Chilhac walks

This circular loop connects two beautiful villages via theGR®®470and small roads (see § Practical information). Added to this loop are a visit to Chilhac, a visit to the Sainte-Croix Priory, and a short loop on the heights of Lavoûte-Chilhac offering beautiful views.

An easy hike with beautiful views, starting from the pretty village of Lavoûte, which will take you to the small village of Chilhac, equally beautiful with its narrow streets, museum and black lava rock formations that store heat and allow Mediterranean plants, rare in Auvergne, to grow.

Set off to explore the pretty little village of Cerzat, with its oven, church and wash house. Along the way, you'll enjoy beautiful views of Margeride and the plateau. The highlight of the walk is entering the Pié du Roi volcano and discovering the small lake that occupies what remains of the crater. You'll love this walk through the nature of the Hautes-Pyrénées.

A walk along the Ramade Valley. Starting from Reilhac, passing through Langec and Volmadet, then descending through the villages of Guérin and Francon, before returning via Peyrusse and Le Chambon.

This circular path offers a continuous and exceptional panorama of the Allier valley. The path is made up of rounded stones, where you can sometimes see the tracks of the iron wheels of carts. Although today the landscape is a heath where bushes, broom and prickly pears grow, before the phylloxera attack it was an important vineyard. As you pass through the village of Chazieux and the old town of Saint-Ilpize, you will notice numerous wine cellars. Today, the vineyard is being revived. Vines are planted in the village of Auzat on the left bank and the old grape varieties are preserved in the vine conservatory located before the village of Chazieux.

A pleasant circular loop on the west bank of the Allier. From the Costet bridge north of Langeac to the viewpoint on the Biot cliff, with a detour through the charming villages of Truchon and Cerzat. Stops at beautiful stretches of river where you may see fly fishers. Return to the car park along the river.

This route passes through the villages on the eastern side of the Paulhaguet basin called Le Chaliergue. It corresponds to the lower volcanic plateau of Paulhaguet, at around 600 m, drained by the Senouire. The name was once written Callianicum and refers to stones, a stony area; it is also known as the Paulhaguet plateau. The panorama opens up from Jaroussier and Scombalou.

A former mining area, with a few remains but above all a long, flat path that used to be a railway line.

You will discover two landscapes. The walk starts in Chassagnes, crosses part of Chaliergues (the Paulhaguet basin), an area dedicated to agriculture, then climbs gradually through the woods, passing through hamlets that are mostly restored and inhabited.

Starting from the Lavaux Pond (the pond is a former clay quarry), the route crosses pastures and fields and then reaches the woods on the heights of Saint-Préjet-Armandon.This route passes through villages with houses built from basalt stones from a distant volcanic period. Take the time to wander through the villages and notice the old workshops of blacksmiths and carpenters, and the communal ovens. Listen carefully and you may hear the sound of a hammer on an anvil or a carpenter's saw... These villages, once bustling with activity, are now quiet.

Circular with the highest point halfway along the route, offering superb views of Langeac surrounded by mountains.

This route allows you to discover the Senouire valley between Domeyrat and Esbelin, a small "limagne" (flat area) framed by wooded slopes. The Senouire accompanies you with its murmurs all along the route, where you can sometimes hear it without seeing it. The majestic 12th-century feudal castle with its imposing ruins dominating the village is sure to impress, and the old Romanesque bridge completes the medieval feel of the village.

A short walk around Chanteuges, combining the cool banks of the Desges with a section of the old road from Brioude to Saugues (until 1825), offering lovely views of the Desges and Allier valleys.

A short walk around Chanteuges to the banks of the Allier. It first crosses the village’s paved slanting streets beneath the old abbey, then passes through La Vialle – which was undoubtedly the village’s original settlement – before reaching the banks of the Allier and then a section of the old road from Saugues to Brioude (in use until 1825).

This route passes through fir forests and a few pastures, reminders of a bygone era of pastoral farming.The Grattepaille honey farm is breathing new life into this beautiful region.

A beautiful long loop, rich in scenery and built heritage, on the heights of the Allier.