The Gorce and Sioule valleys

At the entrance to the village of Aurières, park near the cemetery, located to the east of the village, in a large car park at the junction of the D561 and a street leading to the village.

(S/E) Head towards the centre of the village, in the direction of the church tower, which you can see about a hundred metres to the north-west. Pass a fountain on the right-hand side of the street, then ignore two streets on the left to reach an intersection with a sign pointing towards Nébouzat. Turn left, and you will see the church on your left and a fountain and wash house on your right. Turn right, pass the town hall/school on your left, then, as the street begins to curve to the left, take a small street on the right. Turn onto the first path on the left.

(1) About 60 metres further on, ignore a street on your left and continue, veering slightly to the right onto the street, which soon becomes a path. At the first fork, continue to the right, then at the next fork 50 metres further on, continue to the left. The path then descends into the Gorce valley in wide loops.

(2) Cross the Gorce at the Moulin de Neuville, whose wheel still works, then continue along the path on the left. Come up higher on another path and turn right. Ignore a path on the right and then another on the left and arrive at an intersection in the hamlet of Neuville. On your right, across the road, you will see a fountain and a bread oven. Cross the road and continue straight ahead for a few metres, passing the cross.

(3) Immediately afterwards, take the small road that branches off to the left, heading west, to leave the hamlet. Ignore a path on the right 50 metres further on, then continue straight ahead on the path that extends the road. At the next intersection, turn left. Shortly afterwards, the path begins to descend into the Sioule valley.

(4) When you reach a house called La Marronnie, continue along the small road on the left. Ignore a path on the right and then a path on the left and you will arrive at the Sioulet stream, a tributary of the Sioule. Take the path on the right to pass below the farm buildings. Ignore a path on the left and you will arrive at an intersection.

(5) Turn right to descend further to the bed of the Sioule. Cross the river and climb back up to a road, the D556.

(6) Cross and continue on the path opposite, slightly to the right. After about 100 metres, ignore a path on the left and continue straight ahead. Further on, a few dozen metres to your right, you will see the Château de Voissieux and its farm buildings. You will come to a small road.

(7) Turn right to reach the hamlet of Voissieux. Note that you are now following the red and white markings of^{the GR®®30}. Pass to the left of the wash house and the old bread oven just before an intersection. Notice, opposite you, on the other side of the road, a small rectangular building which is an old blacksmith's workshop.

(8) Cross the main road and take the small street on the right that descends between stone houses. Ignore a path on the left. Shortly afterwards, the street turns into a path and bends left then right to approach the Sioule. Shortly afterwards, ignore a path on the left that crosses the river. Further on, the path turns left and crosses the Sioule.

(9) At the fork shortly afterwards, continue left and climb up to the heights of the valley. Continue straight ahead on this path, ignoring two paths on the left and one path on the right, to reach the hamlet of Neuville. First, you will see a farm building on your right; ignore the path immediately after it. Continue to the crossroads about 50 metres further on, with a small iron cross on a stone base in the centre and a fountain on your right.

(10) Continue straight ahead, following the red and white markings and taking a street on the left of a small green space with an old horseshoe press converted into a picnic table. You will soon come to a T-junction with yellow directional signs (Neuville sign). Ignore all the directions indicated and turn left onto the path. Further on, at a fork, continue to the left. Further on still, you will come to a crossroads with four paths and yellow directional signs.

(11) Continue to the right (towards Recoleine) to descend towards the Gorce. Ignore a path on the right and, at a crossroads, continue straight ahead to find the stream. Cross the Gorce on the small footbridge and climb up the other side.

(12) Despite the numerous signs advising against it, take the first path on the right (leaving the red and white^GR®® trail). This path turns right then left and leads to a small road. Cross the road and continue along the path opposite, which descends slightly. You will come to another path at the Ruisseau de la Gigeole stream.

(13) Turn right to follow the stream on your right. After about 100 metres, the path turns left. At the next fork, continue to the right. Further on, cross the stream again and you will come to another path.

(14) Turn left and, at the next T-junction, turn right. At the next junction, turn right again at a small bridge over another stream, then cross the Gigeole one last time. Pass to the left of some farm buildings and you will come to a crossroads.

(15) Turn left to reach Aurières. You will arrive at a fountain at the entrance to the village, where you will see a beautiful old pollarded tree on your left. Continue along the street on the left. At the next intersection, continue left again, leaving the church on your right. Ignore all the streets on the right and walk past the fountain to reach the car park (S/E).

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 Sioule is a fast-flowing river that rises near Lac de la Cassière, a few kilometres east of Aurières, and flows into the Allier. The Sioulet is one of the direct tributaries of the Sioule, flowing into it a few hundred metres west of La Marronnie (4). The Gigeole is a tributary of the Gorce, itself a tributary of the Sioule. These confluences are further north.

The architecture in the villages is reminiscent of that found in the villages of the Cantal region, particularly in Cézallier, just on the other side of the Monts Dores. The numerous stone houses are often attached to barns and stables (hence the term "ferme-bloc" or "block farm"), which are accessed via a wide ramp, known as a "montade". Pigsties were often built under the montade. Many old houses are still covered with slate tiles. In the heart of the villages, in addition to fountains and wash houses, there is often a bread oven (still in use in Neuville) and a shoeing rack. These small rectangular structures were used to immobilise and support horses or oxen while the farrier or veterinarian worked on them.

The Château de Voissieux (8) has been completely restored and is now used as a bed and breakfast.