On the heights of Volvic

In Volvic, on Avenue de la Liberté, park at the end of the car park that borders this avenue, near the school and the pretty square with statues made of local stone (Volvic stone).
This hike is not marked as such. However, there are many markings along this route. Only take into account those mentioned in this description.

(S/E) Go up to the right along the one-way street and then turn left at the corner of the museum. Walk past the church on your left (a visit is recommended) and then pass to the right of the fountain to follow Rue de la Bannière (towards the Music School), passing to the right of the Tourist Office. At the T-junction, turn left towards Sources de Volvic.

About 50 metres further on, you will see a stone door on the right topped with a cross and the inscription "Montée de Notre-Dame de la Garde". Take this staircase, which marks the start of the Way of the Cross, and follow it to the monumental statue of Notre-Dame de la Garde.

(1) Behind the small chapel, ignore the sign for Tournoël on your left and continue straight ahead towards the yellow signs. When you reach these signs, marked "Notre-Dame de la Garde", turn right towards Tournoël. At the fork, signposted 630m, follow the path furthest to the right, still towards Tournoël. Further on, you will come to a street with an information sign "La foi et la pierre aux origines de Volvic" (Faith and stone at the origins of Volvic). Continue for a few more metres until you see the yellow signs at the foot of the Château de Tournoël.

(2) Follow the road towards Viallard, which curves to the left. At the T-junction, follow the yellow signs for "Tour du Puy de la Bannière" to the right for a few metres, then immediately turn onto the path that descends to the left. At a right-hand bend, wade across a stream and then follow it on the right-hand side and uphill.

(3) Cross a bridge and turn left towards Viallard (yellow sign). Walk along another stream on your left below you. At a left-hand bend, wade across this stream. Shortly afterwards, at a right-hand bend, ignore a path on the left and follow the yellow markings. Further on, continue along this well-marked path, ignoring the narrower paths on either side and ignoring a blue cross and then a second one, while following the fairly discreet yellow markings.

(4) You will come to a T-junction with a small blue^PR®® sign. Turn right and cross another stream. You will come to another T-junction. Continue to the right, ignoring a yellow cross. At the next junction, follow the brown mountain bike markings to the left, then pass a sign indicating a view of the Ambène valley and Montaclier.

(5) At the next crossroads, note a sign for "Retour Apage en Val" and a blue sign. Ignore the direction indicated by this sign (which is only a landmark here) and continue to the left. Further on, ignore a path on the left, pass under a high-voltage power line, and arrive at a crossroads at the entrance to Facemeunier.

(6) Follow the street and the brown mountain bike markings, passing in front of a fountain-trough. Cross the village, following the brown mountain bike markings at each intersection: keep left at the first intersection, then take the second left. You will arrive at a long trough on a grassy square with a lamppost and a cross opposite.

Temporarily leave the mountain bike signs and continue straight ahead to take the path that passes in front of the cross. Further on, ignore a path on the left and rejoin the brown mountain bike signs. About 50 metres further on, at a fork, leave these signs by turning left.

(7) At a right-hand bend, ignore the path that continues straight ahead (and which is not shown on the IGN map). Pass under the high-voltage power line again and arrive at a crossroads at a beautiful old cross under a pine tree and the Puy de Saint-Priest signpost. Note the red and white^GR®®441markings.

(8) From now on, follow these^GR®® markings until otherwise indicated. Turn left and ignore the paths branching off on either side until you reach a crossroads near a road (on the right).

(9) Continue to the left, turn right at the next crossroads and continue along this wide path, ignoring the side paths. Enjoy the view of the Chaîne des Puys and pass to the left of a small marsh.

(10) Further on, enjoy a last view of the Limagne and Livradois, then begin to descend very gently towards Volvic on the right.

(11) Arrive at marker 674m. Leave the^GR®®441and follow the yellow "Tour du Puy de la Bannière" markings on the right. The path descends steeply to join a road. Cross over to reach several signs: the blue sign for the "Réserve Naturelle Régional des Cheires et Grottes de Volvic" (Cheires and Grottes de Volvic Regional Nature Reserve) as well as pink, blue and green directional signs for local routes.

(12) Ignore the direction indicated by these signs, as well as the yellow markings, and continue straight ahead on the path to the right of the wooden bin. At the fork, turn right and at the next intersection, at a green sign, turn right again. Continue until you see a meadow crossed by a small canal.

Just before reaching the meadow, take a short detour to the left along a barely visible path to a cave and its very cool surroundings. Then descend into the meadow and follow the small canal to the left, without crossing it. When you see the road, turn left away from the canal to reach a wide path, at a pole marked with a yellow sign.

(13) Follow the path to the left and continue in the same direction, passing to the left of a rock on the path. At an intersection with a blue sign, go through the gate on the right to continue on a narrower path. At a fork, follow the path on the right and shortly afterwards pass to the left of a ruined wall.

Continue in this direction, ignoring the path on the left. Further on, pass to the left of a small wooden gate and continue to follow the path as it turns left. Shortly afterwards, go through a gate to reach a path, at the pink and blue signs.

(14) Take this wide path on the left, following the red and white markings of^{the GR®®441}again. Follow these markings until otherwise indicated. Further on, ignore a path on the left (which is not shown on the IGN map) at the signposts. You will come to a road opposite the car park of the Goulet Bottling Plant, at a wooden barrier and information panels on local walks.

(15) Follow the road straight ahead, then take a road on the left towards the Grotte de la Pierre de Volvic. Pass the entrance to the cave^, then ignore the street on the left and leave the^GR®® trail^. Further on, ignore Rue de l'Éclatier on the right, at a beautiful chestnut tree in a garden on the left. After passing Place de la Grande Fontaine, you will come to a T-junction in the village of Volvic.

(16) Turn left, then take the first right at Square du 19 Mars. At the fork in the road shortly afterwards, take the left-hand road and pass a fountain with a small lion's head. At the next intersection, continue straight on Rue de Bessat. At the next crossroads, follow the road to the right of house no. 11.

When this street curves to the left, continue straight ahead on the paved path to pass below the church on the left, above a small park on the right. Go down the steps that extend from this path to return to your vehicle in the car park on Avenue de la Liberté (S/E).

Between (12) and (14), pay close attention to the description on this information sheet, as it is easy to get a little lost on the solidified lava flow, as the route taken here is not marked.

Some photos here

Volvic is the "city of stone and water". In the 13th century, the exploitation of andesite, known as Volvic stone, led to the development of this village on the Limagne hillside. Water was exploited several centuries later: it was not until 1922 that the decision was made to capture the Goulet Spring.

Between (S) and (1) In the village, the Church of Saint-Priest is a Cluniac site. Its choir, in pure 12th-century Auvergne Romanesque style, has been listed as a historic monument since 1903.

Shortly before (16) On the Place de la Grande Fontaine, a beautiful cross overlooks the Saint-Priest Fountain, the town's first spring. Another fountain is decorated with a bas-relief depicting swans.

Between (12) and (14) The Cheires et Grottes de Volvic regional nature reserve is located on Cheires de Bruvaleix and covers 61.30 hectares. It was created to protect the most important hibernation site for bats in Auvergne. A cheire is an ancient solidified lava flow that has formed into a very chaotic terrain. The caves that dot the landscape were dug out for the extraction of Volvic stone.

(14) On the right, the Maison de l'Artisanat de Volvic offers beautiful enamelled lava stones.

Between (15) and (16) Volvic Stone Cave.