In the peaty land of Chaudeyrolles

A very beautiful family hike in the Monts du Mezenc in Haute-Loire. You can visit the village to round off the hike, as well as climb Mont Signon with its old slate quarry.

Details

269894
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.58 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 69 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 69 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,290 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,225 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The walk starts at the "Information" point in the car park near the church and town hall.

(S/E) Take the tarmac road that heads south next to the church.

(1) At the three-way junction, turn left towards Tire-Longue and follow the path where information boards marked with a feather provide details about the places you pass through. At the first fork (cross), continue to the right and descend towards the Salin stream

(2) Cross the stream and continue along the small road to Mas du Bourg.

(3) Continue along the path, west-northwest then north-northwest (beautiful view of the village and Mont Signon). Pass through the hamlet of Les Faux, where a sign explains the formation of the peatland.

(4) At the next crossroads, turn right onto a short stretch of tarmac road where there is another cross, then turn right again to cross the peatland. The flora is rich here in May and June. Return to the village by taking the short stretch of tarmac road that leads to the crossroads you took on the way there.

(1) Turn left to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,290 m - Car park at the information point
  2. 1 : km 0.21 - alt. 1,271 m - Crossroads
  3. 2 : km 1.04 - alt. 1,255 m - Crossing the Salin stream
  4. 3 : km 1.8 - alt. 1,258 m - Le Mas du Bourg
  5. 4 : km 2.91 - alt. 1,231 m - Turn right at the cross
  6. S/E : km 4.58 - alt. 1,290 m - Car park at the information point

Notes

In southern Velay, peatland means "wetland, marsh". Elsewhere, the term "peatland" is used with the same meaning.

Worth a visit

Visit the village and climb Mont Signon to find a magnificent old slate quarry.
Don't miss the church, two fountains, crosses, the Virgin Mary statue and the view of Mont Signon.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
ISA43
ISA43

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route, with a beautiful variety of landscapes and terrain without too many hills. However, the last third of the route is impassable due to very deep ruts filled with water. For part of the way, I was able to cross fields by climbing over fences, but towards the end, there was a relatively wide river to cross. I suppose that with the floods a few weeks ago, the ford was no longer passable. There was no way to get across. I had to turn back and walk an extra 2 km along the road as night fell. The local council really needs to repair this last part of the route.

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Vedubois
Vedubois
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that helps you understand what peatland are. Very informative signs along the way. It's a shame that there are significant sections on the road

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Marc Vandevelde
Marc Vandevelde
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Easy walk. The waterfall is the interesting part. Otherwise, there is a lot of tarmac in a farming landscape.

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mcm30150
mcm30150

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A nice little stroll to aid digestion

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Pesk597
Pesk597

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy, short walk with information boards explaining the local wildlife and geography
Easy for families

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zejmic
zejmic

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very easy walk. It mainly follows a small road or tracks suitable for cars, but there are no cars so this is not a problem. You need to look up regularly to see the many birds of prey flying overhead: red kites, buzzards, short-toed eagles, kestrels...

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Lichessol
Lichessol

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent little hike. A detour to the splendid waterfall is a must-see.
In spring, the multitude of flowers and shades of green are superb.
Very beautiful view. A wonderful moment!

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CHANTECLER
CHANTECLER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike.

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Juley
Juley

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An easy, bucolic route.
The information boards are invaluable for understanding this environment.
A lovely walk in Haute Loire

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P.F.V.
P.F.V.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Just one small downside: a bit too much tarmac in proportion to the length of the route, which is relatively short.

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jfab66
jfab66

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Consider taking a detour to see the waterfall at KM2

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Christine B
Christine B

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A short, very easy hike, we continued on to Mount Signon

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Asaulet
Asaulet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A short, easy and very pleasant walk with no elevation gain. Continue by car along the tourist route to Les Estables, which offers superb panoramic views

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Corbes
Corbes

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We combined this route with the Mont Signon route to make it a bit longer. It's a very pleasant route, with an educational aspect thanks to the well-designed information boards. Only the return trip through the "maar" is a bit monotonous.

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Corbes
Corbes

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We combined this route with the Mont Signon route to make it a bit longer. It's a very pleasant and informative route thanks to the well-designed information boards. Only the return trip across the marsh is a bit monotonous. But it's still a lovely walk.

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