Things to see and do Haute-Loire

Below Chaudeyrolles, there is a marsh covered with a giant cauldron called "the Narces". In south Velay, narce means wetland, swamp. Instead, the term. is used. Until the end of the Second World War, the inhabitants of Chaudeyrolles had accustomed themselves in the early summer to pick up peat, a mixture of rotten wood, plants and land. This peat was shaped into small bricks that were drying in the sun so that they lost their water. In winter, these small, light and porous peat bricks used fuel to fuel furnaces (as in Ireland). Chaudeyrolles was probably the only commune in the department to use peat as a means of heating. The peat bog is now reduced due to the exploitation of peat and drainage to allow grazing.

2 km from the village, an altitude lake (1 236 m) formed in the volcano explosion crater (maar). This 30 ha lake is fed by underground sources and small streams. The study of its depths (7 metres of water covering almost 130 000 metres of vase) has allowed scientists to assess the climates and landscapes of the Mezenc massif of yesteryear, dating back nearly years! It is populated by various fish varieties: . carp and trout. It's private property, you don't have access to it, but a pleasant trail makes it a big tour.

In the middle of the th century, a ferry was allowed to reach Chanteuges on the other bank of the Allier River. In 1887, the construction of a bridge on the river resulted in the boatmasters's disappearance. It was in the house of the smuggler that this original and unique museum was built in France. A collector of ancient objects in iron-white, Abbot Paul Bidault, the pastor of Le Mans, left his rooms in 1986 for the first fund of the museum. Another collector, Claude Fustier, a dentist-dentist in Langeac, also gave his collection to the museum with some 300 pieces. In 1988, the museum was made up of 700 objects purchased in Sommières in Gard. The iron-white, that is, the tin sheet of tin, was used for centuries, especially for the manufacture of household objects. Cake molds, buckets, bidons, teapots, coffee makers, plats… Some pieces are particularly remarkable, with the image of this steam-run egg drummer. We will also discover a large number of religious objects: quête, ciboires, shrines, chalices, some dating back to the th and th centuries. Toys and military objects are also exposed.

In 2012, when René was looking for a house to retire, he found himself at the Monastier-sur-Gazeille. He was surprised to see this large 400 m ² building when the announcement indicated that it was a school. He and his wife had the idea of reviving this old school through a museum. It opened in 2013 and several classrooms have regained their soul of yesteryear. Wearing a coat, a berret and hooks, you will become an actor in your visit. You will discover this school universe which begins in late nineteenth century until school closure. René will tell you his story and bring you back to the age of your youth. You will have the opportunity to learn to calculate using the lily, and to practice in writing with the filler and the pen. Beware of mistakes, otherwise it will be the donkey! Emotion guaranteed.

This walk through the woods invites you to discover cave habitats of Knives. In the Middle Ages, men settled in these caves dug in volcanic rock and lived there for three centuries. A true underground city, today there are traces of the different places of life: an assembly, a blacksmith's shop, and even a chapel! Three easy circuits allow you to visit the site and present informative panels to revive the daily life of these men.

Tariff: free.

Duration: 1 h.

Difficulty: .

The lake of Malaguet, private property of the Rollet family, is situated at 1 025 metres above sea level, at the limit of Auvergne and Du, in the heart of Livradois-Forez Regional Natural Park. A dam built downstream on the western point is the origin of this 22 hectare water plan. The lake of Malaguet is characterized by its exceptional site, set in a landscape of forests and meadows, away from the residential areas and traffic axes. It offers a wild and preserved nature, conducive to the practice of fly fishing and relaxation.

If the term clauzel refers to a small enclosure in languedocien, this place was, until 1654, a cemetery where the poor of the hotel-dieu were buried. Every Saturday from 7:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. m., a brocante market is organized here. The tourist office is located on this square, in the immediate vicinity of the city hall. Completely renovated and recently inaugurated, this place was recently a parking lot… Today it is paved, shops have emerged, and the terraces of nearby coffees enjoy this embellish.

Surrounded by the Forez Mountains, the Vivarais Mountains, the Massifs, Pilat and Devès Mountains, this forest of nearly 1 200 hectares extends to the territory of five municipalities: Saint-Julien-Chapteuil, Champclause, Queyrières, Araules and Yssingeaux. The Meygal massif impresses with its dense and wide coat of thorns. The forest is composed mostly of conifers, a veritable botanical garden where many varieties of plants blend: digitale, achillea, pectic, gentian… You will also find the famous ceps and other chanterelles. Its planting, on a lande lande, dates back to the late th century. The GR 65 (chemin de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle), in its part which goes from Geneva to Puy-en-Velay, crosses this forest. Winter skiing enthusiasts will find their own happiness here.

A road, connected, connects this vast natural promontory to the villages of Bordeyrac and Espinasse. At more than 1 000 m altitude, the camp of Antoune is at the top of a basaltic casting that dominates the gorges of the Loire. At the entrance to the site, an explanatory panel, with plan, provides indications on this platform that was fortified, probably in the Celtic era. In the periphery of this hectare plateau, you will notice remains of some small watchtower. Interestingly, the places have a magnetism that going the compass needle and the radiesthésie antennae. This site is now protected and registered by the association Les Amis d'Antoune.

This xiith century building, in the Romanesque style of Poitou, is unique in Velay. Her nef is as high as the lower side. Admire its pillars with four-sheet clover-shaped pillars based on a cruciform base. The capitals are decorated with foliage or barbarian heads. The portal is remarkable with its twisted columns and its capitals that include sin and remorse. The original porch was added another step in the early twentieth century. Side chapels were added from the fifteenth century.

Words may sometimes be misleading. This lake, as you will have understood, is not really one. It is a bog nestled between two volcanoes. But is that why the point is not worth a detour? Quite the opposite! The flora is particularly rich in this cool and cool place and the fans of this fruit of the wood that is raspberry will be filled. The egg lake is just a few kilometres away from Montbonnet.

The treasure consists mainly of a collection of tapestries. The latter has fourteen models, twelve of which constitute a complete suite. They are displayed in the monks'choir, at the location for which they were designed. Classified as a historic monument in 1844, they are the property of the commune of La Chaise-Dieu (Act 1905) and assigned to Catholic worship. You can also admire tapestries in Brussels, a th century ivory in ivory…