Summit and tour of Puy de Louchadière

On the D941, from Vulcania towards the A89, at the Maisons-Rouges roundabout, turn right onto the D62 towards Saint-Ours. About 400 metres after crossing the railway line, take a small road on the right. Park at the side of the road just after passing the level crossing.

Please note! This hike is not marked and requires good orientation skills or the use of a GPS.

(S/E) Continue along the small road. The tarmac gives way to a path at a red and white^GR®® signpost and a small sign saying "Gare au loup" (Beware of the wolf). Continue straight ahead until you reach a crossroads with four paths.

(1) Continue straight ahead, leaving the^GR®® markings and following the "Beware of wolves" sign. About 150 metres further on, leave these markings, which lead off to the left, and continue straight ahead on the path. Pass a stone cross. You will come to a junction with a wooden cross.

(2) Continue along the path on the right, following the red and white^GR®® markings to reach the village of Beauregard. At the entrance to the village, pass to the left of a stone cross, then continue along Rue des Estives to arrive immediately at a fountain supplying a wash house.

Continue along the street (^GR®®) to reach a crossroads at the "Beauregard" sign. Note the old shepherd's caravan behind you (a shelter on wheels used by shepherds spending the summer with their sheep in the mountain pastures) and the oven on the left side of the street.

Go straight ahead on the small road towards "Puy de Louchadière", leaving the^GR®® markings to follow the brown mountain bike markings. Ignore a path on the left at the corner of a beautiful property. Further on, the tarmac gives way to a path. Ignore another path on the right and you will come to a discreet grassy path on the left, next to a small sign saying "Beware of wolves" in the opposite direction and another yellow sign indicating the mountain bike route (the summit of Louchadière is off-limits to mountain bikes).

(3) Turn left. At the next crossroads, with a wide path, and at the "945m" marker, continue straight ahead towards Puy de Louchadière. You will soon enter a beech forest and see a yellow marker. Follow this marker to the summit of the puy.

Look out for the small yellow^PR®® sign indicating that you should turn left (as opposed to the yellow cross markings for the other two paths, which are not shown on the IGN map). Further on, ignore a path on the right (yellow cross) and you will come to an intersection with a discreet path on the left, at an iron post with a green "aller" sign (a tree was blocking the path in June 2019).

(4) Ignore this path (yellow cross) and continue straight ahead in the direction of the yellow sign for "Sommet du Puy de Louchadière". After a steep climb, you will reach the summit at a small sign for "Point de vue 20m ; retour" (viewpoint 20m; return).

Continue straight ahead to the viewpoint, then straight ahead again, leaving the yellow markings. Further on, ignore a path on the right, then another a little further on, just before you reach a fairly good view.

The descent is via a path that is very faint in places, winding or straight down the slope where possible. Keep heading south and check your position from time to time with a compass or GPS. Further down, return to the intersection you took on the way up, at the iron post, and rejoin the yellow markings.

(4) Turn right for a few metres, then immediately leave the yellow markings to follow the path on the left (marked with a yellow cross). Although unmarked, the path is clearly visible. Further down, ignore a forest path on the right near a young fir tree plantation, then leave the forest. Walk along a meadow on your right and you will come to a wide path.

(5) Make a very short detour to the right to see Thierry Courtadon's sculpture "CHUT!". Retrace your steps.

(5): Continue straight ahead on the path, following the yellow markings. The path runs along the Puy de Louchadière on your left, with the Puy de Jumes in your line of sight.
Notice, on the left side of the path, a very large oak tree, which is actually a beautiful "soupée" of oaks (several trunks growing in a circle on the same stump).
Pass to the left of the "Forêt domaniale de Beauregard" sign and continue straight ahead.

(6) At a fork in the path, leave the yellow markings and turn left onto a path (marked with yellow and green crosses). About 600 metres further on, you will see another yellow marking. Follow it, ignoring a path on the right and behind you.

(7) At a fork, follow the yellow markings to the left, as well as brown mountain bike markings no. 15, then, just after, leave these markings and continue to the left. At a small tree trunk lying on the path, you will come to an intersection with a path that descends to the right.

(8) Turn left to climb the slopes of Puy de Louchadière. Further on, you will see a well-marked path below, but ignore the path that descends rapidly (as the slope below is steep) and continue climbing straight ahead.

(9) At a fork with a discreet path that continues to climb, slightly to the left, follow the better marked path that descends, slightly to the right. You will see the path you need to join below. The descent ends with a few natural steps that have been badly eroded. Do your best to reach a wider but poorly maintained path.

Follow it to the right to descend the hill via three large hairpin bends. The path, which is quite grassy, offers a view of the Combrailles. At the crossroads of paths, all of which are rather grassy, continue straight ahead and slightly to the right, downhill. Continue straight ahead again at the next intersection. You will arrive at a beautiful path in the undergrowth and find yellow markings again.

(10) Follow it to the left. After about a hundred metres, turn right and ignore a vague start of a path on the right.

(11) At the edge of the woods, leave the yellow markings, which turn left (on a path not shown on the IGN map), and continue straight ahead. The path soon turns left, then right, offering a beautiful view of the puys. Cross a road and continue straight ahead on the small road towards Le Bouchet.

When you reach the "896m" marker, continue straight ahead on the road towards "Le Bouchet". You will soon see red and white^GR®® markings at a path coming in from the right. Continue on the road until you reach the "882m" marker.

(12) Follow the path and the^GR®®4on the right towards "Gare du Vauriat". Shortly afterwards, at the intersection at the "884m" marker, leave the^GR®® and follow the street on the left, crossing the hamlet. Pass in front of a large carved cross.

At the exit of the hamlet, ignore a dead end on the right and arrive at a crossroads at the "le Bouchet" marker. This is also a crossroads for^{the GR®®4}and 441. Do not follow any of the directions indicated by the signpost. Instead, take the GR®441 opposite and to the right. Continue along this path, then along the small road that extends it, following^{the GR®®} to return to the crossroads you passed on the way out.

(1) Turn right to reach the level crossing via the same route as on the way there (S/E).

Hike of moderate to difficult difficulty. The main difficulty on this route is finding your way on certain unmarked sections and in the forest, where there are many trails. It is advisable to usethe Visorando app or any other GPS device, remembering to cache the map backgrounds.

Some grassy paths are maintained occasionally, so it is advisable to wear trousers.

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

Photo album here

Puy de Louchadière is one of the largest cinder cones in the Chaîne des Puys. This Strombolian volcano rises to 1,198 metres. Its name probably refers to the shape of its crater, either from the Auvergne word "Lou chadeira", meaning "chair", or from the Old Provençal word "oschar", meaning "chipped".

The slopes of the puy are covered with a beautiful beech forest. In June, we saw many flowers: yellow deadnettles, columbines, wild garlic...

It is a pity that, for the moment, the view from the top of Louchadière is not as good as it could be. Let's hope that, following the inclusion of the Chaîne des Puy in the UNESCO World Heritage List, some improvements will be made.

Beauregard is a beautiful little rural heritage site.