The two Turluron

In Billom, park near the stadium, north of the town centre, on Route de Clermont D997A, which continues along Avenue Victor Cohalion.

(S/E) Cross Avenue Victor Cohalion and follow it to the right for a few metres before turning left onto Rue de la Libération. Further on, turn right to cross the supermarket car park and arrive at the edge of a stream, the Angaud. Cross it on the footbridge and, on the other side, turn left to follow the stream.

At the intersection, continue right onto Rue des Voûtes. Ignore a street on the left and continue to Avenue de la Gare. Follow it to the right until you reach the large intersection with Avenue de la République (traffic lights) at the station (in front of you).

(1) Cross over and continue straight ahead, cross the railway line, then turn right at the first street. At the fork shortly afterwards, turn left onto Rue de la Salette. Continue straight ahead on this street, ignoring all the streets that branch off to the left and right, until the street turns into a path. Continue straight ahead on this path, leaving Billom behind you and heading across the fields.

(2) At the crossroads with another path, turn left. At the next intersection, follow the path on the right that climbs towards Petit Turluron.

(3) At the crossroads, turn right to go around the small hill. Continue across the fields and then enter the forest. When you leave the forest, do not continue straight ahead down into the fields, but turn left to continue along the edge of the forest, continuing to go around the hill.

(4) At a crossroads, turn left for a fairly steep climb. After about 100 metres, take a path on the right to continue around the hill, climbing slightly. Further on, turn left onto a path that climbs quite steeply. Near the top, join another path and continue straight on to the Chapelle de la Salette chapel to enjoy a beautiful view of the surrounding area.

(5) Turn back and, at the fork, take the path on the left to descend from the hill. At the intersection with another path, at an information sign about Billom, continue straight ahead towards Gros Turluron.

(6) At the next intersection, take the path on the right. At a path branching off to the right, pass in front of the Croix Verny. Shortly afterwards, take a hairpin turn onto a path on the left. Ignore a path on the right and you will arrive at some vineyards. Ignore a path that climbs to the left and you will find an information panel about the Saint-Verny vineyards.

(7) At the corner of a vineyard plot, take the path on the left to climb to the top of Gros Turluron. Be careful, the end of the climb is steep.

(8) At the top, you can walk around the castle ruins, but you will need to return down the same path.

(7) Back at the bottom, continue to the left and, after about 100 metres, at the fork, continue to the left through the vineyard and then into the undergrowth. Ignore the path on the left. Further on, the path leaves the woods and joins another path near the D229 road.

(9) Turn left and ignore the path on the right that joins the road, continuing straight ahead, parallel to the road. Pass a house and, about 100 metres further on, take a path on the right to join the D229.

(10) Cross carefully to take a path opposite. Cross a stream (which feeds into the Angaud) and you will arrive at Rue Pierre Pottier. Follow it to the left to reach the village of Billom. Ignore all the streets on the right and left until you reach the intersection with Rue de la Tour and Rue du Montmouchet, at a car park with a fountain on your left.

(11) Continue straight ahead on Rue Croix de la Mission to arrive in front of Saint-Cerneuf Church. Turn right and notice the beautiful façades of the old houses on your left on Place des Écoles, including the Maison du Chapître (dating from 1447), then continue along Rue de l'Évêché, passing under an archway. You will come to a crossroads. On your right, notice the beautiful Fontaine de l'Éperon fountain.

Turn left and then immediately left again onto Rue des Moulinets. Shortly after passing a beautiful tree on your right, turn right onto a street that slopes downwards, then turns left to reach the Angaud. Cross the stream.

On the other side, turn left to walk along the stream, Quai de la Porte Neuve. Ignore Rue Saint-Benoit on your right, then the bridge on your left, and, just after, at the corner of a house with a lamppost, turn right into a narrow passage. Exit Rue le Peuple and continue straight ahead on Rue de la Paille. You will come to Rue des Déportés. Turn left and you will soon reach Place Louis Grimard on your left, with its half-timbered houses and fountain.

Turn left to cross the square and continue straight on along the street that extends from it. Shortly afterwards, ignore Rue des Ânes on your right, then Rue des Capucins, and continue along Rue du Colonel Mioche. Further on, at the intersection with Rue Joseph Marret, you will see a beautiful corbelled house. Continue straight ahead on the cobbled area until you reach Place du Creux du Marché. Turn left and then right to find the Angaud (do not take the footbridge).

(12) Continue straight ahead on Quai Lachaux, following the stream on your left, then take the bridge to cross it and turn left onto Quai du Terrail to follow it again. Ignore the footbridge again and, further on, at the end of the street, climb a few steps on the right. At the top, turn left and then right onto Rue de l'Étézon. Note the beautiful façade of the Maison du Bailli (at no. 16), then continue to the back of the church. Turn right onto Rue des Boucherie, lined with beautiful old houses, including the Maison des Bouchers and the Maison du Doyen (at no. 16).

Further on, at a red half-timbered house with a dog sign, turn right onto Rue du Puits, then keep left at the fork. Turn left onto Rue Saint-Jacques for a short round trip to discover other old houses (note the barber-surgeon sign), then retrace your steps along Rue Saint-Jacques and continue straight on Rue des Boucheries to arrive back at the Angaud stream. Turn left onto Quai du Terrail to leave the medieval village and you will soon reach Rue Carnot, opposite the post office.

(13) Turn right onto Rue Joseph Clausat and note the painted façade of the pharmacy. Further on, note the painted façade of the supermarket as the street turns right. At the next intersection, continue straight ahead on Rue des Jardins. Further along this street, note the beautiful house at No. 9, then you will reach Rue Clapier. Turn left to join Avenue Victor Cohalion and follow it to the left. Pass in front of the monument in tribute to the children of the troops to quickly reach the stadium car park (S/E).

Hike of moderate difficulty, rather easy, with a slight incline, 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

Photo album here

The Billom region owes its nickname of " Little Auvergne Tuscany " to Catherine de Medici, who stayed in this part of Auvergne, where the landscapes of crops, meadows and volcanic hills reminded her of the gentle landscapes of her native Tuscany.

Le Gros and Le Petit Turluron are two volcanic cones that broke away from the Chaîne des Puys and watch over the western flank of the town of Billom. It is thanks to them that the polycultural vocation of what is known as the little Tuscany of Auvergne has been able to develop. In particular, wine-growing terroirs have been developed on their slopes. The site of the town of Billom was already occupied in Gallo-Roman times by a settlement crossed by the Lyon-Bordeaux road. From that time until the Middle Ages, Billom, or Biliomi vico, was a large market town with commercial, craft and religious functions. Later, the Church of Saint-Cerneuf became an intellectual and academic centre with the creation of the first Jesuit college in France. In the neighbourhood of this church, which houses beautiful murals, there are still many 15th and 16th century half-timbered houses, some of which open onto galleries supported by stone or wooden pillars on the ground floor.

Perched on the Petit Turluron, the sanctuary of Notre-Dame de la Salette was built in 1869 as an ex-voto. A woman from Billom had made a vow at the sanctuary of La Salette (Isère), and her recovery convinced many donors to help her keep her word.

The Auvergne vineyard dates back to Gallo-Roman times. It experienced its first expansion in the Middle Ages under the influence of monasteries. Around the year 1000, the area of vineyards in Auvergne was estimated at 10,000 hectares. The grape varieties at that time were Auvergnat noir, or Pinot, and Auvergnat blanc, the future Chardonnay. From the 12th to the 16th century, the vineyards declined, but came back into fashion thanks to Louis XIV, who appreciated this terroir and took the opportunity to heavily tax the wine. In the 18th century, overproduction made it possible to ship wine to Paris by river: Allier-Loire-Canal de Briare-Quai de Bercy. The bougnats also delivered coal, cheese and hemp, and the capital became enriched with Auvergne brasseries. The end of the 19th century saw the heyday of wine-growing in the Puy-de-Dôme. At that time, 200,000 people lived off wine and the activities it generated. The landscape and housing were shaped by the winegrowers, but decline began to set in. The region lost 99% of its vineyards in a hundred years, for various reasons: the arrival of phylloxera, then mildew in 1910; the 1914 war, which depleted the villages of men; industrialisation and urbanisation throughout the 20th century, which led to the desertification of the countryside; and competition from other French vineyards, whose quality was improving. From the 1970s onwards, a few winegrowers re-established vineyards, such as Saint-Verny (Verny, or Werner, being the patron saint of Auvergne winegrowers), some of whose plots you will pass through on this route. The grape varieties are Gamay, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.