Le Puy de Peyronère

In Saint-Saturnin, park at the cemetery, on the edge of the D8, on a traffic island/car park on the other side of the road from the cemetery.

(S/E) Take the first path to the north-west of the car park (opposite the village) on the right. At a right-hand bend, ignore a path on the left and continue until you reach another path, the Chemin de Naja. Follow it to the left. Further on, the path becomes tarmac just before the junction with Chemin du Huit Mai. Take this street on the right, then continue straight ahead at the next crossroads. Turn left to cross Place du Huit Mai (in front of the town hall), then you will arrive at a crossroads with several streets, where you will find information panels about Saint-Saturnin. Opposite, take a small cobbled street, Rue des Farges, towards the castle and the church. Ignore the Impasse de l'Enfer on your right just after this, and further on you will come to the crossroads with Rue Cote Gros Jean.

(1) Continue straight ahead on Rue de la Boucherie, passing a house with a remarkable 15th-century façade. Further on, you will arrive at Place de l'Église (information board and yellow directional signs) where you will notice, in particular, a beautiful Renaissance-style house at No. 4, the Hôtel Villot.

Go around the beautiful Notre-Dame Church (one of the jewels of Romanesque architecture in Auvergne) on the right (follow the signs for Route de Randol indicated by a yellow sign), passing to the right of the Sainte-Madeleine Chapel and then in front of the old cemetery, which has been converted into a small park, then continue along Rue de la Madeleine. Shortly before arriving at the castle gates, notice a Renaissance-era fountain in Gothic style on your right (information panel).

Take the lane that branches off to the left of the château, following the direction indicated by a small sign for "Chemin des Lavoirs" (Wash House Path), which continues along a path that descends towards the Monne river, below the ramparts. Further down, you will come to an intersection marked with signs indicating the direction of two wash houses. You will also find an information panel about the volcanic flow that forms the base of the village of Saint-Saturnin.

(2) Continue to the right for a round trip to the Lavoir de la Freydière. This pretty wash house is sheltered under a rock. Information signs remind you of the life of the washerwomen and explain the water route.

(2) Back at the intersection, descend to the right towards the bridge over the Monne (sign indicating the directions "lavoir" and "pont"). Cross the river and climb up the other side through the undergrowth. Further on, the path that branches off to the left on the map does not exist on the ground. Higher up, you will come to an intersection with a wide path.

(3) Turn right, following the Saint-Jacques signposts (^PR®® sign in the opposite direction to you), then take the first path on the left, leaving the Saint-Jacques signposts which continue straight ahead. Ignore a path coming from the left at a^PR®® sign (in the opposite direction to you), then arrive at an intersection with another path at another^PR®® sign (in the opposite direction to you) and a yellow cross on the left-hand path.

(4) Turn right, then, after about 200 metres, leave this path and go up to the right at another^PR®® sign (in the opposite direction to you). Further on, as the path turns left, ignore a path on the right (yellow cross). At the next intersection, go up to the left despite the yellow cross. Further on, the path turns right and offers a beautiful view of the Sancy Massif and the modern architecture of Randol Abbey, which overlooks the Monne Valley.

(5) As you approach the first houses of Saint-Sandoux, ignore a path on the right and you will come to a road, the D74. Cross it and, at the fork just after, continue to the left, towards the town centre, along Rue Cote des Chartres. Continue along this street until you reach Rue de l'Arbre Blanc, opposite the road signs. Walk a few metres to the left, then turn right onto Place de l'Église. Go around the church on the right, then take a vaulted alleyway to reach Place de la Mairie. Note the fountain in the square, one of the oldest in the village, with a circular basin typical of the 16th century (information panel).

(6) Leave the square via Rue du Docteur Darteyre. At the next intersection with Rue de la Fontille, notice the Fontaine des Forts fountain opposite on the left, leaning against a wall (information panel). Continue straight ahead on Rue des Peigneurs. At the intersection with Rue des Jardins, you will arrive opposite the Fontaine des Orneufs fountain (information panel). Turn left, then right onto Rue de l'Arbre Blanc to leave the village. At the roundabout, with an iron cross on the low wall on your left, take Chemin du Château de Travers opposite. At the fork, ignore the dead-end road straight ahead that leads to the castle (private and well hidden, of no interest to hikers) and continue to the right. Ignore a path on the right before you reach a fork in the road with an electricity pole in the middle.

(7) Turn left at the pole and, shortly afterwards, ignore a path that branches off to the left. Further on, ignore a path on the left. Shortly afterwards, the path begins a long descent. Pass close to an antenna. Note the beautiful orchards of espalier trees along this section. You will arrive at a crossroads.

(8) Continue straight ahead, continuing downhill, to reach a bridge over the Monne, opposite the Château de Murol in Saint-Amant. There is a picnic area and a wash house below on the left. Cross the bridge and take the first street on the right. This street turns left then right and leads to a crossroads with several streets. Take Rue du Château on the right of the château. At a fork further on, turn left and continue straight ahead on Rue du Bas Mur. At the next intersection, turn left onto Rue des Réveillons, then continue straight ahead at the next crossroads onto Rue des Bouteix. Shortly afterwards, take a small street on the left, Rue de Versailles, which continues along a path and leads to a small esplanade offering a view of the Monne valley. A staircase leads back up to Allée des Marronniers.

(9) Turn left and follow this road to a roundabout at the entrance to Saint-Saturnin.

(10) Pass a transformer on your left and take Rue Nobée (no entry sign) which climbs opposite, parallel to Allée des Marronniers. Continue along this street lined with old stone houses. Note, in particular, a large house with turrets and, next to it, the beautiful 15th-century façade of the Maison Courtial (information sign). Further on, an esplanade on your left offers a view of the valley (information sign on the Monne). On the other side of the street, note a small statue in an alcove in the wall. Further on, pass in front of the house of the painter Lucien Madrassi and then an information panel on Rue des Nobles. Finally, you will arrive in front of Notre-Dame Church. Note the information panel on the Sainte-Madeleine Chapel. Take the same route as on the way there, passing to the right of the church on Rue de la Boucherie, then turn right to reach the intersection with Rue Cote Gros Jean.

(1) Leave the route you took on the way there and turn right. Cross Rue Principale (information panel), then Place du Marché (information panel), with its bread oven and old blacksmith's shop, and continue straight ahead on Rue du Marché. Pass an information panel about the Quartier des Lépreux. Shortly afterwards, ignore Rue des Granges on the left and pass to the right of a beautiful mansion. The street becomes a path. At the fork, turn right to reach the road (Chemin de Naja) at a tree growing on a large rock. Continue along the path opposite, to the left of the tree.

(11) Shortly afterwards, turn onto a path on the left (blue and yellow cross), the Chemin de Salles. Ignore a path on the left further on. You will come to an intersection with another path. Turn left to reach the D8 shortly afterwards. Follow it to the left to return to the small car park opposite the cemetery (S/E).

Moderate difficulty hike, standard hiking equipment

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Saint-Saturnin. The old village is built on the basalt flow from the Puys de la Vache and Lassolas. It is classified as "one of the most beautiful villages in France". A fiefdom of the "La Tour d'Auvergne" family in the Middle Ages, it later became a place of residence for Catherine de Medici and her daughter, Queen Margot.

The village church is a jewel of Romanesque art. Built in the 12th century, it is the smallest of the five major Romanesque churches in Auvergne (the others are: Notre-Dame-du-Port in Clermont, Saint-Austremoine in Issoire, Saint-Nectaire and Orcival). It is built of arkose and basalt, a white stone and a black stone, which form elegant patterns on its walls.

In Rue de la Boucherie, a former shop has been converted into the Tourist Office. The Sainte-Madeleine Chapel, near the church, a former 11th-century Benedictine priory church, is now an exhibition hall.

The castle, also built of arkose and basalt, is one of the most impressive in Lower Auvergne. It was built at the end of the 13th century by the Barons of La Tour d'Auvergne.

In Rue Noble, beautiful, opulent residences stand alongside much more modest dwellings clustered together in cul-de-sacs. This street was the village's main thoroughfare before Rue Principale was built in 1860. Shops then deserted the street and residents were able to expand their properties, creating gardens and terraces!

As you will see in the beautiful Rue Noble, where the painter Lucien Madrassi lived, Saint-Saturnin attracted many painters, notably those of the Murol School between 1910 and 1930, including Victor Charreton, Mario Pérouse, Yvonne Queylard and Jules Zingg.

The Place du Marché is very interesting. It is lined with several winegrowers' houses, recognisable by their typical architecture: tall houses with a staircase on the façade leading down to the vat room where the wine fermented, while the cellar was dug out below.
The shoeing machine, or "travail", was used to shoe horses and cattle, and also to treat them when they needed to be immobilised. The hut, with its two scales, was used for agricultural transactions of up to 3000kg. The well was one of the village's rare water sources before no fewer than 12 fountains were built in 1880. Finally, the andesite lava cross dates from the 17th century.

The Monne is a beautiful river with fast-flowing waters. After a short journey of 27 km, it flows into the Veyre, itself a tributary of the Allier. The river has carved deep gorges into the marl of the late Tertiary period.

In Saint-Sandoux, the Fontaine de la Place is one of the oldest and most important fountains in the village. Its circular basin, known locally as a "bac", is typical of the 16th century. For a long time, it was the only source of water for the inhabitants, serving as a wash house and drinking trough, but also as a basin for soaking straw and wicker. In response to the great need for fountains among the inhabitants of Saint-Sandoux, the Fontaine des Forts was built in 1877 (but only after the inhabitants had made a significant subscription! ), and the Fontaine des Orneufs was erected in 1879. The latter was built by the residents themselves and was used to water the gardens, as its name suggests, since "orneuf" means "garden" in the local dialect. As the village of Saint-Sandoux was once mainly focused on growing vines and apple trees, the Fontaine des Orneufs was used extensively by winegrowers. In spring, they would soak the wicker used to tie up the vines, and in summer, the rye straw used to "lift" the vines. In autumn, all the equipment needed for the grape harvest also had to be washed.

The Château de Murol in Saint-Amant belongs to the Giscard d'Estaing family. Also known as Château de la Tour Fondue, it was a fortified house belonging to the Murol family from 1347 onwards. It later belonged to the de la Tour Fondue family. In the 19th century, Anatole de la Tour Fondue transformed the site into a neo-medieval castle, but the work ruined him. In 1921, the castle, which had been abandoned, was sold to cousins of the family, the Giscard d'Estaing family.