Freycenet-la-Cuche walks

Panoramic walk around Freycenet-la Cuche with views of Mont Mézenc.

A long walk alternating between panoramic views and beautiful woodland, discovering the Rocher Tourte, the water tower for the neighbouring villages, but also a playground for climbers in summer and sled dogs in winter.

The point of interest on this route is linked to the history of the Transcévenole, an old railway line, and the Récoumène Viaduct. It also offers beautiful views of the region.

A beautiful circular hike, full of panoramic views, to discover the western part of the Mézenc plateau, with the Orcival, a tributary of the Loire, as your guide. Sometimes high up with the knolls as your horizon, sometimes flowing with the torrent as your guide, this is a hike in the heart of authentic Mézenc. Please note that this route includes a section of approximately 400 m across pastures, off the beaten track, as well as several fords across the torrent. Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times.

A circular route for exploring the pretty Orcival valley, one of the first tributaries of the Loire. Part of the route is on a very quiet little road through the forest. Very pretty views of the Mézenc plateau.

A lovely hike with little elevation gain. In the distance, the peaks of Mézenc. Alternating meadows, pretty hamlets and forests. Château de Vachères at the start.

Descent to Le Monastier via little-used paths from the curious alluvial plain pond, less original return via the GR®. With an optional final circular loop offering views of the Mine stream valley. Cross the famous Recoumène Viaduct and visit Le Monastier.

A scenic walk starting from Présailles to explore the many pastures and the lovely Bois de Breysse, Vachères Castle, and to walk in the footsteps of the Romans...

This is a gentle hike that leads to the summit of Rocher Tourte before circling around it. The summit, which is easy to climb and offers a beautiful panorama, is nevertheless very quiet with a wild moorland atmosphere; it is also a biological reserve. Throughout the circuit, except for the sections in the forest, the view is splendid.

Circular route in the countryside around Freycenet-la-Tour, with beautiful unobstructed views. Discover a wind farm and the Étang des Barthes lake. In early July, there are lots of wild strawberries and raspberries along the paths.

Beautiful scenery around Rechausseyre and Rocher Tourte with lovely views of Mont Mézenc and Mont d'Alambre and very pleasant forest trails from the village of Les Estables.

Starting from Les Estables, Mont Mézenc, La Croix des Boutières and back via Mont d’Alambre. The descent from Mont d’Alambre is partly via a ski run, so avoid this route when the ski area is open. A very pleasant and varied hike. The ascent of Mont Mézenc is very well signposted and not very steep; the two summits of the mountain offer fabulous views over the Ardèche, the Haute-Loire and much more; this part of the route is quite busy. From Mont d’Alambre, things get slightly tougher. The climb is steeper but not excessively so, and not very long. The descent from the summit back to the path is steeper as we took a ski run; it is far from dangerous, as you are walking on grass. The rest of the return journey is flat with a slight downhill gradient.

This second stage leads from the Hauts Plateaux du Mézenc to the Loire Valley. It takes you through the Mézenc National Forest and the Breysse woods, a mixture of beech and coniferous trees.The route more or less follows theGR®®40trail, avoiding wide tracks and small roads where possible.

Starting from the charming village of Les Estables, this hike takes you on a tour and ascent of Mont d'Alambre (a ski resort in winter), with a 360° view of the surrounding peaks and a magnificent view of Mont Mézenc, the highest point in the region.

The hike starts at the forest house car park and climbs through the powder snow of Mont Mézenc. From the summit, your efforts are rewarded with a magnificent view of the village of Les Estables below and Mont Alambre. And even the Alps, if the weather is clear.

A very short walk between the thatched village of Moudeyres, its eco-museum, the Ferme des Frères Perrel, and the heights of the Aubépin valley.

This hike takes you to the Recoumène viaduct, the village of Monastier-sur-Gazeille and the Meyzous plateau. The most beautiful part is the crossing of the Meyzous plateau amid meadows and dry stone walls. Throughout the route, you can admire different views of the Recoumène bridge and the Devès, Meygal and Mézenc mountain ranges.

An easy route around Monastier-sur-Gazeille and Présailles, from the cool waters of the Gazeille at Pont de l’Estaing to the open air of the plateau, alternating between woodland and meadows. You’ll enjoy lovely views of the Mézenc and the other surrounding knolls.

Discover Mont Mézenc and its two peaks and take a detour to admire the Cirque des Boutières.

Climb Mont Mézenc from the Croix de Peccata - car park.

A magnificent discovery of the wild Loire and its tributary, the Orcival, hidden at the foot of Issarlès, with pretty pools, beautiful waterfalls and basalt cliffs. A short and easy hike, but one that still requires good footwear and a minimum of agility to navigate the sometimes slippery slabs along the banks of the Loire.

A long hike across the plateaus, south of Les Estables, amongst the knolls and near Mont Gerbier de Jonc.

A very easy climb to reach the highest point of the Ardèche and Haute-Loire, offering sublime panoramic views.

Circular starting from the Croix de Boutières, passing by the peaks of Mont Mézenc and the strange machine called the Ventographe des Boutières.

A very pleasant walk through the woods of Breysse, circling the Grand Knoll de Breysse, featuring vegetation that is relatively rare in the region, notably a very extensive deciduous forest. The meadows above the hamlet of Le Bouchet are also very inviting. The elevation gain is minimal, the terrain is in good condition and there is limited sun exposure. This walk is therefore ideal for a family outing on a hot day.

This is a lovely walk with many views of Lake Issarlès from the Col de Gage and the Suc de Cherchemuse in particular, as well as the confluence of the Gage and the Loire and the surrounding mountains. The diverse landscapes will allow you to discover the richness of the Ardèche plateau: lava flows, wild raspberry bushes, volcanic rocks, Scots pines, beech trees, larch trees and more.

This is a short circular loop in the Mezenc National Forest, from La Roche Pointue to Le Ventographe, passing by the peat bogs. Le Ventographe is a quirky object created by a DIY artist, placed on a ridge; it is the centre for transmitting messages to the wind, which are received further down by another equally quirky work of art!

Second stage of a complete journey along the Chemin de Stevenson between Le-Puy-en-Velay and Alès. It's at Monastier-sur-Gazeille, and thus with this second stage, that Stevenson's real route begins. From this point on, the route follows the GR®70 (Red and White markings). Please note: the markings have been slightly modified from those shown in violet on the IGN map (in particular to avoid a few short stretches of road).

Between Gerbier de Jonc and Chartreuse de Bonnefoy, the Ardèche plateau offers numerous stone-slab knolls. This circuit between Aigue Nègre and Veyradeyre passes by four of them and at the top of three. In order, these are Séponet (tower), Montfol (summit), Lauzière (summit) and Taupernas (summit). From each of them, there is a beautiful 360° view of Mont Mézenc to the north, the Tanargue massif to the south, Gerbier and Areilladou to the east, and Haute-Loire to the west.

Located between Mont Gerbier de Jonc and Mont Mézenc, the Suc de Sara rises to 1,521 metres. The ascent via the south face and then the east ridge leads to the summit, which offers a 360° panoramic view of the surrounding knolls and valleys as far as the Vercors, Mont Ventoux and the Alps. During the ascent of the south face, the crossing of the scree slopes offers beautiful landscapes.

The ascent of the Suc de la Lauzière (1,582 m) in the snow offers a superb 360° panorama of the Mezenc and the Estables, the Gerbier de Jonc, and all the surrounding knolls. This route is a shortened version of the ‘Quatre Sucs’ hike, designed to let you enjoy the magnificent snow-covered landscapes.

Tour of Lake Issarlès, with its clear waters, in the ancient crater of a volcano.

This is a magnificent route starting from the hamlet of Soubrey in Salettes, Haute-Loire, following a re-opened ancient path. The trail runs along the banks of France’s longest river (marked with very discreet blue dots) before returning via the GR®3.

In Haute-Loire, in the "midlands" of Auvergne, starting from Le Monastier sur Gazeille, take a walk in the French "highlands", as R. L. Stevenson called them in 1878 when he stayed in Le Monastier before embarking on his journey that took him to Saint-Jean du Gard in 12 days with his donkey Modestine.

A short walk that circles the Bournac massif and offers views over much of the Gagne Gorges. The route is quite unspoilt, with many sections through woodland, making it very pleasant in hot weather. It makes a lovely addition to a visit to the hamlet of Bigorre, a village of thatched cottages situated nearby.

This peaceful route starting from Saint-Front allows you to enjoy the contrast between the steep-sided valleys of La Gagne, the Machabert stream and the tributary of the Aubépin on one side, and the gently sloping Mézenc plateau with its sweeping views on the other.

This tour of Mont Mézenc allows you to admire the landscape stretching far in all directions: the Massif Central, the Ardèche, the Alps, the Pilat Massif... It is possible to climb Mont Mézenc during the circuit. The hike offers the best possible view of the beautiful Boutières cirque. The circuit also includes a return trip through the village of Chaudeyrolles and a tour of Mont Signon.

Enjoy a beautiful hike on Mont Signon and its old singing slate quarry. Beautiful panoramic views of the Monts de Haute Loire.

This geological trail allows you to discover an ancient small volcano, Mont Signon, which became a peat bog, then an ancient maar, or marshy crater, home to several peatlands. Numerous information panels from the Geopark help you understand these different volcanic formations.

This easy hike, which allows you to discover the very pretty village of Bigorre and its 17 thatched cottages, offers numerous views of the region and its diverse landscapes.

When it gets too hot in southern Ardèche, hiking in fine weather on the Ardèche plateau can be a good idea. This circular loop starting from a local centre mostly follows farm tracks or small roads, with beautiful views of the volcanic knolls in places.