Espinasse and Monténard, two volcanic destinies

Car park in Zanières: from the D5, turn towards Zanières, continue to the next crossroads, go straight on for a few metres and park on the right-hand side of the road, just before the end of the tarmac.

No signposts (a few directional signs are indicated in the description)

(S/E) Go back to the crossroads and turn left onto the road. Ignore the farm entrance on the right just after and follow the road around the bend. Just before the D74 marker no. 17, leave the road and take the grassy path on the right. Join a small road coming from the left and follow it straight ahead.

(1) At the bottom of the descent, pass the old Moulin de Saulzet mill on the Labadeau stream on your left, then continue along the road that climbs back up. When it turns left, continue straight ahead on a path, ignoring a path on the right. You will arrive at a crossroads at the yellow Suc Plana knoll.

(2) Ignore the directions indicated and continue straight ahead. Further on, ignore a grassy path on the right (sometimes closed by an electric fence). From this point, you can see the Narse d'Espinasse site on the right, at the foot of the Puy de l'Enfer. The path descends and arrives at an intersection. Turn right, join another path, follow it to the left for about ten metres and arrive at an intersection at the Narse d'Espinasse yellow marker.

(3) Follow the path to the left towards Les Quairas. The path goes around La Narse on the left, below Puy de l'Enfer on the right, then climbs slightly and arrives at a path (Chemin des Morts).

(4) Turn left and join a road in the hamlet of Espinasse, opposite a fountain. Turn right, ignore a street on the left and then, at the fork, follow the road on the left, which is prohibited to vehicles over 19 tonnes. Ignore a path on the left and then a road.

(5) Turn onto the next path on the left and join a small road. Turn left and head towards the hamlet of La Martre.

(6) Ignore a street on the left (optional return trip to see a pretty fountain, about 50 m away). Join a wider road, follow it to the left and arrive at the centre of the hamlet. Pass a beautiful fountain-trough-wash house on the left, then, at the intersection, turn right and continue on this small, quiet road to leave the hamlet. After a descent to cross the Narse stream, the road climbs again and leads to a wider road. Follow it to the left and, in a wide bend, ignore the two roads on the left. Arrive in the village of Saulzet-le-Froid.

^GR®® Red and White Markings

(7) At the intersection, look for the^GR®® markings to follow to cross this small village. Turn right, ignoring a street on the left and the stairs leading up to the church on the right. At the next intersection, note the fountain and wash house on the right and, further on, a "travail"(work area). Continue straight ahead. Ignore another street on the left, note the fountain and drinking trough on the right, continue straight ahead on the road, leave Saulzet and reach the next intersection.

No markings

(8) At the yellow directional signs, leave the^GR®® markings on the right (the^GR®® route is incorrect on the IGN map) and continue straight ahead on the small road towards Les Creux de Varennes. Ignore a path on the left. The road becomes a wide path that descends, crosses the Labadeau, then climbs again and crosses a vague grassy path. Note, in the distance on the left, the Puys de Dôme, Lassolas and La Vache, and opposite, the Puy de Monténard, the next stage.

(9) At the intersection of four wide paths, turn left. Further on, start walking along a wood on your right and after 200 m you will come to an intersection with a narrower path leading off to the right. Look for a blue marker on a tree a little way back.

Blue markings (paint and small^PR®® signs)

(10) Follow this path and the markings to climb up to Puy de Monténard, through the undergrowth. There are several intersections with other paths on this section, but the markings are clear. At the first fork, keep to the right and, at the next intersection, turn left and climb more steeply. At a fork, keep to the right. Be careful further on to turn sharply left, ignoring a path (not shown on the IGN map) that goes straight ahead. Ignore another path on the left, then you will come to an intersection with a path that descends to the left, at a^PR®® Bleu sign. Note the pozzolan scree on the right, at the bottom of the Puy de Monténard crater.

(11) Keep to the right and follow the path that climbs gently to the summit of Puy de Monténard, at the top of the crater. Geodetic marker, view towards the west, Massif du Guéry, Monts Dore. Retrace your steps.

(11) Turn right at the hairpin bend to descend from the puy. Ignore a path on the left further on, which is not shown on the map, then another on the right in a left-hand bend. Join a wide path.

(12) Follow it to the left, then turn left onto the next path. At the end, you will find the car park a few metres to the right (S/E).

Difficulty: Moderate to easy. Small roads, paths of all kinds and trails, no difficulty, standard hiking equipment.

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here

Photo album here

La Narse d'Espinasse is a maar, a special type of crater created by a volcanic eruption near a river, the Veyre. The resulting powerful explosion also created the Puy de l'Enfer, which overlooks the north side of the maar. The maar then filled with water to become a lake, which subsequently dried up to form the current marsh, a sensitive biotope that is (for the moment) protected.
More info: https://volcan.puy-de-dome.fr/volcans/pu...

Puy de Monténard is the southernmost link in the Chaîne des Puys. It is a small, much more classic puy, with a small, off-centre explosion crater facing west.

There are some lovely views towards the Puy de Dôme, Puy de Lassolas and Puy de la Vache, and, from the summit of Monténard, towards the Monts Dore. Traditional houses, fountains and other wash houses can be found in the hamlets and villages along the way.