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At Font de l'Arbre, park opposite the Auberge des Dômes, on the edge of the Route du Puy de Dôme, which serves as the village's main street.
Please note! This hike is not marked as such.
(S/E) Facing the inn, with your back to the Tiretaine river flowing just behind the stone wall, take the road on the right for a few metres. Immediately turn right onto Rue de la Combe, at the yellow signpost, Font de l'Arbre and towards Manson, to pass in front of the fountain.
Immediately afterwards, turn right for a very short detour to the village wash house and oven, then continue along Rue de la Combe, following the yellow disc markings until further notice. Ignore a street on the right shortly afterwards. Further on, at a fork, keep left onto Rue de la Tour, then at the next fork, turn left onto Rue de la Côte Folle.
Continue along the path that extends this street and turns right at a beautiful house on your right. You will come back onto tarmac and, at the crossroads, continue straight ahead, still on Rue de la Côte Folle. At the next crossroads, note the beautiful iron cross on a stone base on your right.
Turn left to pass in front of the beautiful wash house fountain, built into a rocky site. Pass in front of it, turning right onto Rue les Fontaines Vieilles (street sign at the other end of the street), then arrive at a crossroads with the large Montrodeix wash house fountain opposite.
(1) Turn right, then take Chemin du Château Fort on the left (note the information sign about the Puy de Dôme train on your right). Climb up to an intersection with yellow signs (1 in "During the hike or nearby"). Leave the yellow markings and turn right, following the orange mountain bike markings. The path descends towards the power station. Take the road on the left and you will immediately notice the beautiful fountain-wash house on the left, near a trickle of water which is one of the sources of the Tiretaine.
(2) Cross the D942 (caution! busy road) and take the small road opposite, slightly to the right, on the right-hand side of the inn. Shortly afterwards, pass between a fountain-wash house on the left and a bread oven on the right. At the intersection, continue to the left of the fountain and follow the path that extends the street.
At the intersection of paths, ignore the one on the right and turn left, passing between the two large stones. You will arrive at a crossroads with several paths. Follow the one furthest to the right, then, about 60 metres further on, leave it and take a grassy path on the right, which offers beautiful views of the Puy de Dôme. You will come to a wider, stony path.
(3) Follow it to the left to reach a road at an interchange. Cross it (be careful! fairly busy road) and take the path opposite behind a wooden barrier. Continue to a crossroads with four paths at the yellow signs. Turn left towards the Col de Cessat to quickly reach the D68 at the other signs.
(4) Still following the direction of Col de Ceyssat, cross (caution!) and continue opposite. Continue along this beautiful path through the woods, marked by the Circuit des Dômes in yellow and small green signs (ignore a less marked and unmarked path on the right).
(5) At the intersection with the yellow signs, follow the signs on the right towards Col de Ceyssat. Continue uphill on this path, which is very wide at first but narrows after an old logging area until it becomes a trail that leads to the D68 at Col de Ceyssat.
(6) Cross over and take the path opposite, following the direction of the summit of Puy de Dôme indicated by the yellow sign. The path climbs and goes around the car parks on the right. Pass by the memorial to the Auvergne resistance at a fork in the road and a fountain (drinking water). Resist the urge to climb to the summit of Puy de Dôme, like everyone else (you will have other small puys to climb later), and go straight on towards Vulcania. Now follow the red and white markings, as well as the yellow ones, until further notice.
(7) Ignore a path on the left at the yellow signs and continue straight ahead, still towards Vulcania.
(8) When you reach a more open area, at the yellow signs, continue towards Vulcania, between the pastures. The Puy de Dôme rises up on your right. At the crossroads on the other side of the pastures, follow the signs on the right towards the summit of Puy de Dôme (yellow signs). At the next intersection, leave the yellow andGR®® (red and white) markings and go straight up the slope. You will come to two forks in the path; keep left at each one.
(9) Shortly afterwards, take a path that turns sharply left on the slopes of Petit Knoll. Pass a few caves on your right. The path veers right and arrives at a crossroads. Climb left for a round trip to the summit of Grand Knoll.
(10) There is a beautiful 360° view. Note, in particular, the cave openings on the north side of Cliersou.
Go back down to the crossroads and continue straight ahead to climb to the summit of Petit Knoll. Just below the summit, on the right, there are two beautiful caves.
Descend on the path that passes between the two knolls and turn right to descend from the pass via a very loose path (volcanic endosol). At the bottom, note a wooden sign indicating the path opposite that leads to the summit of Cliersou and back. An information sign also indicates that this path has been rehabilitated.
In fact, it is mainly the erosion channels that have been filled in (2 in "Practical information"). Take this very steep path on the left to the top of the puy, passing several caves. At the top, a beautiful unobstructed view awaits you, as well as wooden signs indicating "return".
(11) Follow them down to the caves, then descend via the same steep path to the bottom of the hill. Continue to the left. At a fork, continue left and then, just after, at the wooden sign (Cliersou A/R), follow the wide path to the right. You will come to a crossroads with steps on the left leading up to the Pariou (optional).
(12) Turn left in front of the information signs about the mountain pastures and take the path to the right of a tree bearing an old yellow cross. Continue straight ahead on this wide path which climbs steadily, ignoring the less marked paths on either side, and keeping the Puy de Dôme straight ahead in your sights. After a short descent, you will reach a crossroads with a fountain (drinking water).
(13) Take the wide path on the left. The track begins to descend and, after a few bends, continues through the woods.
(14) At the yellow posts, turn left towards Puy Pariou. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead towards Font de l'Arbre (yellow signs).
(15) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead until you reach the D942.
(16) Cross (caution! busy road) and continue straight ahead on the path to the left of house no. 9. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead. At the next crossroads, turn right and you will find the car park a few metres further on (S/E).
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Visorando member
Easy 
