Forest and meadows starting from Fontfreyde.

In Fonfreyde, park in the car park along Place du Coudert, south of the village.

No signposts

(S/E) Continue along the road, heading south-west, with your back to the village centre. At the arched gate of a ruined house on the right-hand side of the road, take the path to the left of the gate. Further on, you will come to a disused road; follow it to the right. Ignore the paths that branch off to the right into the forest. You will come to a meadow on your right.

(1) Take the path on the right, which runs alongside the meadow on the left and then enters the forest.

(2) Further on, at a trail junction, keep right (the trail on the left is shown on the OSM map but not on the IGN map; it joins the^GR®®). The trail goes around a meadow on the left and comes out into an open area. Continue straight ahead towards the entrance to another meadow and follow the path that branches off to the right.

(3) At the T-junction with a path, go a few metres to the right and then follow the path leading off to the left. Further on, you will find a footbridge on the left.

(4) Cross it to enter a meadow that has been more or less transformed into heathland. The Visorando app is useful here. Follow the most obvious path. You will come to a row of drinking troughs. Continue straight ahead to descend to a more open part of the meadow, often occupied by a herd of cows. Opposite is a hedge of trees; veer slightly to the left to cross to the other side and you will immediately find a wide access point.

(5) Follow it to the right, going uphill to find the entrance to the meadow. Go over the footbridge on your left and continue along the path, which quickly leads to a road. Follow it to the right, on the fairly wide hard shoulder, for barely 100 metres.

(6) Take the path that branches off to the left. Further on, ignore the path that comes in from the left. Continue along a section of a fitness trail and ignore the few paths that branch off to the right. Join a wide path.

Yellow disc markings

(7) Follow it to the right. At the fork shortly afterwards, keep left. The path leads to vast summer pastures, Les Palles Hautes, and offers unobstructed views of the neighbouring puys and the Puy de Dôme. Further on, ignore a path on the left and arrive at a crossroads at the "Les Palles Hautes" signpost.

(8) Turn right towards Fontfreyde.

(9) At the crossroads, turn right into a plot of fir trees. After about 300 metres, take a sharp left turn. You will come to a road.

(10) Continue along the path opposite, through the mixed forest. The path becomes a trail lined with old walls.

(11) Further on, pass along a Forest Art area on your left. You can enter this plot to see the works of art. Then continue along the path which joins a track.

(12) Follow it to the left, walk alongside the farm buildings, then leave the road for a path that climbs to the right and joins a road. Follow it to the right until you reach the "Fontfreyde" signpost.

(13) Follow the path to the left towards La Cassière. You will soon come to a street; follow it, going around a house with red shutters. At the intersection, leave Rue du Levant on your left. Continue straight ahead to Place de la Fontaine (fountain and wash house), then follow the main street to the right to return to Place du Coudert and the car park (S/E).

Easy hike, standard hiking equipment required.
The Visorando app is recommended for a section in the meadow where the path gets a little lost among the cow tracks.

Be careful if you are afraid of cows: busy meadow crossing between (4) and (6).

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here and more generally in the Puy-de-Dôme here

Photo album here

La Cheire de Mercœur is an ancient solidified lava flow from Puy de Mercœur. Solidified lava flows are generally covered with forests because their very chaotic and rocky terrain has always been very difficult to exploit. In the past, however, very small plots of land were set aside for raising a few sheep: in some places, old dry stone walls remain.
On the other hand, the solidified lava flow of Mercœur is bordered by vast open areas, such as Les Palles Hautes, which make for beautiful summer pastures.

An amusing plot of Forest Art (my own name for it), please respect this place.

Houses and small traditional buildings in Fontfreyde.