From Dienne to Le Claus via the Chemin des Quiroux

A superb crossing of the Limon plateau along a beautifully marked path, the Sentier des Quirous.

Details

n°596502

Creation:
22 May 2017

Last update:
31 May 2017

Last review:
29 Sep 2023

Activity: Walking
Distance: 8.09 mi
Average duration: 5h 20
Difficulty: Difficult
Back to start: No
Ascent: + 1,857 ft
Descent: - 1,736 ft
Highest point: 5,285 ft
Lowest point: 3,527 ft

Country: France
Areas: Massif central, Monts du Cantal
City: Dienne (15300)
Start: N 45.158849° / E 2.786669°
End: N 45.150636° / E 2.710595°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2435OT
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Description of the walk

Park in the large square in front of the superb church in Dienne.
(S) From the car park, turn right then immediately left onto the road leading to the upper part of Dienne. The road soon turns into a farm track. Stay on this track until you reach the Croix du Gendarme.

(1) Wind your way across the mountain pasture to reach the orientation table, which is unfortunately in very poor condition; take a seat on the bench to enjoy a spectacular view to the south. Continue across the pasture to reach the junction with the Sentier des Quirous.

(2) Turn right onto it and follow the mini-menhir-like stones to the junction with the^GR®4.

(3) Take this straight ahead, then quickly follow it round a 90° left-hand bend. An easy south-westerly walk takes you to the Puy de Niermont, the highest point of the day.

(4) Stay on the^GR® as you begin an easy descent. On the right, you’ll see the Buron de la Garde. Go round the small hill that hides it from view, then look for a faint path heading almost due north towards it. Head for the junction of this path and the^GR®, and reach it.

(5) Climb over the fence (be careful, the wire is barbed). Continue along the path to reach the burons.

(6) Follow the path for a few metres and turn right at the junction marked by a post with a green sign. Begin the descent and reach a three-way junction.

(7) Leave the descending farm track on your right. Continue straight ahead and keep to the right on the^GR®400, which links the Col de Serre and Le Claux. Continue the descent via a few hairpin bends to reach the Col road, then turn left to return to the Puy Mary lodge (E).

Waypoints

S : mi 0 - alt. 3,527 ft - Car park at Dienne church
1 : mi 1.48 - alt. 4,419 ft - Croix du Gendarme
2 : mi 2.09 - alt. 4,524 ft - Sentier des Quiroux
3 : mi 2.9 - alt. 4,678 ft - GR4 junction
4 : mi 5.05 - alt. 5,285 ft - Puy de Niermont
5 : mi 5.81 - alt. 4,846 ft - Crossroads towards the Burons de la Garde
6 : mi 6.16 - alt. 4,738 ft - La Garde
7 : mi 6.59 - alt. 4,446 ft - GR400 junction
E : mi 8.09 - alt. 3,648 ft - Gîte du Puy Mary

Notes

There is no water on this route, so make sure you bring enough as it is a long hike.
Shelter at the Buron de la Garde.

Worth a visit

Dienne and its Romanesque church.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5

Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5

Route interest
5 / 5

baldijo

29 Sep 2023 at 13:44 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful scenery. A lovely walk.

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Eudo

19 May 2022 at 15:17 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did a variation of this route, starting from Cheylade. The Quiroux trail is signposted in Cheylade: it initially runs parallel to the D62, climbs to Codebos along a very narrow tarmac road, descends almost to the road via a dirt track, then takes another narrow road that climbs to Chavanon and on to Veresmes, at 1,180m. There, you join another path coming from Claux, and then take a well-marked grassy path that winds its way up towards the plateau. Once on the plateau, you immediately come across the first standing stones marking the way forward. After half an hour’s walk, we cross the GR4 at point 3 in the description above. If you wish to continue on to Dienne, simply follow the description above.
The path is very well signposted; you can’t go wrong. We turned back shortly after the junction with the GR, as we had no means of transport to get back – our car was in Codebos.
We walked for 4½ hours, covering 13.5 km with a total ascent of 583 m, and had a picnic in an old, half-ruined buron. We met just one other person all day.
The plateau is simply magnificent, with an extraordinary sense of space. On the other hand, not a single tree... the GPX track for the walk can be found on the Hautes Terres Tourisme website.

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colettecollot

20 Jul 2020 at 10:18 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a lovely hike close to the sky

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