Le Puy Moriot and the stonemason's hut

In Yronde, park in one of the spaces available around the cemetery, located between the villages of Buron and Yronde.

Yellow and red^GRP®®markings around Issoire

(S/E) Head towards the village of Yronde by taking the one-way street. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead and then turn left onto Rue de l'Horloge for a few metres.

Off the trail

Turn right onto Rue de la Fontaine and continue to the square of the same name, where there is a fountain. Continue straight ahead, turn left at the T-junction and then, at the next junction, take the path straight ahead (marked in yellow and green-white). You will arrive at a crossroads with directional signs (not relevant for this hike).

^GRP®® yellow and red markings

(1) Continue straight ahead, following the^GRP®® markings, along a street and then along the path that extends from it. You will arrive at the village of La Molière at a pretty cross.

No markings

(2) For a short round trip, follow the street opposite, slightly to the left (Rue des Meules, sign further on) to a beautiful wash house, an old wine press and an information panel about the yellow-bellied toad. Retrace your steps back to the cross.

^GRP®® Yellow and Red markings, more or less visible as they are marked in the opposite direction

(2) Follow Rue du Châtaignier to the left. Ignore a path on the right further on, staying on the road, cross the D755 and continue on the path opposite. At the intersection, first turn right then left, ignoring a field path on the right shortly afterwards. At the crossroads of four paths, continue straight ahead, as well as at the next crossroads of four paths.

(3) At the next intersection, turn left onto a grassy path, pass under a power line, ignore a grassy path on the right and join a path not far from a pond.

(4) Follow it to the right, ignore a path on the right, and reach a T-junction near Roure. Follow the path to the left, which quickly becomes a tarmac road.

No markings

(5) At the intersection with the lion-headed fountain, turn right onto Rue des Trois Fontaines. Further on, pass a second fountain, then a beautiful third fountain with two lion heads and a wash house. About 50 metres further on, at the intersection, continue straight ahead towards La Courtade. Pass this property and continue along the path that extends the street. You will reach a crossroads with a pretty cross and find the GRP®® markings again^.

Yellow and red^GRP®® markings

(6) Turn right. At an old small quarry, turn right and climb towards a clearly visible sign (do not take the pseudo-path that climbs up the rock just before the quarry), then continue climbing. You will reach a plateau and continue to the T-junction with a path.

Yellow markings

(7) Leave the^GRP®® markings that go to the right and turn left, following the yellow markings along a fence.

No markings

(8) At the Sous le Puy Moriot sign, turn right for a short detour to the top of this low hill, which nevertheless offers extensive views. Retrace your steps.

Yellow markings

(8) Take the path on the right. At the T-junction, turn right. Ignore a path that descends to the right, pass a promontory that offers a view of the Ruisseau de Crinzon valley (caution), ignore two paths on the right that are very close together and immediately find another path on the right, marked in yellow.

No markings

(9) Before taking this path, follow the path straight ahead for a round trip, which soon turns left and joins the stone mason's hut at Four Labrouque, built on the edge of a cliff in a former small quarry. Retrace your steps to the previous intersection.

Yellow markings

(9) Descend the path on the left. Shortly afterwards, do not take the path that descends steeply to the left, but turn right, join another path and follow it to the left. Further on, ignore another path that descends to the left, then ignore a path on the right. At the T-junction, follow the path on the right. Ignore a hairpin bend on the right.

No markings

(10) At the next four-way crossroads, leave the yellow markings, which go left, and continue straight ahead. At the fork in the road, keep left, join the D775 and follow it to the right.

(11) At the fork in the road, turn left towards La Molière. At the houses, keep left on Rue de la Meule, then, in the bend in the road on the right, at a stone bench, continue on the path that branches off to the left. You will arrive in front of a house in Yronde and turn left onto the tarmac road to return to an intersection you passed on the way there.

(1) Continue straight on towards the Church of Saint-Martin, walk along the building on your left, then turn left (the church was open when we passed by and had some beautiful murals). Leaving the church, take Rue de l'Horloge opposite and on the left, turn right at the intersection and, at the crossroads, continue straight on Rue du Haut Pavé, following the route in reverse, to return to the car park (S/E).

Hike of moderate difficulty, leaning towards easy, requiring standard hiking equipment.

Photo albums here and here

Yronde and Molières are two old wine-growing villages with typical old winegrowers' houses, particularly large vaulted cellar doors on the ground floor.
For the history of Yronde and the surrounding villages, follow this link.

Yellow-bellied toad, a rare and protected species (like all amphibians in France, normally), information panel at the Molière wash house.

Stone mason's hut in Four Labrouque, see also this link, a beautiful site, unfortunately polluted by motorists, who also cause a lot of damage to the surrounding paths and trails, showing no respect for nature, hikers or the volunteers who restored this site.

The route passes through former arkose quarries, a local sandstone that was once highly prized for housing and religious buildings: the Romanesque churches of Auvergne often feature beautiful decorative motifs combining arkose (light ochre) and Volvic stone (black).

There are beautiful, sweeping views along almost the entire route, particularly from the "summit" of Puy Moriot, over the Sancy massif, the Chaîne des Puys, the Livradois massif, the Allier valley dotted with villages and, nearby, the citadel village of Montpeyroux and the Motte de Buron.

Saint-Martin Church, with beautiful murals that were restored between 1998 and 2008. The history of the church in a few dates here.