Sources de la Jordanne, Col de Cabre, Brèche de Rolland

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Round trip above Mandailles, in the vast cirque of Fours de Peyre-Arse and the sources of the Jordanne. Not to be missed: both green and mountainous; magnificent landscapes, moderate difficulty.
Climb under the trees, then through the meadows, then walk along an easy ridge path. 360° views in the foreground of the entire Auvergne volcano chain. No difficulty on the route. Marked but regular ascents/descents and a short climb to pass the Brèche de Rolland.

Details

n°23417694
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.21 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 582 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 582 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,672 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,215 m
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Photos

The sources of the Jordanne
The ridges of the Mandailles valley, left bank
Cabrespine, Chavaroche, from the Col de Cabre
Mandailles Valley

Description of the walk

Parking at the big bend. Starting point sign: Sources de la Jordanne.

Blue markings

(S/E) Take the forest track that branches off to the right, marked in blue, for 800 m.

(1) After a large bend to the right, take a path that climbs sharply to the left, signposted: Sources de la Jordanne.

(2) After the wooded section, turn right onto an open track and follow it to elevation 1339.

(3) At the blue marker, leave the track on the right and turn left into the meadow. The path, which is not very well marked, runs between the Sources de la Jordanne streams, descends and then climbs back up towards a buron (shepherd's hut).

Green markings

(4) 50 m after the buron, follow a green-marked and signposted path uphill to the right: Col de Cabre.
"Little by little, the volcanic peaks on the left bank (Griou, Griounou, Usclade, Élancèze, Corpou Sauvage) come into view."
This will take you to Col de Cabre. Beautiful panorama. In the distance to the north: Puy de Sancy.

White-red markings

(5) Turn left towards Puy Mary. You will arrive at a pass at an altitude of 1637 metres.

(6) Stay on the ridge path. "Different views of the peaks on the left bank; those on the right bank gradually come into view: Puy de Peyre-Arse above, Puy Mary, Chavaroche, Cabrespine." Reach the Brèche de Rolland.

(7) Descend carefully and climb back up opposite (hands on the rock!) to reach the foot of Puy Mary.

(8) Turn back and take the same route you came up.
- Optional: climb Puy Mary and return. Add 200 m of elevation gain, or about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

(7) Return to the Brèche de Rolland: turn to face the rock to climb down, hands on the holds

(5) At Col de Cabre, descend to the right via the same route you took on the way up, following the green markings.

Green markings

(4) Do not return to the buron but continue straight ahead along a wide path shaded by beech trees, slightly downhill, for about 1500 m.

(9) Descend to the left, following the signs for Les Sources de la Jordanne, and return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,220 m - Car park at the big bend
  2. 1 : km 1.13 - alt. 1,235 m - Path on the left, signposted: Sources de la - Jordanne (rivière)
  3. 2 : km 1.56 - alt. 1,292 m - End of the wooded section
  4. 3 : km 1.94 - alt. 1,339 m - Blue marker: on the left: Sources de la Jordanne
  5. 4 : km 2.6 - alt. 1,356 m - Common fork in the road for return trip.
  6. 5 : km 3.61 - alt. 1,528 m - Col de Cabre (Cantal)
  7. 6 : km 5.14 - alt. 1,634 m - Pass (altitude 1637)
  8. 7 : km 6.46 - alt. 1,620 m - Brèche de Roland (Cantal)
  9. 8 : km 6.97 - alt. 1,604 m - At the foot of - Puy Mary
  10. 9 : km 13.08 - alt. 1,244 m - On the left
  11. S/E : km 13.21 - alt. 1,220 m - Car park at the big bend

Notes

(S/E) Car park at the big bend, halfway up the road from Mandailles to Pas de Peyrol.

Bring mid-mountain hiking boots.

Bakery and grocery store in Mandailles.

Worth a visit

Springs and small streams along the way.

In summer, there are herds of cattle.

Optional: at (8), you can climb to the summit of Puy Mary (add 1 hour 15 minutes round trip).

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 11 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 3480458

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Of course, there will be crowds at the foot of Puy Mary after the "Brèche de Roland", but everything else will be cool!
Please note that the departure point is at the "Grand Tournant car park" D17 15590 Mandaille-St Julien and not at the big bend.

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shapiro
shapiro

Yes, indeed: always carry mini crampons in your bag in winter!

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Poupagef
Poupagef

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

2025 is off to a great start for us under blue skies and beautiful sunshine!
This route, which starts at point 6 and follows the ridges, offers truly magnificent views.
Unfortunately, we were unable to complete the entire route due to lack of time, but mainly because the icy snow conditions slowed us down considerably, especially as we hadn't brought crampons.
We'll be back!

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GérardHenri
GérardHenri

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, with a mountain atmosphere, plus the climb to Puy Mary with its superb panoramic views.

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CDidier
CDidier

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike. Headgear is essential (the route is exposed to the sun after point 2!). We followed some advice and modified the hike by climbing Puy de Peyre Arse from Col de Cabre (point 5). A very steep climb! But it's definitely worth it. We then reached point 6 by going around the Puy and returned without going to the Brèche de Rolland (point 7) or the foot of Puy Mary (point 8): there were far too many people on the GR4!

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Topino8921
Topino8921

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike in the sunshine. The difficulty level is fairly moderate, even at the Rolland breach.

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Thierry63400
Thierry63400

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This hike was our first in the Cantal. It offers beautiful views of the mountains, including the Téton de Vénus and the Puy Mary. There are a few steep climbs, but overall it's quite doable. We crossed numerous streams and brooks, which provided some welcome refreshment. We also had to cross a herd of Salers cattle with a huge bull. Fortunately, he didn't move... but we weren't very reassured. Given what we had read about the dangers of the Rolland breach, we stopped at its level, which was a little frustrating. We didn't understand the sign indicating the path that avoids the breach: it says "3 km". Does that mean that taking this detour would have added 3 km to our walk? Overall, it was a beautiful hike. What's more, everything was very green due to the heavy rains of the past few weeks.

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ManonA
ManonA

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike through woodland, mountain pastures and ridges. We extended it by climbing up to Puy Mary.
Once you've climbed up to the Col de Cabre, the rest of the trail is very easy going and offers incredible views.
The Roland's Breach can be avoided without taking the 3km detour, thanks to a small path right next to it, marked by piles of wood.

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Michel Guibert
Michel Guibert

Good evening,
Great new idea, I'll keep it for next year, as I plan to return to this beautiful region to hike again on the trails I didn't visit this year (there are so many different ones).
Thank you for your reply and your suggestion. Michel Guibert

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shapiro
shapiro

Thank you, Michel Guibert. What a beautiful route! Personally, I would advise against walking down from Pas de Peyrol along the road. It seems too dangerous to me. The road is very winding, drivers have poor visibility, and traffic is heavy.

To do this circular route, I would recommend parking in Liadouze instead. Walk up to Grand Tournant along a marked path (a pleasant climb through the woods); from there, climb up to Col de Cabre and Puy Mary as you did. From Pas de Peyrol, descend via the GR400 to the road (elevation 1529 on the IGN map). From there, follow the marked path down towards Mandailles; at elevation 1200, turn left towards Raymond then Liadouze (you will walk along the road for a few minutes, but it is a less dangerous section). This adds 300m of elevation gain and perhaps 1½ to 2 hours of walking, but it is safer and not unpleasant.

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Michel Guibert
Michel Guibert

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This is a must-do activity in good weather (rain is not welcome with all these rocks)
The Cabre Pass is fairly easy to reach, crossing grassy terrain and forests. The view of the Monts du Cantal is already magnificent from this pass. Then you follow the ridge for quite a long time, enjoying the scenery. You could add the climb to Puy de Peyre Arse (1,806 m) as a circular loop and return to the ridge (but I didn't climb this Puy)
Then you arrive at the Brèche de Rolland pass, which I crossed quite easily (provided you don't suffer from vertigo and take care where you put your feet), before tackling the climb up Puy Mary and enjoying the breathtaking view from the top.
Then it's the descent to the Pas de Peyrol, made easier by a kind of steep road.
I didn't turn back, I took the road down to my starting point, where I found my car (at the Grand Tournant). Obviously, this road is of no interest to a walker (5 to 6 km!!)
15 to 16 km in 6½ hours with numerous breaks.

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sergent.12
sergent.12

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike, beautiful scenery, but I would recommend taking the same path at the start as you did on the way back, between the buron and the car park

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Jaja15
Jaja15

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, the route is well marked. The most difficult part for me was crossing the Rolland Pass. For those who do not want to cross the Rolland Pass, there are signs indicating an alternative route around it.
The scenery is magnificent and truly breathtaking.

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Catherine Du Fayet de la Tour
Catherine Du Fayet de la Tour

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, the passage through Roland's breach involves a bit of climbing, so be warned, especially if you are hiking with a dog. Magnificent scenery, marmots, birds of prey, herds of cows, streams... It's a feast for the eyes.

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