The villages of Saint-Martin-Cantalès

Circular walk starting from Saint-Martin-Cantalès on the square in front of its beautiful 15th-century church. An easy, shaded route exploring the various hamlets between the two rivers in this vast commune in western Cantal. Yellow“PR®” signposting.
This route is brought to you by the “Balades entre Maronne et Bertrande” association.

Details

6420306
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.48 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 266 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 264 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 705 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 588 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park on the Place de l'Église.

(S/E) Follow the road from the church towards the village centre.

(1) Turn left and walk past the school. Continue along the road which ends near the Le Bac farm.

(2) Continue along the path that follows on from here, pass under a power line, then cross the Ruisseau de Domal. You will reach the road leading to the village of the same name.

(3) On arriving in the village of Domal, note the bread oven on the left and then the stone window frames of the old house on the square. Walk through the village to the Farges road and turn right. After 50 m, turn right again towards the village of Puy de Malrieu, until you reach a barn at its entrance.

(4) Walk past the barn and take the path on the right, signposted by a sign. Follow the path down to the stream and then back up. The tree-lined path leads out onto a field; cross it to reach the D342. Cross the road carefully and follow the path opposite to the D42.

(5) Turn right onto the D42 to the hamlet of Sept Fons.
Turn left after the barn and follow the path to the hamlet of Les Bardetties.

(6) Head right, follow the tarmac village road up to the D42.

(7) Follow the road to the left for 100m and turn left again towards the hamlet of Miche.

(8) At the hamlet, continue to the right and head up to the D42. Turn left and carry on to the village of Le Mont. The route offers an optional detour through the village of Le Mont; otherwise, continue along the D42.

(9) At the cross, turn right and head downhill for 50m. Turn left and pass Chantal-Lavialle. Cross the D6 with care and take the path opposite. After 100m, turn right and head downhill to the Ruisseau de Marty. The path then climbs back up to the hamlet of Le Tilleul.

(10) Turn right, follow the Puy Gibert path to the village entrance, at the hamlet known as "Les Croisades". Turn left to reach the church square.

(1) Cross the village to return to the church square (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 622 m - Church Square in Saint-Martin-Cantalès
  2. 1 : km 0.24 - alt. 629 m - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : km 0.88 - alt. 615 m - Le Bac Farm
  4. 3 : km 3.16 - alt. 677 m - Road to Domal
  5. 4 : km 3.89 - alt. 689 m - Puy de Malrieu
  6. 5 : km 5.43 - alt. 684 m - D42 junction
  7. 6 : km 5.9 - alt. 635 m - Les Bardetties
  8. 7 : km 6.46 - alt. 684 m - D42
  9. 8 : km 6.98 - alt. 650 m - Village of Miche
  10. 9 : km 8.23 - alt. 645 m - Cross in the village of Mont
  11. 10 : km 9.55 - alt. 617 m - Chemin du Puy Gibert
  12. S/E : km 10.48 - alt. 623 m - Church Square in Saint-Martin-Cantalès

Notes

  • Fountain with drinking water and public toilets on the Church Square in Saint-Martin-Cantalès.
  • Small grocery shop in the village of Besse, 4.3 km away.

Worth a visit

  • Porch of the church of Saint-Martin-Cantalès
  • Contemporary Peace Monument, Place de l'Église
  • Bread oven and old houses in the hamlet of Domal

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

4.2 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
3.6 / 5
Kim Christophe
Kim Christophe

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the woods. Beautiful views of the Cantal countryside

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leonisa14
leonisa14

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk, nothing more, with a bit too much road walking in the second half. The war memorial at the start of the walk is striking, and the explanation for this particular choice is very interesting.
Given the many rainy days, the grass is tall on some of the paths, and there are some very wet sections (mud or a stream of water running down the path). But with the right kit (long trousers, waterproof shoes and a walking stick), it’s fine even when crossing the Domal stream, which was the trickiest bit.

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Fannou
Fannou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike with peaceful scenery and information boards all along the route; we stopped briefly to watch the cows, one of which came over for a stroke – not shy at all. For the record, she was black and white.

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balou17
balou17

I’ve mainly been hiking in Corrèze, though I’ve done a few in Cantal, and it’s true that I didn’t check my map every time – apologies for that mistake

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Jérôme Chanut
Jérôme Chanut
• Edited:

Thank you for your comment, but you were indeed in the Cantal, not in Corrèze!
I’m sorry you had trouble with the vegetation. The paths are maintained once a year, usually in early summer, and there is indeed a stretch of a few hundred metres (between points 4 and 5, heading up after the Domal stream) where the grass grows quickly! We look forward to seeing you on our paths.

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balou17
balou17

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the Corrèze countryside. Part of the route is completely overgrown. Tall grass and nettles up to waist height, brambles reaching over your head.

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Barpro
Barpro

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Thanks to whoever did the work; the paths are lovely, but the villages aren’t particularly traditional – a shame.

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