The upper Monne valley

In Fohet, park near the church where there are a few parking spaces available.

(S/E) To leave the village, take the main road, the D788, heading south-west. Ignore a road on the left that leads backwards.

(1) Ignore this road on the left again, then another one about 200m further on. At a fork with a path coming from the left, you will see a beautiful cross, the Croix de la Ribeyre (small yellow sign).

(2) Leave the road and continue along the path. Follow this wide path, ignoring paths on the left, right, left and left.

(3) Ignore this path on the right again. Further on, ignore another beautiful path on the right. Shortly afterwards, continue on the main path which turns left, ignoring a slightly grassier path opposite.

(4) At the crossroads of four paths, turn right to follow a stream, the Ribeyre, which the path follows sometimes on the right, sometimes on the left. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead.

(5) About 400 metres further on, turn left onto the path. Ignore two paths on the left to reach the village of Monne. Continue along the main road, ignoring the side streets on your right.

(6) Continue along this road, which makes a sharp right turn and passes a wash house. At the crossroads just after, ignore the streets on the right and left and, shortly after, at the crossroads, you will see a small chapel on your left. Turn left to pass in front of the chapel entrance and then a fountain, following a yellow flower on a red background sign that will only remain visible until the next hamlet, Fontmarcel. Before reaching the farm buildings, turn right. Notice the beautiful houses and a pond on your left. The small road turns into a path.

(7) Cross the Monne, continue along the path which climbs uphill and then makes a sharp left turn. Further on, you will reach the hamlet of Fontmarcel. Continue straight ahead along the street which extends the path. Ignore a street on your right and you will see an old communal oven on your right.

(8) Continue along the small road, ignoring a path on the left that leads to a farm. Further on, at the crossroads, keep left. Ignore a path on the right and then a path on the left.

(9) Further on, pay attention and note that the path you are following is marked with a yellow cross (this yellow marking, which you have been following without knowing it since the start of the hike, is only visible in the opposite direction to yours. That is why I have not mentioned it until now). Turn left onto a path that descends. Continue along this path, which soon turns right. Continue downhill until you reach the D643 road. Follow it to the right for about 200 metres, then turn left onto the path that descends towards the Monne.

(10) At the bottom, turn right and continue along this path which runs alongside the Monne, sometimes high up, sometimes on its banks, for about 2.2km. The path leads to a small road.

(11) Follow it to the left to cross the Monne over the bridge, then immediately turn left onto the wide path. About 150m further on, ignore the path on the left. The path you are following begins to climb.

(12) At an old small quarry on your right, ignore a path on the left and continue on the main path, which becomes roughly tarmaced for a short distance and begins to descend. Further on, you will come to an iron cross (not shown on the map) on a rock near a house. Continue straight ahead to reach a small road.

(13) Turn left and, after about 200 metres, take the path on the left.

(14) When the path turns right, continue straight ahead, following the yellow markings (which you will follow until you reach the entrance to Fohet). Further on, ignore the path that enters the meadow on the right and, shortly afterwards, continue on the path that turns right and continues to climb to reach the summit of Puy du Fan (cistern). Very beautiful view.

(15) Continue along the path downhill. At the junction, turn left. At the next junction, turn left again.

(16) Shortly afterwards, leave the yellow markings and follow Chemin du Rempart on the right. Ignore a path on the left and continue until you reach a street. Turn left and then, at the next intersection, continue to the right. You will return to the road you took at the start.

(1) Turn right. Then take the third street on the right, then turn left at the next two intersections to return to Fohet Church (S/E).

Moderate difficulty hike, standard hiking equipment

This route, which always follows wide paths and small roads, is suitable for Nordic walking.

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

In the villages of Monne and Fontmarcel, note some old houses still covered with slate tiles.

The Monne is a small torrential river that rises in the Puy-de-Dôme, near the Col de la Croix-Morand, above the village of Mareuge, at an altitude of 1,300 metres, and flows into the Veyre at an altitude of 380 metres. The river is 34.5 kilometres long. Shortly afterwards (11), the river rushes into the Monne Gorges.