The woods of Murols

Park in the car park by the church and cemetery in Murols. To get there: from Aurillac, take the D920 southwards. At Jurlhes Haut, turn left onto the D128, then take the D228. At Plainecoste, turn left onto the D505 and follow it to Murols.

(S/E) Leave the car park by taking the road to the left uphill.

(1) In the centre of the village, cross the D505 road with care and head up the road that passes in front of the town hall and the old school. The route then follows the^GR®465.
The road soon gives way to a dirt track which enters the woods and overlooks the road.
At the T-junction, take the path on the right heading north, mostly skirting the edge of the woods on your right. The path descends gently.
Further on, cross the small Camurols road with care and continue straight ahead. The track eventually joins the D505 road. Follow it carefully to the left, heading north. The road passes under a high-voltage power line before climbing towards Murols Soubeyre on the right.

(2) At the crossroads, take the road on the left at an acute angle and walk through the hamlet, which stretches out in a long, narrow line. At the end of the road, continue along the path that follows it and enters a wooded area. The path passes to the left of a basalt spur and then descends towards the Goul valley and the village of Lantuéjouls.
Before reaching the first farm in the village, take a right-hand hairpin bend onto a dirt track that is almost level.

(3) At the next crossroads, about five to six hundred metres further on, take the path on the right up the hillside, leaving the^GR®465which heads downhill.
The path heads downhill towards the confluence of the Bugaux and Augons streams.

(4) Ford the first stream and follow the second for about one hundred and fifty metres, keeping a close eye on the signposting. Then, on the right, you’ll come to an old ‘forest path’ (a path through the woods). The path winds its way uphill to the east of the Bugaux stream, then past the Négre stream, which is its tributary.
The path opens out onto an open plateau with lovely views of the Monts du Cantal.

(5) Turn right and carefully follow the D505 road for about two hundred metres. The road passes under a high-voltage power line.
Immediately afterwards, turn left onto the Route de Cadillac

(6) After passing straight through the hamlet, just as the road turns sharply left, continue straight ahead along a right-of-way for about four hundred metres. Turn off onto a steep path and descend carefully to the Ruisseau du Batut.
Cross the stream and follow the dirt track back up to Murols through the woods.
The path joins the D505 road less than fifty metres east of the junction you passed on the way there.

(1) Turn left onto the downhill road to return to the car park (S/E).

This walk across varied terrain requires suitable footwear.
It does not present any real navigation difficulties as it is marked in yellow, features signposting and follows the ‘Les Bois de Murols’ route published by the Carladez Tourist Office. In addition, it is advisable to follow the instructions in the route description and on the map, whilst paying close attention to the landscape. The waypoints (with their GPS coordinates and the distance from the starting point) are helpful for walkers exploring the route for the first time.
The route is quite physically demanding due to the elevation gain.

Murols
Saint-Laurent Church in Murols.
Church with a gabled bell tower, wayside cross, and the ‘De feu et de vent’ (Of Fire and Wind) Imagination Trail in Murols
It was the seat of a priory under the authority of the Bishop of Rodez.
The church dates from the 15th century. It has a Romanesque chancel and the vault was rebuilt in the 18th century. It features a beautiful four-bay bell gable.
In 1853, the blessing of the great bell (454 kg) was the defining event of the century, witnessed by an assembly of clergy.
This church is not often open to visitors.
In the village, you will also see L’Ostal del Fabre (the blacksmith’s house) and you can take a stroll along one of the ‘paths of the imagination’.
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The chapel at Manhaval.
This charming 12th-century pre-Romanesque chapel stands on a ridge, in the heart of a wild, silent landscape. The vicarage closed before the school did in the 1960s, and the undergrowth began to take over.
In 1976, the arrival of two residents helped to improve access to the site and breathe new life into the village. In 1985, a charity began restoring the building.
So far, it has been a success.
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