The Artière valley

Close to Clermont-Ferrand, rolling meadows dotted with a few farms and a fast-flowing stream, the Ruisseau de Saint-Genès, also known as the Artière.

Details

510702
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.35 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 459 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 450 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 870 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 578 m

Description of the walk

In Ceyrat, on Avenue de la Liberté, park in the small car park near the bridge over the Artière.

(S/E) With your back to the road, take the path that runs along the Artière on your right.

(1) You will come to a large bridge over the stream, near a recent landslide. Turn left onto Chemin de Redon, which winds upwards. Take the first right turn. Shortly after the second left turn, begin to descend.

(2) Further on, at a fork, continue to the left. After several hairpin bends, ignore a path on the left and you will come to a small road.

(3) Continue, veering slightly to the right, then immediately turn right onto what used to be a path, Chemin de Saulzet, and is now a residential street. Take the street on the right, following the yellow disc markings to go around the residential area on the right, then turn onto the first street on the right.

(4) When the street curves to the left, keep straight ahead. Continue in the same direction, ignoring the paths branching off to the left. At a fork, ignore the path that branches off to the right towards the woods and turn left. Continue to a picnic area at the entrance to the village of Saulzet-le-Chaud.

(5) Turn right and look for the yellow disc markings, which you will follow for the rest of the route. Continue along this path, which approaches the D2089.

(6) Do not continue to the road but, at the intersection just before it, turn right onto the path. Ignore the two paths on the right just after this. Further on, the path veers northwards near some beautiful rocks, then heads west again and passes through some farm buildings. Continue along this path, ignoring the paths on the right. At the junction, as you leave the farm, continue to the right and you will come to a fork just after a private road on the right.

(7) Turn right at the fork into the woods, despite the "tir à l'approche" sign (roe deer hunting in summer!). Continue along this path, which quickly turns right and runs alongside a large meadow with a pond. At the junction, leave the beautiful Redon Haut farm on your right and continue to the left. Further on, ignore a path on the left.

(8) At the next intersection, it is very easy to miss the tall cross on the left, which is marked on the IGN map, as it is badly damaged and covered with ivy. Turn right and continue until you enter the INRA estate.

(9) Turn right, slightly diagonally, onto the first path, which soon enters the undergrowth and then turns left. You will arrive at the "Ruisseau de Saint-Genès" signpost.

(10) Continue along the stream on the left for a round trip to the village of Saint-Genès. Further on, ford the stream by jumping from stone to stone (the crossing can be tricky if the stream is very full). Arrive below the castle and church of Saint-Genès and continue along the path.

(11) Turn right to explore the wetland area, making a circular route and returning to the stream.

(11) Climb up opposite and then to the left to see the old castle, now owned by INRA, and the church. Descend towards the stream and turn right to retrace your steps to the "Ruisseau de Saint-Genès" signpost.

(10) Continue straight along the Ruisseau de Saint-Genès, which will soon become the Artière. Walk along the left bank and climb a little to reach an intersection.

(12) Continue to the right and descend towards the stream, following the winding path. Cross a footbridge with a green railing. Continue along the right bank and you will find the Dolmen de Samson. Continue along the stream on your left.

(13) Further on, cross it again via a footbridge. Continue with the stream on your right. Further on, discover the Pieuvre des Montagnes.

(1) Shortly afterwards, you will come to the large bridge over the Artière at the scree slope. Continue on the left, following the stream along the same path as on the way up, and you will soon reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 578 m - Car park on Avenue de la Liberté
  2. 1 : km 0.39 - alt. 610 m - Bridge and scree - L'Artière
  3. 2 : km 1.23 - alt. 691 m - Turn left at the fork
  4. 3 : km 2.16 - alt. 604 m - Slightly to the right on the road
  5. 4 : km 2.6 - alt. 608 m - Path after the housing estate
  6. 5 : km 3.55 - alt. 647 m - Entrance to the village of Saulzet-le-Chaud
  7. 6 : km 4.17 - alt. 707 m - Path on the right
  8. 7 : km 5.76 - alt. 787 m - Right at the fork
  9. 8 : km 6.98 - alt. 805 m - On the right
  10. 9 : km 8.24 - alt. 841 m - INRA, on the right
  11. 10 : km 8.78 - alt. 810 m - Round trip to Saint-Genès
  12. 11 : km 9.76 - alt. 863 m - Wetland
  13. 12 : km 12.72 - alt. 782 m - Turn right towards the stream
  14. 13 : km 14.05 - alt. 668 m - Fording
  15. S/E : km 15.35 - alt. 579 m - Car park on Avenue de la Liberté

Notes

Moderate difficulty hike, standard hiking equipment

Worth a visit

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

Photo album here

Journey to the heart of the Shire: peaceful countryside, rolling hills and cool streams.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
Thierry63400
Thierry63400

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike. The numerous passages through the woods and along the stream provide a welcome coolness. No major difficulties: there are a series of elevation changes, but they are not very significant.
A small update is necessary:
- after the St Genès wetland, the circular route shown on the map is no longer feasible: the land is now private and cannot be accessed,
- above this area, next to the church, the old castle no longer belongs to INRA but to Clermont Community. It is Escapad, a starting point for hikes where you can fill your water bottle and view your route on an interactive screen... the staff were very welcoming when I visited.
- The fords are now crossed via small wooden bridges, so there is no risk... except perhaps if the stream's flow became extremely strong.
Thank you for this hiking suggestion... I will definitely be back!

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Balthorus
Balthorus

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The second part is very pretty and enjoyable. The first part isn't very interesting... Houses, cars, roads...

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margot63
margot63

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

done on a mountain bike. A real treat!

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