Puys de Baladou et de la Védrine from Mareuge

Coming from the D5, head towards Mareuge ^(a) via the D5h and, in the village, keep right, pass the old chapel, and park at the side of the road shortly afterwards, next to a route sign (which does not correspond to this trail at all).

Please note! This hike is not marked as such, nor is it marked in its entirety.

(S/E) Return to the centre of the village, pass the chapel (now converted into a house) on your right, then a fountain and the bread oven, and immediately turn right (towards the mohair shop). Shortly afterwards, you will see a beautiful fountain and a wash house on your right, at the intersection in front of the mohair shop.

Continue straight ahead, ignoring the streets on either side. Continue along the street as it turns left and cross the bridge over a stream, the Monne ^(b). You will arrive opposite the signpost "Les Creux de Maureuge" (probably a spelling mistake) and turn right towards "Bois de Mareuge". Ignore the entrance to a field on the right and you will come to a wide gravel path.

(1) Follow it to the right. Further on, at a crossroads with multiple paths (yellow signs indicating the directions you have come from on the left), ignore the first small grassy path on the right and immediately turn onto the first wide path on the right.

You will soon come to a fork at the "Forêt sectionale de Mareuge" sign and turn left, to the left of the sign, ignoring a grassy path that branches off to the left at a right angle. Continue straight ahead on this path until you reach the "Bois de Mareuge" sign, which has been damaged by forestry machinery.

(2) Ignore a path on the left and continue straight ahead towards "Puy de Baladou" on a path which, in August 2019, had been reduced to loose, dusty soil by forestry machinery (passable, but messy). Follow this path for about 800 metres.

(3) At the first fork, marked by an unmarked yellow arrow, turn right onto a much more pleasant path through the undergrowth. Shortly afterwards, walk alongside a stream for a few dozen metres, which appears to have been diverted as a result of forestry work.

Further on, take a hairpin bend to the right (ignoring a forest path on the left), then a hairpin bend to the left (at other yellow arrows). Cross the Monne again and climb up to a T-junction at another yellow arrow.

(4) Turn left. The path climbs up the southern flank of Puy de Baladou, still in the undergrowth. Leave the forest just before reaching an intersection with a wide path, marked by the^GR®®4, at the "Puy de Baladou" signpost. Beautiful view of the Monts Dore and the pastures of this high plateau.

(5) Turn right onto the^GR®® towards "Pessade". Continue straight ahead on this path, leaving Puy de Baladou on your right (no access to the summit). Pass a summer pasture gate and continue below Puy de la Védrine

(6) The path makes a sharp left turn. Shortly afterwards, on the right-hand side of the path, you will find an information panel about traditional burons (stone huts). Further on, the path turns right. Ignore a path that branches off to the left shortly afterwards (not shown on the map). Continue downhill to the first houses in Pessade ^(c).

(7) At the first intersection, look for the "Pessade" sign and note the old shepherds' caravans on the left, next to the café. Continue straight ahead towards La Tombe, still on the^GR®®4. At the fork, turn right, then right again immediately after. At the next intersection, leave the^GR®® temporarily and turn right towards a beautiful wash house. On the other side, note the shoeing machine and the old bread oven.

(8) Turn left at the corner of the oven, ignore a street on the right and, at the next intersection (at the corner of a house with blue shutters), turn right, following the^GR®® markings again^. Continue along this road until you reach a crossroads, at a cross in the field on the right. Follow the^GR®® again, turning right.

(9) At the fork in the road, leave the^GR®® which goes left and continue straight ahead. The path is poorly maintained and quite grassy. It descends to a stream, the Labadeau ^(d), crosses it, then veers left on the other side. Continue along this path some distance from the stream. Further on, the path passes along the left bank of the Labadeau and gradually widens. You will come to a wide path.

(10) Turn right to climb back up to the heights of the valley. At the intersection with a more discreet path, continue straight ahead. At the top, at the crossroads, enjoy a last view of the Puys de Dôme, Lassolas and La Vache, then continue straight ahead on a wide path. Continue straight ahead to reach Mareuge, just behind the old chapel (S/E).

Hike of moderate to difficult difficulty due to its length and elevation gain, and possibly the condition of the forest paths.

Between (2) and (3), the path is very degraded and very dusty in dry weather. I don't know what it must be like in wet weather!

Between (3) and (5), the forest is used by all kinds of machinery and motorised vehicles, and the paths are sometimes impassable in winter.

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here

Some photos here

Lots of raspberries and blueberries at altitude.

Between (5) and (7), the path offers beautiful views.

^(a) In Mareuge, fountains and wash house. Traditional habitat.

^(b) La Monne, a river that flows into the Veyre 26 km from its source, on the slopes of the Baladou and Védrine puys. The "official" source is called Fontaine de Montadoux on the IGN map and is located below the path between (4) and (5) but is inaccessible. You cross this small river by going upstream on the way there.

^(c) In Pessade, there are fountains, a wash house and two old shepherds' caravans. Traditional dwellings.

^(d) Le Labadeau. This stream joins the Narse at Espinasse to form the Veyre.