The Basilica of Orcival via the Plateau des Dômes

In Neuville, a small village north-west of Aurière, leave your vehicle near the picnic table and bread oven, south of the village.
Please note! This walk is not signposted as such

(S/E). From the picnic table, note a large cross at the crossroads and a red fire hydrant nearby. Take the street to the right of this fire hydrant. Shortly afterwards, when the tarmac ends, continue straight ahead at the level of a path and a wind turbine on your right. At the next intersection, turn left. After a descent, pass an abandoned farm on your right, then continue on the small road on the left to the hamlet of Le Pradet.

(1) At the entrance to the hamlet, at the Sioulot stream (green cross on a post straight ahead), take the path on the right that goes around a farm on the right. Ignore the path on the left that enters the farm and, at the T-junction, continue to the right. Further on, ignore a path on the left and cross a bridge over the Sioule (yellow sign on the railing).

(2) Continue straight ahead, cross a road to continue on the path opposite, then turn left at the intersection (green cross straight ahead). Further on, ignore a path on the right and you will arrive at the village of Ribeyre.

(3) Take the first street on the right and ignore a street on the left shortly afterwards. At an iron cross and a wash house, turn onto the path on the left which climbs parallel to a street leading to a house. Further up, at a bend, ignore a path on the right. Continue straight ahead on this path overlooking the Sioule valley, ignoring another path on the right further on, until you reach a small road.

(4) Follow it to the right. At the crossroads just after, look for the red and white markings of^{the GR®®30/441}(which you will follow until otherwise indicated) and the yellow marker "1036m". Continue straight ahead towards Fontchartoux. Shortly afterwards, turn right onto a path, following the blue markings in addition to the GR®® markings^. Further on, the path becomes grassy and then descends more steeply, turning into tarmac near a spring. Join a road and follow it to the right to cross the hamlet of Puy Raynaud (old bread oven on the left of the road).

(5) Cross the D27 (take care!) to enter Orcival, leaving the GR®® for a short while^. Follow the street opposite (Rue de Blanc Moulin) and cross the Sioulot to arrive in front of the Basilique Notre-Dame-des-Fers, one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in Auvergne. Turn left for a round trip to the Parc Municipal (village sign), a peaceful park set in a circular loop of the Sioulot, which has children's playgrounds, shaded benches and a mini arboretum. Return to the village centre, leaving the basilica on your left (after visiting it, if you wish), then turn right onto Rue de Cordès, which leads up to the D27.

(6) Cross (carefully!) and head towards the Chapelle Notre-Dame, following the red and white^GR®® markings and a blue marking. At the chapel, continue to the left and then, at the fork after the houses, at the "La Croix" sign, turn right towards Voissieux. Ignore the path on the left that leads to the antenna, then ignore another path on the right.

(7) At the fork, at an information panel about the Château de Cordès, which can be seen further down in the valley, turn right. A hundred metres further on, at a logging area, ignore a path on the right. On your left, you will have a beautiful view of the Chaîne des Puys. Further on, ignore another path on the right (which is not shown on the map). Further down, at the intersection marked "980m", turn left towards Voissieux. Shortly afterwards, you will arrive at the hamlet of Juégheat.

(8) Take the first street on the left to pass in front of a drinking fountain with a small iron cross on its left. Continue between the houses until you reach the intersection, then turn right and continue straight on Rue de Chantegrelet, passing a beautiful collection of small rural heritage sites on your right: an oven and its adjoining wash house, then a fountain and a blacksmith's forge (equipped here with a swing).
At the crossroads at the exit of the hamlet, continue left on the small road until you reach the village of Voissieux and its pretty little manor house.

(9) At the crossroads with an old wash house and bread oven on the right, continue straight ahead on Chemin des Noisetiers (still following the^GR®® markings). Ignore the paths on the left and, opposite a dry fountain, continue to the left. The path turns right and then runs alongside the Sioule on the left. Ignore a path on the left that crosses the river. Further on, the path turns left and then crosses the Sioule.

(10) About 50 metres further on, ignore the path coming from the right that goes up to Neuville. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the paths on either side, until you reach the first houses in Neuville.

(11) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead between the cross and the fountain (see alternative route in the practical information section). Then go to the right of the shoeing rack, where there is a picnic table. You will come to an intersection at the "Neuville" signpost. Leave the^GR®® trail and turn right towards Aurière, then immediately turn left. Follow this path and the green markings, ignoring a path on the right and then another that descends to the left, until you reach the Moulin de Neuville mill on the banks of the Gorce.

(12) Do not cross the river, but walk past the old mill and go up to the right. At the intersection with a path, turn right. Continue along this path, ignoring a path on the right, then one on the left, until you reach the crossroads, near the Neuville bread oven and the picnic table (S/E).

Moderate difficulty hike, standard hiking equipment required.

A grassy section of path between (4) and (5) may be difficult in spring. Wear trousers.

Slightly shorter alternative: at (11), turn right to return to your vehicle a hundred metres further on, on the other side of the village.

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

Some photos here and here

Between (5) and (6) Orcival and its basilica. The village has a magnificent Romanesque church, founded by the monks of La Chaise-Dieu. The lands of Orcival were owned by the counts, then the Dauphins of Auvergne until 1243. In the 11th century, a church located to the east of the village housed a highly venerated statue of the Virgin Mary; legend has it that it was sculpted by Saint Luke. Originally, a large number of benefactors and former prisoners came to offer votive offerings to the Virgin in the form of chains, handcuffs and other iron objects in gratitude for the fulfilment of their wishes. Some of these ball and chain shackles are still visible on the south transept of the basilica, earning it the nickname "Our Lady of the Iron".
The current basilica was built due to the growing popularity of pilgrimages. Notre-Dame d'Orcival then became the new home of the famous statue, which is now kept in the sanctuary of the church and has been the object of a pilgrimage that takes place every year on Ascension Thursday.

Between (6) and (7) Notre-Dame Chapel. On the ground floor of this chapel, look through the grille to see a miraculous spring.

In the villages, there are numerous fountains, drinking troughs and wash houses. Often located near the wash houses, bread ovens are still widely used today. The ashes were once used to remove stains from laundry. The shoeing racks were used to restrain horses and oxen, either for shoeing or for treatment. Block farms are typical of this region and of Cézallier, further south. The walls are made of stone, the roofs are traditionally covered with stone slates, and the houses are attached to the barns.