The Blaise Pascal ascent via the Montée des Chèvres

The route starts at the foot of the equestrian statue of Vercingétorix on Place de Jaude. Tram stop: Jaude.

(S/E) With your back to the statue’s plinth, on the side marked ‘À Vercingétorix’, head straight towards Rue Blatin but, just before turning into the street, walk a few metres to the right, towards the Church of Saint-Pierre des Minimes , skirting a bank to find, on the wall of this bank – built on the site of the former Minimes convent – a commemorative plaque marking ‘the Puy de Dôme experiment’. It was here that Pascal measured his mercury columns whilst his brother-in-law was taking the same measurements at the top of the Puy, which it is now time to head for.

Before you set off, check the atmospheric pressure on your smartphone’s weather app and make a note of the reading! Then follow Rue Blatin straight ahead. At the Fork in the road by a square, carry on straight ahead, still on Rue Blatin.

(1) At the junction with Boulevard Berthelot/Duclaux (with the Banque de France printing works opposite on the left), enter Chamalières and carry on straight ahead along Avenue de Royat. Continue along this street until you reach the junction with Rue Hippolyte Chatrousse on the right. Head towards the Church of Notre-Dame.

(2) Turn left in front of the church onto Place Sully, then carry straight on along Rue du Languedoc (no entry signs). At the T-junction with Rue du Pont de la Gravière, near the Bassin de la Saigne fed by the Tiretaine, turn right. Take the second street on the right, then take the first on the left (Rue Victor Hugo – there’s a street sign at the far end of the street). You’ll come out onto the side road of Avenue Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. Follow it to the right.

(3) When the side road joins Avenue Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, use the pedestrian crossings to cross the avenue and, on the other side, head slightly to the right onto Rue des Savarounes. Continue straight on along this street, which becomes Rue du Roc Blanc.

(4) At the T-junction, turn right and then immediately left onto Chemin du Roc Blanc. Go under the railway line and turn left. The lane curves to the right and comes to a T-junction. Opposite, go up a few steps and then follow the path into the park, which veers south-east, ignoring the paths to the right and left. After a right-hand bend, you’ll reach the end of a street (Rue Gauguin). Walk a few metres to the right, then head down the footpath on the left via a few steps. The path bends to the left and leads to the end of a street below the railway line (Rue des Vignettes; there’s a plaque at the other end of the street). Follow this street and you will come to a T-junction, next to a Chamalières water tank on your left.

(5) Turn right, cross at the next pedestrian crossing, then continue to the right, walking alongside the Lycée Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. Take the first street on the left, Allée du Gymnase, then immediately turn left, before heading right to cross a car park. At the end of the car park, follow the path which climbs through the woodland. Ignore a narrow track on the left which leads to the other side of the valley. When you reach a track, follow it to the right. Further on, at a viewpoint, follow the track as it bends to the left.

(6) At the track junction, turn right. Follow the track round a hairpin bend to the left, ignoring the path straight ahead, then ignore a path on the right. At the Fork in the road, keep left towards Villars and Fontanas. Ignore two closely spaced paths branching off to the left.

(7) On reaching Villars, carry straight on, ignoring a path on the left. The path curves to the right and reaches a junction of streets. Ignore a street on the left and carry straight on to a T-junction, near a Christianised menhir and a covered washhouse. Carry on straight ahead, slightly to the right, ignoring a narrow lane on the left. At the crossroads, take the gravel path on the left. This is a section of the Roman Road. At the next junction of paths, go straight on.

(8) Take the first path on the right. It leads onto a street in Le Cheix. Carry on straight ahead, ignoring the side streets. You’ll come to a square with a fountain and washhouse. Leave it on your right and carry on straight ahead along Rue des Trois Fontaines. Cross the D942 very carefully and carry on straight ahead along Rue de l’École. As you enter the village of Orcines, pass a small green space on your left.

(9) At the junction just after this, opposite the sign for Chemin des Meuniers, turn right and, at the Fork in the road just after that, keep left. At the junction, by Collège Sainte-Anne on the right, go a few metres to the right then turn left onto Rue de la Mairie. At the junction with Orcines Town Hall on your left and the church opposite, turn left, passing the cemetery on your right.

(10) At the junction on the corner of the cemetery, take the path leading off to the left. Shortly after passing a row of small drinking troughs on your right, turn left onto a path. Further on, ignore a path on the left that climbs up to a wayside cross (a small hilltop with no view); at the next junction, turn right and, at the next fork in the road, keep to the right.

(11) At the crossroads just after this, carry on straight ahead. Further on, at the T-junction opposite the golf course, turn left.

(12) At the next junction, you’ll reach the Chemin de la Roche Pertuisade, marked in red and white. Follow the GR® signposting until the end of the route. Turn right. At the four-way junction (signposted ‘Chemin des Gouris’), go straight on. You’re now following the Chemin des Gravouses.

(13) At the junction with yellow signs, ignore the path on the left and continue along the Chemin des Gravouses to the right (sign prohibiting vehicles). A little further on, go round a fence on the right, which has been erected to prevent erosion of the path. Leave the forest and you’ll come to a crossroads with, in the centre, a fountain (open in summer only) shaped like a pile of volcanic stones. You are at Le Traversin, a GR® junction.

(14) Turn left and, shortly afterwards, you’ll find a signpost for the GR®441 as well as a sign indicating the Chemin des Chèvres, which you’ll follow to the summit. Further on, the path becomes a flight of steps. Higher up, you’ll reach the railway line and the old road.

(15) Follow the road to the left. Leave it further on to continue along the tarmac path to the right, which soon leads to the summit of the Puy de Dôme, near the station. Follow the steps leading up to the right. Pass the Temple of Mercury and look out for the first orientation boards.

Now’s the time to use your weather app to check the atmospheric pressure. Then go round the antenna on the right, heading slightly downhill. You’ll reach the second set of orientation boards. Continue along the tarmac path towards a third set of orientation boards which you can see to the south-west. Then head to the Panoramique station and go up to the esplanade where you’ll find a fourth set of orientation boards.

(E) To return to Place de Jaude, and for trail runners, see the Practical Information section.

This hike is classified as ‘Difficult’ due to the elevation gain; there are no other particular difficulties. Standard hiking kit is required.

To return to Clermont: the ‘Panoramique des Dômes’ takes you back to its station at the foot of the Puy de Dôme. Please note that it does not run all year round. From there, the P36 shuttle bus takes you to Durtol Quatre Routes; you should also check the operating periods and timetables. Then, the regular C bus service takes you back to Place de Jaude.

If the shuttle isn’t running, the easiest option is to walk down to the Col de Ceyssat via the Chemins des Muletiers, where a kind soul will come and collect you.

Trail runners can return to Place de Jaude byfollowingthe reverse route of the ‘Blaise Pascal’ hike via the Chemin des Muletiers , completing a circular route of just over 34 km.

Experience the Puy de Dôme in a fun way here