This walking guidebook describes 42 day routes exploring the stunning Auvergne region in central France. The walks are ideal for day walkers and hikers, with routes ranging from easy 5km outings to more challenging 20km hikes. All are illustrated with clear mapping and colour photographs. The guide focuses on the best routes in five different areas, including Cantal, the Chaîne des Puys (Monts Dômes), the Monts Dore, the Haute Loire (Livradois and Velay) and the Montagne Bourbonnaise, with bases including Vichy, Clermont-Ferrand and Puy-en-Velay. The routes in this guidebook offer walking on truly spectacular volcanic landscape, with grassy domes and volcanic bowls and long, rambling ridges, yet the walking is generally suitable (nothing over 1,900m) for all walkers, and the area is both accessible and provides a wide range of cultural and historical (and geological) interest. The guidebook also provides a wide range of practical information for visiting the Auvergne, with accommodation transport, and preparation advice, as well as providing a wealth of detail on the many places of interest along the walks.
Seasons
All the routes can be enjoyed from May to October. The summer months are usually hot and sunny, but the winters see snowbound villages and skiing on the higher Auvergne peaksCentres
cities: Puy-en-Velay and Vichy; villages: Orcival for the Monts Dore and Dômes, Murat for the Cantal, Mayet-de-Montagne for the BourbonnaiseDifficulty
Grade 1: Short easy walks with few navigational problems and little ascent; Grade 2: Walks that will not be taxing for a fit and experienced hiker. They may be longer, have moderate height gain or require good navigation skills; Grade 3: Challenging walks for experienced hikers. Steep terrain may be encountered with considerable ascents or longer mountain daysMust See
Fascinating volcanoes: Puy de Dôme, de la Vache and Pariou; high summits: Plomb du Cantal, Puy Mary and Puy de Sancy; magnificent abbeys and churches: Chaise Dieu, Lavaudieu and Orcival; chateaux: Montgilbert and Lavoûte-sur-Loire; attractive bases: Le Puy-en-Velay and Vichy; lakes Guery and Pavin, the Grand Cascade and Volvic springFor all but the Grade 1 walks in this guide a map is recommended. Detailed topographical maps are available for all the areas covered. A Series Bleu IGN map at 1:25,000 incorporates the entire Cantal section, two cover the Châine des Puys and Massif du Sancy. The Montagne Bourbonnaise walks are mainly covered by the Mayet-de-Montagne map and the Haute-Loire by the Allegre/La Chaise Dieu maps. The full names of the IGN 1:25,000 sheets, if you are ordering online or by phone, are shown below.
1 The Cantal 2435OT Monts du Cantal
2 The Châine des Puys (Monts Dômes 2531ET Châine des Puys
3 The Monts Dore 2432ET Massif du Sancy
4 The Haute-Loire: Forez and Velay 2734O Allègre/La Chaise Dieu2735E Le Puy en Velay2634E Paulhaguet2634O Brioude
5 The Montagne Bourbonnaise 2730O Mayet de Montagne2729O Lapalisse2730E St Just/Monts de la Madeleine
Each map is widely sold in the area which it covers but unlike in Britain it can be infuriating getting them elsewhere: you may, for example, encounter problems getting hold of a map of the Cantal from shops in the Monts Dore, despite being so nearby. Indeed, the authors spent an entire afternoon and failed to find a single shop selling maps of the Monts Dore in the major town of Vichy. Supermarkets, hypermarkets and bookshops are usually a good bet for stocking maps of the wider region, but there are no guarantees. Tourist information offices and newsagents usually sell IGN maps of their near area. The IGN maps are available prior to departure in the UK from Amazon, Stamfords, the Map Shop and other good reatilers on and offline.
Your Account
