Tour of the Puys de Besace and Salomon starting from Allagnat

When you arrive in Allagnat via the D52 from the Col de la Moreno, just before the first houses and just after a cross on the left-hand side of the road, turn onto a very small road at the picnic table and park on the grassy verge.

No signposts

(S/E) Continue along the small road for a few more metres, then, at the intersection with a path on the right and another on the left, turn right. Join the D52, follow it for a few metres to the left, then turn left onto the street towards the village (castle and chapel on the left, set back). Pass to the right of the large cross, keep right on Rue Saint-Martin and then turn right onto Rue de la Garde. Cross the D52 and take Rue Puy Meunier opposite. At the end of the street, at the fork in the road, go straight ahead towards Ceyssat, as indicated by a sign.

(1) At the T-junction with a path, turn right, cross a small road and arrive at a crossroads with a simple iron cross on a stone base. Go to the cross to see the^GR®® markings on the right.

Red and white^GR®® markings

(2) Follow the^{GR®® trail} to the right. At a fork in the path, keep left. Ignore a path on the left just before joining the D52.

(3) Follow the road to the left, immediately ignore a path on the left that is not shown on the map, then turn left onto the next path (clear^GR®® markings). Climb up a beautiful forest path lined with majestic beech trees, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful sections of this^GR®®441A. Ignore a path on the left.

Wildorange markings, more or less present

(4) At the end of the double beech hedge, leave the^GR®® markings and turn onto a path on the left (the path on the right is closed by a barrier). Shortly afterwards, you will see another beautiful beech tree and a field of horsetails. Ignore a path on the left and then, just after a fork, keep to the right despite a very old orange cross. Just after this, pass a ruined hut on the right, then ignore a hairpin bend path on the left. On your right is the Puy de Besace. You will arrive at the D68.

No markings

(5) Cross carefully. A few metres along the path that goes straight ahead will give you a close-up view of the Puy de Dôme. Return to the road and follow the path on the left, which runs diagonally parallel to the road. It then veers away from it.

^GR®® red and white markings

At a crossroads, take the path on the right and note the^GR®® markings^. Cross the D68 carefully again and continue straight ahead on the middle path (clear^GR®® markings). The Puy de Besace is now on your right.

No markings

(6) At the intersection with a path on the left, follow it^, leaving the^GR®® markings^. Immediately ignore a path on the left at number 6 on a tree on the right. After a fairly steep climb, ignore two paths on the left and you will arrive at a more open space. A sign, slightly hidden in the vegetation opposite, indicates that the forest was replanted after the storm of November 1982. Follow the path straight ahead (ignore the one that branches off to the right). On your right is the Puy de Salomon. Ignore a path on the left.

(7) At the intersection with a red-marked trail that descends to the left, turn right onto the trail marked with a red cross that climbs between the Puy de Salomon and Puy de Monchier. Ignore all the side trails, some more obvious than others, and you will come to a T-junction with a path. Follow it to the left.

(8) Be careful, about a hundred metres before reaching the D52, turn right onto a path. At a tree on the left marked with the number 32, turn onto a grassy path on the left and continue straight ahead to reach the road (there is a small ditch to cross, which is easy to do). Cross the road and follow it to the left for about 100 metres until you reach a beautiful beech tree at the start of a path.

(9) Follow this path. You will come to an intersection of several paths. Follow the one opposite, marked as no vehicles, with a low wall on the right. Continue straight ahead, ignoring any side paths, along this beautiful avenue, lined on the right with a hedge of beautiful beech trees behind the low stone wall.

(10) When the stone wall turns right, continue along the path to the right which descends and leaves the forest. At the intersection of four paths, go straight ahead, ignore a path on the left, then walk alongside the farm buildings on your left before reaching a road.

(11) Follow it to the right towards the village of Allagnat, then turn right 100 metres further on onto Chemin de la Condamine. At the fork, keep left, then ignore a path on the right before returning to the car park (S/E).

No particular difficulties, standard hiking equipment required.
There are no paths to access the Puys de Besace and Salomon, which are heavily wooded at the summit and therefore do not offer any panoramic views.

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here and more generally in the Puy-de-Dôme here

Photo albums here and here (shorter variant)

Magnificent beech trees on two sections of this route.
The route is mainly in the forest, but there is a nice viewpoint at the start of the route and then at (5).