The Orgues de Chadecol

A hike to discover the site of Chadecol, inhabited 10,000 years ago by the first farmers and herders.
A walk to admire the basalt columns of Chadecol, the Allagnon valley and the village of Blesle.

Details

1611037
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.22 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 228 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 230 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 708 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 484 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure: A75, Exit 19 towards Blesle via the Gorges de l'Allagnon (D909, formerly N9), car park on Rue Montée du Vallat.

Yellow markings: Les Orgues de Chadecol (PR® 506)

(S/E) Take the first alley on the right up Rue Montée du Vallat, turn left at the first fork and after 20 metres take the small dirt path on the right.
Continue along this path until you reach the plateau (be careful, the path is slippery and overhanging).

(1) At the top (orientation table), turn left onto the path towards the hamlet of Chadecol, passing under a power line.

(2) Before the first houses, take the first path on the right. At the three-way junction, take the left path and continue straight on towards and into the Bois de Marthe forest in the direction of the village of Brugeilles.

(3) When you reach a tarmac road, turn right and continue along this road, which is also theGRP® Autour d'Issoire trail, following the railway line and then crossing it.

(4) Pass Aubeyrat and continue along the railway line and the Allagnon river towards the south-west.

(5) At the confluence of the Allagnon, La Sianne and La Voireuze rivers, the path is tarmac and becomes Chemin de Longchamp. Continue towards Blesle.

(6) When you reach Route du Babory (D8), turn right, pass a car park and turn right onto Rue Édouard Chatillon. At the crossroads, turn right onto Rue Montée du Vallat and continue to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 521 m - Parking on Rue Montée du Vallat
  2. 1 : km 0.99 - alt. 702 m - At the top of the plateau
  3. 2 : km 1.62 - alt. 705 m - Before the first houses of Chadecol
  4. 3 : km 4.39 - alt. 503 m - Tarmac road, on the right. Confluence of the Alagnon and - Bave (ruisseau) affuent de l'Alagnon
  5. 4 : km 4.84 - alt. 510 m - Aubeyrat. Walk along the - Alagnon (rivière)
  6. 5 : km 7.83 - alt. 495 m - Confluence of the Alagnon and - Sianne (rivière)
  7. 6 : km 8.73 - alt. 506 m - Junction with the D8
  8. S/E : km 9.22 - alt. 521 m - Parking on Rue Montée du Vallat

Notes

Be careful on the first part of the climb up to the Chadecol plateau, as the very narrow path overlooking the village and the Blesle valley can be dangerous (risk of rockfalls and slipping).

Avoid with young children!

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
3.9 / 5
Valérie Martin-Gaillard
Valérie Martin-Gaillard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with no difficulty, but best done on a grey or cool day. Varied: wooded section, no shade on the plateau, cool near the stream and pastures.
We relied on the signposts for this hike.

Machine-translated

isaj07
isaj07

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, the only difficulty being the 900-metre climb at the start of the route. It's a shame not to be able to see the Chadecol organ pipes more closely.

Machine-translated

User 20995315

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This hike is best done in the morning to avoid the heat.

Machine-translated

larochenet
larochenet

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, a little physically demanding at the start. You need to wear good footwear.
I had the pleasure of hearing the deer bellowing. A first for me, as I'm not from the region!

Machine-translated

Agnès et Olivier
Agnès et Olivier

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A somewhat challenging walk for the first 500 metres where there is a steep incline, but after that it is really easy going.
Please note: there is very little shade as there are very few trees on this route, except when you are by the river.
It takes a good three hours...
Nice places to stop along the Alagnon.

Machine-translated

alain42
alain42

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, lovely walk, starting straight up the slope of the path, about 30 minutes' climb among low walls and views of the village, not dangerous with children, then a tour of the plateau and a gentle descent back to BLESLE. Time: 2 hours 40 minutes.

Machine-translated

cflachard
cflachard

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk, but the name is a little misleading because on the first part (the climb) you can only see a small part of the organ pipes, and at the end (flat along the river) they are not in the line of sight of the walk. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a pleasant walk, with lots of blackberries to eat for those with a sweet tooth!

Machine-translated

chantal Moulin
chantal Moulin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route description is excellent; you can rely on it without any problems.
However, the stone houses and prehistoric site should be pointed out, as the hike passes slightly off the beaten track and you head straight for Chadecol after the climb. I realised this on my return, so I will be going back.
The walk ends with a stretch along a wide path on the banks of the Allagnon, where you can cool off on the way down. It's an easy route that's suitable for families, but probably not during the hottest hours of the day.

Machine-translated

Da10dou
Da10dou

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant hike that allows you to discover one of the most beautiful villages in Haute-Loire, dominated by a medieval castle. Don't hesitate to visit these narrow streets clustered along a beautiful river where you can dip your feet in the water in summer. Especially worth visiting in August during the music festival.

Machine-translated

JUNIPER
JUNIPER

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk with some variety, with the option to extend the walk with several different routes...

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.