From La Faye to the Sep reservoir

Park in the car park at the picnic area known as La Faye on the D50 at Blot-l'Église

(S/E) At the starting point in the picnic area, you can see an old horse shoeing bench. Take the farm track between two hedges which heads south, away from the D50. This gently sloping track crosses an intermittent stream before climbing gently again.

(1) At the junction of farm tracks forming an inverted Y, take the gravel track on the left which descends towards the Ruisseau des Riaux. On reaching it, the track crosses the embankment of a small pond on the right formed by the stream. About a hundred metres from the pond, at the three-way junction, take the path on the left which runs along the south-western side of the Puy d’Argentière. Continue straight on along the main path to the D122, which makes a right-angle bend north of Gourlanges.

(2) Continue straight on along the road for about two hundred metres. Turn left onto a path: lovely view of the Puy de Dôme and the Puy Pariou. About three hundred metres further on, take the path on the left which heads north.

(3) At the corner of a meadow on your left, turn left onto the path which descends more steeply into the woods. At a T-junction, turn right and follow the main path which leads through the Bois du Faux, overlooking the Sep reservoir.

(4) At the three-way junction, take the left-hand path closest to the reservoir and head towards the Sep dam. Continue straight on until you reach the road.

(5) Turn left and carefully follow the road to the dam. Cross the dam, enjoying the beautiful views of the reservoir and the Sep valley. Continue along the path that runs alongside the northern bank of the reservoir for over 2 km. At the fork after the weir, turn left and then cross the Sep via a wire mesh footbridge. Follow the path on the left along the Sep to the signpost for “La Faye”.

(6) Head up the path on the right for about 50 metres to reach a crossroads of four paths in the Bois de Merlanche. Take the second path on the left between two forest tracks fitted with barriers to restrict motor vehicle traffic. The path climbs towards the top of the hill in the Bois de Merlanche and continues straight on across a sort of plateau in the forest.

(7) At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead (on the left-hand side) along a farm track which quickly runs along the edge of the woodland on your left. Continue until it joins the D50 road. Turn left and follow the road carefully to reach the car park about 120 metres further on (S/E).

Access: at Saint-Pardoux (north-west of Riom) on the D2144, take the D50 towards Blot-l’Église for 6 km.

This hike across varied terrain requires suitable footwear.

This hike presents no real difficulty in terms of navigation as it is marked in yellow and follows the “De la Faye à la Sep” route, updated and published by the Puy-de-Dôme Departmental Council and the Combrailles Tourist Office. In addition, it is advisable to follow the directions in the description and on the map, whilst paying close attention to the landscape. The waypoints (with their GPS coordinates and the distance from the starting point) serve as aids for hikers exploring the route for the first time.

Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times due to the presence of livestock.

Blot-l’Église
Blot-l’Église is a small village situated in the heart of the Combrailles, in the Puy-de-Dôme department and the Auvergne region. Its inhabitants are known as the Blotaires.
Blot-l'Église consists of a market town and thirteen villages scattered across the commune:

Blot-l'Église overlooks the Sioule Gorges
Situated at an altitude of 638 metres, Blot-l'Église overlooks the Sioule Gorges.
The commune is situated north of the Chaîne des Puys, on a plateau between the Sioule and the Morge, with numerous wooded areas and points of interest such as the Puits d’Argentière, which were mined during the Gallo-Roman period for silver-bearing lead ore. Access to the two rivers is via winding roads that plunge into their respective valleys, offering stunning views.

Major nearby sites
Major sites such as the Gour de Tazenat, Château-Rocher, the Queuille meander, the Fades lake with its Eiffel viaduct, and the Chouvigny gorges, as well as the spa towns of Châteauneuf-les-Bains and Châtel-Guyon, amongst others, are all within a half-hour’s drive of the town.

Places and monuments
Blot Castle, built in the 16th century by Pierre de Chauvigny de Blot. It underwent alterations in the 19th century.
Artisanal oil mill since 1857.
Charlemagne Rock, overlooking the right bank of the Sioule. Access via the D122. Climbing site. Breeding site for peregrine falcons.
Sources: the town’s official website and Wikipedia (excerpts)