Solidified lava flow of Côme from Ceyssat

In Ceyssat, park opposite the Town Hall.

Please note! Much of this hike is not marked and requires the ability to navigate with a map or GPS.

(S/E) Follow the main street north-northeast to the war memorial, then continue straight ahead, passing to the left of Place de la Bascule. At the end of this tiny square, which is more like a crossroads, turn right. Ignore the streets on the right, pass in front of a fountain and continue straight ahead on this very quiet road.

At the first crossroads with Rue des Prés Verts (D52), go straight ahead; at the second crossroads with Rue du Puy de Dôme, at a cross, continue straight ahead on Chemin de la Redonde. At the fork just after, keep left to pass to the left of a captured spring.

(1) At a bend in the road to the right, at a cross slightly hidden by vegetation on the left, take the second path on the left (to the right of the cross). After a right-hand bend, the path heads towards the Chaîne des Puys. Ignore a path on the right.

(2) Further on, at the entrance to a field on the left, do not continue on the path that goes straight ahead for a few metres and then disappears into the bushes. Turn left into the field. In July, this was not a problem as the field had been mowed. Earlier in the season, you will have to navigate by sight in the grass: continue straight ahead for about 120m along the left edge of the field to find the exit.

You will come out onto a dirt track. Turn left, ignoring the grassy path on the right. Shortly afterwards, you will come to a gravel path. Follow it to the right. Pass to the left of a water source (wooden hut), ignoring the path that branches off to the left, and you will come to a fork in the path.

(3) Continue to the left. Further on, pass other water sources (wooden huts and a large concrete water source/electrical substation). Gradually, the terrain on either side of the path becomes more chaotic, with piles of rocks and small chasms, a topology characteristic of solidified lava flows ^(a). After about 1km, you will notice an old and very discreet turret on the left, towering over a rocky chaos (it is not shown on the map).

(4) Shortly afterwards, you will come to a path; follow it to the right.

(5) At a fork, continue to the left. Shortly afterwards, you will notice that the path is lined with old ruined walls, the remains of plots that were once used for sheep farming on the solidified lava flow ^(b). Ignore a path on the left that is not marked on the map. Further on, go around a field on the left (here too, the grass on the path may be tall; don't hesitate to walk in the field if it has been mowed). Ignore a path on the left (view of Puy de Côme on the right) and you will come to a road.

(6) Follow it to the left until you reach a large water collection point for the town of Chamalières on the left. Continue for another ten metres or so and turn right onto a path that passes to the right of a house. At the next intersection, follow a path lined with old ruined walls to the right. You will arrive at an intersection of several paths.

(7) Ignore the paths on the left and follow the path on the right, marked in yellow and by the Circular Route Boucle des Dômes in green and white. Follow these markings unless otherwise indicated. Continue on the path, ignoring the forest paths on either side; the yellow markings are clearly visible.

(8) At an intersection, near a logging area, leave the Circular Route des Dômes and follow the wide path on the left and the yellow markings. At the next intersection, turn right and, after about 200 metres, you will come to an intersection opposite a green electrical cabinet.

Follow the path to the right for about 40 metres, then take the path to the right, marked by a small yellow^PR®® sign. Follow the yellow markings carefully as the path winds along a solidified lava flow (it is easy to stray from the path without realising).

(9) A few metres before reaching a wide path, turn right to continue on the trail. On this section too, follow the yellow markings carefully as forestry work (ongoing in July 2019) has created numerous passages.

At the next intersection, at the "947m" marker, turn right towards "Prés de Côme". You will soon reach this marker at an information panel about the solidified lava flow of Côme. Without joining the road, follow the signs to the right towards "Puy de Côme". Further on, turn onto a path that branches off to the left at a yellow cross opposite (here, the markings on the map no longer correspond to the markings on the ground) and join a road.

(10) Follow it to the right for about a hundred metres, then turn onto the first path on the left (yellow markings on a tree). Continue on this
easy-to-follow path, even though the markings become more discreet, through the beech forest that covers the lower part of Puy de Côme. At an intersection with a green and white cross and yellow markings on a tree straight ahead, turn onto the path descending to the right, leaving the yellow markings behind.

(11) At the next intersection, ignore the yellow-marked trail on the left, then immediately turn left onto the path marked by the Circuit Boucle des Dômes (green and white). Ignore the path on the right just after this. Further on, the Circular Route des Dômes turns left. Leave the green and white markings and continue straight ahead. You will arrive at a crossroads facing the Bac de Ceyssat ^(c).

(12) Turn right, following the yellow markings, ignoring the paths that branch off to the left, and you will soon reach the "Bac de Ceyssat" signpost. Continue towards "Ceyssat". The path, which is very wide at the start, narrows and descends into the undergrowth. Ignore a path on the left and you will come to another path.

(13) Follow it to the left, following the yellow markings (follow these markings until otherwise indicated). Continue straight ahead on the small road that extends the path. Turn onto the first path on the left. This offers beautiful views of the Puys de Côme, Dôme and Pariou.

(14) Cross a road and continue straight ahead on a small road. At the crossroads with another road, leave the yellow markings and follow the road to the right, following the red and white GR® markings until otherwise indicated.

You will come to a crossroads with a painted cross. Follow the road to the left, then take the first street on the right to reach the centre of the village of Montmeyre.

(15) Walk a few metres to the left to the fountain and the Auberge du Coq (beautiful enamelled lava), then retrace your steps and continue straight ahead on the road to leave Montmeyre and reach the village of Ceyssat.

At the intersection, walk a few metres to the right, then immediately take the street on the left and pass by a tiny wash house. Further on, you will reach the crossroads at the war memorial. Follow the main street to the left, cross it towards the fountain, then head straight on along the playground to discover the Foker Spring ^(d) (information panel).

(16) Return to the main street and follow it to the right. Before reaching the town hall, at the intersection with a street on the right, note the natural fountain. Then take the street on the right to reach the church. Leave it on your left and continue straight on Rue des Girots to the bread oven (still in use, information panel).

(17) Leave the^GR®® trail and retrace your steps to follow Rue des Lavoirs to the right. Enter the field below the church, with the large red cross, and head towards the lime trees to find another wash house. Then rejoin the main street to find yourself at the town hall (S/E).

Moderate difficulty hike, standard hiking equipment

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here and more generally in the Puy-de-Dôme here

Photo album here

^(a) The solidified lava flow of Côme. The vast majority of the volcanoes in the Chaîne des Puys are cinder cones associated with lava flows emitted from their base. These flows, which vary in size and shape, also differ in the appearance of their surface: when they are chaotic and stony, they are called cheires. The one at Puy de Côme stretches for nearly 10 km and is one of the largest in the Chaîne des Puys. Solidified lava flows are often covered with mixed forests and, in the past, sections were cleared of stones for sheep farming ^(b).

^(c) Ceyssat ferry. A series of drinking troughs fed by a small aqueduct and topped with a cross. Intended for livestock on volcanic terrain where there are no streams.

In the commune of Ceysat, there are numerous hydraulic structures, including ponds, fountains, drinking troughs and wash houses, all built from Volvic stone...
^(d) The Foker Spring has a very modest but constant flow. The water is very rich in iron and slightly sparkling. It contains 6.5 g of mineral salts, including just over 1 g of sulphur and 0.7 g of calcium, with nearly 1200 ml of dissolved carbon dioxide per litre. Don't resist the pleasure of tasting real natural mineral water, but do so in moderation as it is not labelled as drinkable!