counted: the two overlap. Paths nobody has mapped are missing.
- Green space nearby. The share of residents (INSEE’s 200 m grid) within 800 m, as the crow flies, of a mapped park, garden or wood edge. It measures nearness, not a way in. Guadeloupe and French Guiana have no grid: their pages say whether the town center is within 800 m.
- The coast. The straight-line distance from the town center to OpenStreetMap’s coastline, which follows the tide line into estuaries. A commune is on the coast when the coastline crosses its boundary.
- No grade yet. U.S. and UK towns have an Outdoors Grade; French towns don’t yet. Each figure is set beside the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade) in the département and in France, each figure its own median.
Questions about the outdoors in Bellerive-sur-Allier
Is Bellerive-sur-Allier in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 2.2% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Bellerive-sur-Allier?
OpenStreetMap maps 51 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2.7 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 7 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Bellerive-sur-Allier is woodland?
23% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Bellerive-sur-Allier near the sea?
No: the coast is 289 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Bellerive-sur-Allier?
April, June, July and September: long days, mild highs and little rain, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at the nearest suitable station.
Why is there no Outdoors Grade for French towns?
TownRatings grades the outdoors in the U.S. and the UK; the French figures are new and not graded yet. This page sets each one beside the median compared French town instead.
Sources: INPN / PatriNat (protected areas 2026, Natura 2000 2024) · © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL (paths, hiking routes, woods, coast, gardens) · INSEE, Filosofi 2021 200 m grid (residents) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Météo-France normals 1991–2020 · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, updated November 9, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.