La Randanne and the Étang de Montlosier

Park in the car park of the Maison du Parc des Volcans, located on the grounds of the Château de Montlosier. If the car park is full, you can park along the small road (D5).

(S/E) With your back to the Maison du Parc, cross the D5 and take the path opposite in the direction of Puy de Vichatel (wooden sign). Further on, cross the Randanne stream, which flows into the Étang de Montlosier lake a few metres to your left. Just after this, at the edge of the lake, you will find an information panel about the work of the Comte de Montlosier. Continue until you reach an intersection with a path coming from the left.

(1) Continue straight ahead on this pleasant path, between woods and meadows.

(2) At the next intersection, turn left following the direction of Puy de Vichatel (sign) then left again, just after, still in the direction of Puy de Vichatel (sign). Shortly after, ignore a path on the left. Continue on this path which climbs up the side of Puy de Vichatel. You will arrive at the crater. Ignore the path on the right that climbs to the top of the puy and follow the crater on your right. On the other side of the crater, ignore another path that climbs to the top on the right. Descend from the puy and you will come out on the D2089.

(3) Go down a few steps and cross the pedestrian crossing with extreme caution to find a path and a yellow sign for "Col de la Ventouse" on the other side. Continue in the direction of Saulzet but, a few metres further on, turn onto a path on the right that runs between woods and pastureland, parallel to the D2089. At the end of the meadow, ignore a path on the right that joins the road. Continue along this path, which goes around the Puy de Charmont.

(4) Further on, after about 400 metres, ignore a path on the right, a path on the left and then two paths on the right. You will eventually come to a crossroads with four paths at the yellow signpost marked "Puy de Boursoux".

(5) Turn right, following the direction "Montlosier" indicated on another yellow sign. Continue along this straight path, passing to the right of Puy de Boursoux, then ignoring two paths on the right before passing to the left of Puy de la Toupe, one of the few puys still used as a pozzolan quarry. You will arrive on the D983 at a monument commemorating the first gliding congress in 1922.

(6) Continue along the path opposite. Further on, ignore a path on the right, then a path on the left. After a short climb, cross the Randanne for the second time. Its straight course, slightly elevated above the surrounding fields, betrays the canalisation work carried out by the Comte de Montlosier. Further on, you will come to a crossroads with five paths.

(7) Take the first path on the left, ignore a path on the right, and arrive at a crossroads with four paths. Turn right and join a small road.

(8) Follow it to the right to reach Aurières. Ignore all the paths on the left and right until you reach a street with a fountain-wash house and a "Stop" sign.

(9) Walk a few metres to the right and, at the second "Stop" sign, turn left towards the town centre (road sign). At a fountain, ignore a street on the right and then a street on the left just after, and you will arrive in front of the church. Walk along the right-hand side of the church to reach a crossroads with a fountain and a wash house in front of you. Continue to the left, leaving the fountain on your right and walking alongside a car park topped by a large cross on your left. Pass to the right of the town hall/school, then turn into the first alley on the right. Shortly afterwards, turn into the first street on the left, walking alongside a farm building. At the next intersection, ignore the street on the left. Further on, the tarmac disappears.

(10) At a fork, continue to the right, then at a second fork shortly afterwards, keep right again. Ignore a path on the right, then at the next intersection, turn right. Continue straight ahead to cross a road and then a stream, the Gigeole. Ignore a path on the left and continue straight ahead at the next crossroads.

(11) Further on, at the end of the path, turn right onto the D561. Follow it to the right for a few metres, then take the path that branches off to the left. At the next crossroads, look for a green sign and turn left.

(12) At the intersection marked with yellow directional signs, turn left towards Montlosier. You will come to a road; follow it to the right. At the fork, keep left to pass under the D2089. On the other side, continue to the right and then take the first path on the left. At the crossroads, look for the yellow directional signs and continue straight ahead towards Montlosier. Shortly afterwards, enter the undergrowth and ignore a path on the left (it is not shown on the map).

(13) At the next fork, ignore the path on the left (green cross) and continue to the right. At the crossroads marked with yellow directional signs, leave the green markings and continue straight on towards Montlosier. You will come to a crossroads with a logging area on your left.

(14) Ignore the direction of Puys de la Vache and Lassolas (indicated by a wooden sign) and turn right. Shortly afterwards, ignore a path on the right. Further on, ignore the path on the right that leads back to the Montlosier car park (sign: retour Montlosier), go through the barrier and you will come to a road. On your left, slightly higher up, there is an information sign about the Comte de Montlosier developments.

(15) Cross the road and continue along the path opposite, passing another information sign about the Puys de la Vache and Lassolas. Further on, at a crossroads marked with a wooden sign painted orange saying "Sur les traces de Montlosier" (In the footsteps of Montlosier), turn right. On this path, which passes behind the pond, you will find other information panels about the Comte's developments. You will eventually arrive at a crossroads you already passed on the way there, next to an information panel.

(1) Turn right, taking the same path as on the way there, to pass in front of the pond and reach the Maison des Volcans car park (S/E).

Medium difficulty hike, standard hiking equipment required.

(Between 2 and 3) Alternative: if you want to extend this hike a little and enjoy a beautiful view, you can climb to the summit of Puy de Vichatel. To do this, simply take the winding path on the right when you reach the crater (signposted "summit"). At the top, walk along the meadow at the edge of the trees to find the path that descends and leads to the other side of the crater.

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During this hike, you will find numerous information panels about the transformation of the landscape that the count undertook from 1816 onwards.

After a political career spent abroad, François Dominique de Reynaud, Count of Montlosier, tired of political intrigue, retired to his estate in Montlosier in 1816. It was a very poor land where agriculture was impossible. The count set about making it possible by transforming the landscape, a task that took him 22 years. Living with his son in a cottage, he first set about providing shelter for the livestock. The château was built later, in 1820. He then set about clearing the land, restoring the soil, installing water systems and finally cultivating the land. Needless to say, the landscape was profoundly altered.

The perfectly symmetrical castle is in the Restoration style and was built using local stone: Volvic stone and slate. The large barn was built perpendicular to the castle.
The estate was managed by the count for 20 years, in a spirit of autonomy and self-sufficiency, until his death in 1838.

The work on the Randanne was agricultural in nature. The course of the stream was diverted using a trench to allow irrigation of the upper parts of the estate and drainage of the marshes in the lower parts. This increased the amount of arable land.
The Montlosier Pond, on the other hand, is more of a landscape creation. It was artificially created by diverting the Randanne, which then came to rest against the lava flow of the Puys de la Vache and Lassolas. The lake covers an area of nearly 1.5 hectares and has no visible outlet. The water disappears into the volcanic strata at the foot of the Lassolas, La Vache and Mercœur puys.