Climb to the roof of the Massif Central
Ready to climb the highest peak in the Massif Central? We're talking about the Puy de Sancy, at 1,886 metres. Several hikes lead to it. On the Mont-Dore side, the 7.2 km loop is the fastest. Itinerant hikes also take you to the summit: the GR 30, 198 km long, circumnavigates many of the Sancy lakes, while the Boucle du Sancy, 84.5 km long, takes you around both sides of the massif, passing through the Chaudefour valley nature reserve.
At the top of the Puy de Sancy, a 360° view awaits you. In front of you are the Cantal mountains. They are Europe's largest volcano. The GR 400 allows you to walk all the way around. the route covers 140 kilometers and 4,635 meters of ascent. For day hikers, this GR is also divided into smaller loops, allowing you to appreciate the mountains and valleys that can't be missed: puy Griou, puy Mary, col de Prat de Bouc, brèche de Rolland, vallée de la Cère, de la Jordanne... All along your route, you'll be surrounded by magnificent scenery, which rewards the effort you put in!
The Massif Central stretches all the way to the Haute-Loire and beyond. Here, Mount Mézenc awaits hikers. From Les Estables, 7 km into the Monts d'Ardèche Regional Nature Park. Magnificent views, especially of the mountains, are revealed as you advance.
A foothold in listed landscapes
In the Puy-de-Dôme region, the Chaîne des Puys and the Limagne fault can be seen on foot. No fewer than 80 volcanoes make up the range, and there's plenty of hiking to be done. The must-see? The Puy de Dôme, up the "chemin des muletiers" and down the "chemin des Chèvres", with its superb views. Le Pariou is also worth a visit. The 15.5 km Puys de Jumes, de la Coquille et des Gouttes hike has been redeveloped. It offers a unique panorama of the Puy de Dôme, Pariou, Côme, Puys des Gouttes and Chopine, with the Sancy massif in the background. The Loop des Dômes, a 49 km itinerary, allows you to discover a large part of these volcanoes.
And what about the Limagne fault? This separation between the Dômes plateau and the Limagne plain can also be seen on foot. To do so, head for Ceyrat and the 8 km Chaos de la Faille hike. It takes hikers as close as possible to the fault, close to the huge rocks deep in the forest.
Going with the flow
Have you ever followed the course of a river? For this unique experience, head for the Allier, where the "Via Allier" links Billy to Saint-Yorre. This 27 km greenway is accompanied by a number of loops for walking: the 12 km loop des Sources, the 12 km loop des Isles and the 6.3 km loop du Lac. The latter is accessible to people with reduced mobility.
Some rivers have decided to take more or less quiet paths. The Ourzie is one such river. At Solignac-sur-Loire in the Haute-Loire region, it wends its way under basalt flows, then makes a great leap from the top of a 27 m cliff to become the Beaume. A magnificent sight to behold after a 10.6 km walk along the loop called "La cascade de Beaume", starting from Solignac-sur-Loire.
Cantal's streams and rivers are just as adventurous. The "Les cascades" hike, starting from Albepierre-Bredons and covering 9 km and 372 m of ascent, leads to three magnificent waterfalls: Vergnes, Prés Longs and Prapsou. Can't get enough of this spectacle? Let's head back up into the Sancy, to Le Mont-Dore, where the highest waterfall in the Auvergne, at 32 m, awaits you. The "La grande cascade" trail takes you to this impressive waterfall in volcanic rock.
All these rivers have their source in a particular place. In Cantal, the source of the Jordanne lies in the glacial cirque of Mandailles. The 6.6 km "Le col de Cabres" trail is the perfect way to discover them. Numerous watercourses, forests, summer pastures, the Santoire valley...: the Cantalien landscapes are revealed throughout the hike.
Follow pilgrimages
The best-known route is definitely the Chemin de Compostelle, which starts in Le Puy-en-Velay, crosses the Margeride plateau, the Aubrac, the Lot valley and finally leaves the Auvergne. There are numerous gîtes along the way. Shuttles are also available to enable you to return to Le Puy-en-Velay and make a few stops, for example. The Stevenson trail also runs from Le Puy-en-Velay to Alès in the Gard department. A total of no less than 272 km. The route is said to have been taken by Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson in 1878.
Walking towards local know-how
How about a trip to the vineyards of the famous Saint-Pourçain? Follow the "From river to vine" trail. The 21.4 km trail passes through the Gravoches vineyards, the Touzets wood and the Bourbonnais bocage. The discovery continues in the Puy-de-Dôme, at Neschers. The "Les croix basses" hike (6 km) follows an ancient Roman road through the old winegrowing villages.
Paper-making has been one of the Livradois-Forez region's flagship industries since the late 15th century. Water, mills and forests form the backdrop to the 7 km "Chemin des papetiers". The mills are again in the Haute-Loire, on the Ally plateau. This time, they're windmills. They stand amid cereal fields and livestock meadows. This ancient heritage is set against the wind turbines of the 21st century. A very interesting before-and-after scenario, which you can discover by following the 12.6 km "Windmills" trail, starting from Ally.
In the Cantalien mountains, at Pailherols, the 10 km "Ma montagne" trail has been enhanced with contemporary works of art paying tribute to the buronniers. The trail leads up to the mountain pastures. The "claies" sculptures that punctuate the trail represent the mobile barriers used by cowherds to herd and park their flocks. Here, views of the volcanoes follow one another, much to the delight of buronniers before... and ours today.
Get closer to Auvergne legends
There are many legends in the Auvergne, each with its own story. Some hikes are dedicated to them and take walkers right to the scene of the action. In the Cantal region, the "Trou du diable", or Lou Gourd des Drat in the Vitrac dialect, is an 11 km trail that leads to an extraordinary chaos of rocks. This complex blocks the course of the River Rance. The legend? The lord of Muratet, despairing of finding a source of water, made a pact with the devil: his soul against a stream at the foot of his house before cockcrow. The devil didn't finish his work and was surprised by the rooster. He would have become so angry that he would have created the chaos of rocks. However, the lord, not wishing to give up his soul, actually awakened the rooster with a candle...
The Devil is also said to have been active in the Allier region, at the Château de Saligny-sur-Roudon. The wife of a duke of Normandy, unable to have children, asked the Devil to help her. Robert was born, but soon became a violent and cruel person. Do you dare to take the hike bearing his name and starting from his castle? The 15 km "Legend of Robert the Devil" awaits you.
In Haute-Loire, the devil gives way to the bête du Gévaudan. In Chanaleilles, a 20 km circuit allows you to follow in the footsteps of this nationally famous legend, which is said to have eaten a hundred people in the 18th century. What about your hike? In the Combrailles puydômoises, it wasn't a beast that made the legend of the Fades viaduct, but two extravagant, or slightly mad, sisters. They ran a mill down in the valley. One day, they had the idea of building a bridge to cross the Sioule more easily. The locals, more suspicious than grateful, nicknamed it the Pont des Fadas. The 9 km "La ronde du méandre au viaduc" hike offers magnificent views of the viaduct and allows you to discover the wonderful and surprising Queuille meander.
Marvel at natural curiosities
Geology has its reasons that... nobody ignores, at least the scientists, but that always amaze us! These landscapes amaze us with their rarity, their differences, their shapes, their colors. And they can only be reached by hiking trails, the privilege of walkers. In Boudes, in the Puy-de-Dôme region, the 6 km "Valley of the Saints" takes hikers on a journey to Colorado. The red clay chimneys stand amid lush greenery surrounded by vineyards. In the same vein, the Corbœuf ravine in the Haute-Loire is also worth a visit: although access is forbidden, a 3 km trail leads around it. Volcanic flows have created an impressive chaos in the Cantal region. In Thiézac, the "Lion's Gate" trail (7.8 km) takes you through the chaos, past waterfalls and to the top of the famous gate. This hike passes through the hamlet of Niervèze, where two thatched-roof houses are a must-see. The cheire de Pontgibaud, still the product of volcanic activity, and more precisely of lava flows from the Puy de Côme, is a place to discover. The hike (7.5 km) starts out from the town and quickly winds its way through paths surrounded by hazel and birch trees. The scenery becomes magical.
The rules of the good hiker
Nature opens its doors - respect it! In Auvergne, hikers can find themselves in a sometimes fragile, often protected natural environment, and it's important to respect and preserve it by following the marked and maintained trails.
Not all trails are accessible all year round. It's important to get the right information before embarking on a hike.
Garbage should be put in the garbage cans, and if there is none - which is often the case in the mountains - it should be carried in the rucksack.
Fires are forbidden.
Dogs must be kept on a leash. Dogs are not allowed on all hikes.
A hike, no matter how long or difficult, needs to be prepared: check the difficulty, the weather forecast, prepare your equipment (walking shoes, bottle of water, sun cream, windbreaker, rain cape, walking stick, etc.), etc.
Don't cut the flowers, some of which are protected.
Wildlife also lives here, so it's important to respect it too, and not to frighten it away.
Herds of cows and sheep may be on the path, especially in summer. Keeping away from animals is one of the basic rules for hikers' safety.
When crossing a meadow, it is essential to close fences and gates.
Practice
You can find all our hikes online on the tourist office websites, as well as on the Balirando website for hikes in the Puy-de-Dôme and with the Cantal Rando & Découvertes application for the Cantal.