Champclause walks

A short hike, accessible to children in all seasons, to discover a 360° panorama from the summit of Pic du Lizieux (1388m): the Lignon valley to the north, the Monts du Vivarais to the east, Mont Mezenc to the south, Meygal to the west and, beyond, the Pilat Massif, Mont Blanc, etc. .

This circuit takes you to the summit of the Grand Testavoyre (pronounced testa-wouaire), the highest point of the Meygal. From up there, you can see the entire massif, dotted with numerous conical peaks. Another highlight of this hike is discovering the rural heritage, in particular the typical houses of the hamlet of Villaret and the false church of Monedeyres.

This peaceful route starting from Saint-Front allows you to enjoy the contrast between the steep-sided valleys of La Gagne, the Machabert stream and the tributary of the Aubépin on one side, and the gently sloping Mézenc plateau with its sweeping views on the other.

The route passes in front of Jules Romains' house and takes you up to two knolls facing each other above the Sumène valley, Mont Rouge and Peyre de Bard. It allows you to explore part of the Pays des Sucs in a circular route.

A pleasant walk through the forest, undergrowth and meadows, with the pretty, round crater lake of Saint-Front, the highest in the Haute Loire, as your destination. Views of Mont Mézenc and the Monts du Velay, and you will be on the edge of the summit of Les Roches, an ancient volcano which is a climbing site on its southern slope.The name of thePR® trail that we follow most often is "Entre pins et fayards" (Between pines and beech trees), which is very apt. We added the tour of Lake Saint-Front, as it was too tempting to resist.

This short hike allows you to discover hamlets overlooking Saint-Julien-Chapteuil, a few mills, bread ovens, Béates houses, a thatched cottage... all in a variety of environments (meadows, short grass, coniferous and beech forests...). Most of the route is in open country.

The route follows the Via Gebennensis (GR®65-GR®430) to near Les Araules. Next, discover the Pic du Lizieux and its orientation table, which offers a 360° panorama. The hike continues along the Bonas discovery trail, then joins Arnissac to pass through Pic Testavoyre and ends with the forest road to Chalet Raffy.

Short loop starting from the Meygal Forest. After crossing the forest, a balcony path with beautiful views of the surrounding knolls leads you to the village of Queyrières, which is topped by a remarkable basalt dyke. After crossing the village of Monedeyres, you climb back up through pleasant undergrowth.

This route is a pleasant way to spend a hot summer's day, with numerous viewpoints (Forez, Pilat, Alps, Mézenc) and climbs through the forest. In particular, it allows you to fully enjoy the unique relief of the massif, with its very numerous knolls. A refreshing stop in Recharinges (fountain, bar) allows you to tackle the final climb in the best possible conditions.

This hike, in the heart of the Meygal forest, is ideal in the heat of summer. It offers beautiful views, especially from the summit of Testavoyre, where you can look out over the Meygal mountains.

A route exploring little-used paths and points of interest, an alternative to the marked trails.

This easy hike, which allows you to discover the very pretty village of Bigorre and its 17 thatched cottages, offers numerous views of the region and its diverse landscapes.

A variation on the climb up Lizieux that takes you to Mounier, a little-known peak overlooking Freycenet and the menhir above Monbuzat-La Chieze.

Fifteenth stage of the Way of St James. In the heart of the Meygal, Queyrières, a village in the Haute-Loire department, stands beside its basalt rock. From there, you begin the descent towards Le Puy-en-Velay, passing through Saint-Julien-Chapteuil and its mills that once lined the Sumène. A gentle end to the route with a leisurely finish as you arrive in Le Puy-en-Velay, a major pilgrimage site.

Discover the Gouffre de la Monette and its waterfall via the marsh route. This is a mysterious place to be enjoyed in peace and quiet, so choose a time when it is not too busy.

This is an easy hike that will take you around Mazet-Saint-Voy, passing by two beautiful trout rivers, the Lignon and the Ligne. The terrain is varied but gentle, alternating between meadows and woods. Beautiful views of Mont Mézenc are the icing on the cake of this hike.

Enjoy a beautiful hike on Mont Signon and its old singing slate quarry. Beautiful panoramic views of the Monts de Haute Loire.

This geological trail allows you to discover an ancient small volcano, Mont Signon, which became a peat bog, then an ancient maar, or marshy crater, home to several peatlands. Numerous information panels from the Geopark help you understand these different volcanic formations.

This route offers views over the wild gorges of the Gagne valley from La Pradette to the hamlet of Villard, as the valley floor is impassable. There are numerous viewpoints and minimal passage through undergrowth. This route is therefore ideal in spring and autumn, with only very hot summer days to be avoided.

This is an easy hike that offers beautiful views of the Saint-Julien basin and a visit to the ruins of the Château du Seigneur de Chapteuil. There are very few sections on small roads. This is a great hike if you have friends who are not used to hiking; they will come back delighted!

A short, easy walk. Beautiful scenery throughout, and two pretty villages (Le Betz and Auteyrac) with beautifully restored houses. Also worth seeing is the Betz Observatory.

A very short walk between the thatched village of Moudeyres, its eco-museum, the Ferme des Frères Perrel, and the heights of the Aubépin valley.

This tour of Mont Mézenc allows you to admire the landscape stretching far in all directions: the Massif Central, the Ardèche, the Alps, the Pilat Massif... It is possible to climb Mont Mézenc during the circuit. The hike offers the best possible view of the beautiful Boutières cirque. The circuit also includes a return trip through the village of Chaudeyrolles and a tour of Mont Signon.

This is a short circular loop in the Mezenc National Forest, from La Roche Pointue to Le Ventographe, passing by the peat bogs. Le Ventographe is a quirky object created by a DIY artist, placed on a ridge; it is the centre for transmitting messages to the wind, which are received further down by another equally quirky work of art!

Descent to Le Monastier via little-used paths from the curious alluvial plain pond, less original return via the GR®. With an optional final circular loop offering views of the Mine stream valley. Cross the famous Recoumène Viaduct and visit Le Monastier.

Circular route in the countryside around Freycenet-la-Tour, with beautiful unobstructed views. Discover a wind farm and the Étang des Barthes lake. In early July, there are lots of wild strawberries and raspberries along the paths.

Fourteenth stage of the Way of St James. This fairly short stage (due to the gloomy, snowy weather) feels like a long, continuous climb until reaching the hamlet of Raffy, in the forests of Meygal, at an altitude of over 1,290 m, which is the highest point of this route. A short stop in Saint-Jeures, a small village with a beautiful 12th-century Romanesque church, situated a short distance from the Pic du Lizieux (1,388 m), clearly visible from a long way off before reaching the village.