Landscape on the left bank of the Couze Pavin at Saint-Floret

A short but not-so-easy walk, full of charm, offering a bird’s-eye view of the landscapes in and around the Couze Pavin Gorges.

Details

45460399
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.90 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 172 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 174 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 616 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 488 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Access: from Issoire, take the D996 towards Besse. After Perrier, at the fork, take the D26 on the left towards Besse. In Saint-Floret, park at the Pont de la Pède: if there are no spaces, cross the bridge, take the first street on the left and continue to the town hall car park.
The walk starts at the Pont de la Pède: please note that a Yellow walk also starts at this point; do not follow it.

Blue markings

(S/E) At the bridge, by the D26, turn your back on the river, cross the road and turn left.
Walk past the Tourist Office, then turn right onto a narrow cobbled path that climbs steeply between a wall and the last house. The path climbs steeply through the hillside vegetable gardens with views of the village, the Couze and the chapel on the opposite bank. At the top, continue downhill.

(1) At the junction with a wide path, turn right and follow it uphill.

(2) At the top of the climb, near the motocross route (view), continue across the plateau towards Clémensat.

(3) At the junction with the D631, turn right towards Clémensat, cross the village and take the D28 towards Saint-Floret.

(4) On leaving the village, at the campsite, leave the road and take the path on the left, then keep immediately to the right at the fork. Continue and take the first path on the right, which zigzags through the fields.

(5) On the right, take a small, steeply sloping path that descends directly to Saint-Floret. After joining the road, turn right and head back up to the Pont de la Pède (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 491 m - Pont de la Pède - Couze Pavin (rivière) à finaliser
  2. 1 : km 0.8 - alt. 534 m - Junction with a wide path
  3. 2 : km 2.32 - alt. 616 m - Motocross
  4. 3 : km 3.2 - alt. 604 m - Junction with the road
  5. 4 : km 3.87 - alt. 569 m - At the campsite
  6. 5 : km 5.29 - alt. 562 m - Steep Path
  7. S/E : km 5.9 - alt. 491 m - Pont de la Pède - Église Saint-Flour (Saint-Floret)

Notes

Hiking boots are particularly recommended after point (5).

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
boyrando
boyrando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful route to take in good weather. Be careful at the end; the use of walking sticks is highly recommended.

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MarieBi
MarieBi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A pleasant family walk. A bit of a climb at the start, then mostly flat. Take care, as the final descent is quite steep. Lovely views with Mont Dore in the distance, but there’s not much shade.
Well-marked trail, marked in blue.

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mariefrancoise6
mariefrancoise6

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

corresponds to a PR route from Le Puy-en-Dôme, marked in blue

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mick15
mick15

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely route, but nothing new! It’s a carbon copy of the Clémensat route on Balirando, down to the last comma!!
So, an 80 km drive just to do a hike I’ve already done!! Not great

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