Tour du Cantal

Tour of the Cantal in seven stages: Murat [Laveissiere] - Meije Costes - Le Falgoux - Le Fau - Mandailles - Le Lioran - Prat de Bouc - Murat [Laveissiere]

Very beautiful stages between the Cère, Jordanne and Alagnon valleys. Between the ridges offering unforgettable views (360° panoramas), the ascent of the puys adding a touch of "mountain" to the experience, the summer pastures dotted with flower-filled meadows and encounters with both the flora and fauna and the people who live in this corner of the Cantal and are happy to share their territory.

Photos

Stages of the route

This route needs several days, find the details below:

1. S
   

   Laveissiere - Meije Coste

   9.74 km 802 m 289 m

   Stage 1 of our Tour du Cantal / GR®400 First "glitch" of the route from Murat. It turns out that the GR®400 route has been changed due to right of way issues (from what we understand). So, instead of climbing from Murat up to the ridges and following them to the Bec de l'Aigle rock, we had to descend to the village of Laveissière and climb back up from La Bourgeade. We decided to start from Laveissière.

   View the route
2. 2
   

   Meije Coste - Le Falgoux

   17.25 km 609 m 1,139 m

   Stage 2 of our Tour du Cantal / GR®400. A long and challenging stage due to the heat in June. It might be better to split the stages differently. Some very beautiful sections, particularly the arrival on the ridge before Puy Mary, the area around Puy de la Tourte, etc. More difficult sections: the Brèche de Rolland, the Luchard plateau and the long descent to Falgoux. It should be noted that the ascent of Puy Mary is not compulsory.

   View the route
3. 3
   

   Le Falgoux - Le Fau

   9.03 km 408 m 601 m

   Stage 3 of our Tour du Cantal / GR®400. Departure above the hamlet of Récusset, at the end of the long forest track. The upper part of this hike is on open tracks with no shade. The descent, although some sections are shaded, remains exposed.

   View the route
4. 4
   

   Le Fau - Mandailles

   13.30 km 815 m 873 m

   Stage 4 of our Tour du Cantal / GR®400 Another beautiful stage alternating between summer pastures, forests, ridges, peaks (puy) and passes. Long, with quite a lot of elevation gain and loss. Bring plenty of water!

   View the route
5. 5
   

   Mandailles - Le Lioran

   12.54 km 693 m 388 m

   Stage 5 of our Tour du Cantal / GR®400A forest stage (therefore shaded) with two potential climbs: the Puy de l'Usclade and the Puy Griou. * Editor's note: we have also decided not to follow the original GR®400 route, which makes a long detour to the Col de Pertus, which we don't think is worth the effort. We will reach the Col de Gliziou via the PR® (orange and green markings) which climb up the Ruisseau du Luc valley.

   View the route
6. 6
   

   Le Lioran - Prat de Bouc

   9.15 km 617 m 485 m

   Stage 6 of our Tour du Cantal. A beautiful climb from the Lioran resort to the Plomb du Cantal, starting with a forest section, then a steep climb to reach the Puy du Rocher via the Aiguillon; cross over to reach the cable car station and a final (moderate) climb to the Plomb du Cantal.Panoramic views in all directions. Discover the landscapes of several valleys as you pass through. It's a feast for the eyes!

   View the route
7. E
   

   Prat de Bouc–Lavessière

   14.67 km 248 m 706 m

   Stage 7 of our Tour du Cantal. This is the final stage of the Tour du Cantal, with another change to the GR®400 route: instead of returning to Murat, we head back to Laveissière (where we left our vehicle, see episode 1). Most of this stage is in the shade, but the descent brings the heat..

   View the route

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5

Based on 1 review

---

Reliability of the description
4 / 5

Ease of following the route
5 / 5

Route interest
5 / 5

User 26089010

20 Aug 2025 at 16:50 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Please note that the start of the Falgoux stage (Le Falgoux - Le Fau) is not at the same place as the previous day's finish, but 7 km away. Please allow for these extra 7 km in your itinerary

Machine-translated