The lime tree of Olby and the Foker Spring

At the entrance to Allagnat, park at the picnic area on the edge of the D52.

(S/E) Take the path lined with beautiful beech trees that leads to the centre of the village and joins the road at the castle park.

(1) Follow the road to the left, then take the first street on the left towards the village centre and "Chez Pierre". Pass the cul-de-sac on the left that leads up to the entrance to the castle (private) and the church, then continue left at the crossroads, passing to the left of the large cross. Continue along Rue du Suquet de la Roche, pass the wash house on your left, then, after a hairpin bend to the right, ignore a street on your left. Enter the hamlet of Trézaret and pass the farm buildings on your right. At the fork, continue to the left and, further on, ignore a road on your left, then pass in front of an iron cross.

(2) Shortly before a grove of fir trees on the left of the road, turn right onto a grassy path. Further on, ignore a path coming from the right and continue straight ahead on a poorly maintained path. After a few metres, cross into the field on your left, where it is easier to walk, and follow the edge of the field on the right until you reach the entrance to the field.

(3) You will then come to a wide dirt track; follow it. Further on, ignore a path on the left and then, further still, a path on the right. You will come to a crossroads.

(4) Continue straight ahead, ignoring the road that branches off to the right and the one that branches off to the left and back, to enter Bravant. Ignore the first street on the right, near a reservoir and an iron cross, but take the next one, following the signs for "Abri du Berger". At the fork, continue left, still heading towards the "Abri du Berger". At the next crossroads, leave this direction and continue straight ahead, then ignore a street on the left and continue straight ahead to leave Bravant.

(5) As the road begins to curve to the right, leave it and turn onto a path on the left. This will lead to another path; follow it to the right to reach a road. Follow this road to the left for a few metres.

(6) Turn onto the first path on the right. Numerous springs flow from the embankment on your right, passing under the path and joining a stream on the other side. Shortly afterwards, ignore a path on the right and, further on, pass to the right of a farm building. At the crossroads just after, take the small road on the left, cross the stream and you will find the first houses of Olby.

(7) At the crossroads, turn right and then, at the next crossroads, just after the sports facilities, turn left. At the next crossroads, turn left, then ignore a street on the right. After a right turn, you will come to a crossroads with the town hall/post office and a fountain a few metres ahead. Turn right towards a large iron cross and the church. Ignore the streets on the right, pass to the right of the cross and then the church, before turning left behind the church to climb a few steps and discover a magnificent lime tree, several hundred years old.

(8) Go back down the steps, turn right and then, at the corner of the church, continue to the left. At the intersection a few metres further on, turn right, then left at the next intersection, in front of a transformer. Join a road and follow it to the left.

(9) At the crossroads after the cemetery, look for the red and white markings, which you will follow until further notice, as well as the^GR®®441and green and white markings. Continue straight ahead. Further on, pass a simple iron cross on your left. Immediately after, ignore a path on the right, then another on the left, and cross the Ceyssat stream over a small bridge.

(10) At the intersection with a path coming from the right, leave the green and white markings and the^GR®®441and follow the^GR®®441A(still marked in red and white) on the right. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the paths on the left, until you reach a small road.

(11) Follow it to the right. Further on, at a fork just after a farm building on your right, continue to the right to reach the village of Ceyssat. You will come to a crossroads with a cross in the middle and, on the left, a fountain and a bread oven, as well as an information panel entitled "Le four des Girots" (The Girots' oven). Continue straight ahead, ignoring all the streets on the right, to reach the church. Pass on the left and continue to a larger street, opposite the school. Turn left to discover the Foker spring (information panel).

(12) Continue in the same direction, passing by the fountain to reach a large crossroads with a war memorial in the centre. Take the street on the right and ignore the path that branches off to the right immediately after. At the next intersection, turn right and then immediately left. Continue along this small road to Montmeyre. At the entrance to the village, ignore a path on the right and continue to the intersection with a street coming from the left, Rue du Puy de Côme.

(13) Continue straight ahead for a short round trip to the fountain and an inn with a beautiful enamelled lava sign. Turn back to the intersection with Rue du Puy de Côme, now on your right, and follow it to leave the village. At the next intersection, turn left for a few metres, then at the crossroads with a cross and a picnic table, continue to the right. Shortly after passing the farm buildings on your right, at an intersection with a small road on the left and a path on the right, you will see a yellow sign marked "Courbette". Follow this path towards Allagnat. Shortly afterwards, on your left, you will see an information panel about the puys entitled "Quelques maillons de la Chaîne" (A few links in the chain).

(14) Further on, at a crossroads, look for the yellow marker "La Montraynaud". Take the path to the right of the cross towards the Montmeyre route. About 400m further on, leave the^GR®®, which continues straight ahead, and take a path on the right that leads to a chalet. Shortly afterwards, ignore a path on the right.

(15) At the next intersection, look for the "Puy Menier" sign and turn left towards Allagnat. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead onto Rue de la Garde. At the next intersection, note the Allagnat sign on the wall on your left and continue left onto Rue Saint-Martin. At the crossroads with the large iron cross, continue left to pass to the left of the church and return to the picnic area (S/E) via the same route you took on the way there.

Moderate difficulty hike, standard hiking equipment required.

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

The Olby lime tree is a Sully lime tree, a remarkable tree whose origins date back to a decision by Sully, minister to Henri IV, to plant lime trees or elms in French villages, often near churches or in the main square. In Olby, this splendid lime tree, formerly pollarded, has a circumference of around 10 metres at its base and a height of 25.5 metres.

The Girots oven. There are often several ovens in each village. Around this route, you can see four in Ceyssat, two in Montmeyre and one in Allagnat. They share some architectural features: a gabled roof made of schist slates, walls made of black volcanic stone and one or two tiny windows. The ash removed from the oven was often used for washing clothes at the wash house. When mixed with water, it is effective at dissolving dirt.

In the commune of Ceyssat, as is often the case in Auvergne, there are numerous hydraulic installations. In the central square, for example, you will notice a drinking trough-fountain and a pond. Throughout the commune, there are around twenty fountains, wash houses, drinking troughs and other basins. Whether modest or highly elaborate, this small architectural heritage is always clad in Volvic lava.

The second part of this hike offers beautiful views of the Puys de Côme, Balmet, Fillu, Grand Knoll and Petit Knoll. The first four are the result of a Strombolian-type eruption, where lava is expelled when the gas flow is high. As it falls, it produces slag and bombs that form a cone around the crater. The lava from these four puys is basic. The Petit Suchet, on the other hand, is the result of highly viscous acidic magma that prevents the formation of gas bubbles. The lava was therefore not expelled, but instead formed a dome.

The Plateau des Dômes, at the foot of the puys, is criss-crossed with meadows. 1,800 mm of water falls annually on the summit of the Puy de Dôme, and 1,300 mm falls on the plateau, guaranteeing top-quality hay! It is harvested both in natural meadows, rich in local flora, and in sown meadows.

The Foker Spring. The bottom of the small basin that receives the spring water is covered with a red deposit, indicating that the water has a high ferric iron content. Limestone deposits can also be seen along the water's path. These minerals mean that the spring can be considered hydrothermal. The water is sparkling and has a sulphurous and slightly acidic taste. As it rises from the base, where the temperature can reach 180°C, the water becomes acidic when it encounters carbon dioxide. It thus acquires the power to dissolve rocks, from which it recovers minerals (calcium, sulphur).