Walk: Domeyrat – Lavaudieu

lavaudieu

This is a walk we have done parts of before and looking at the map we could see we could link a couple of these paths and make a round trip between the two villages both situated on the Senouire river. It was a perfect day for a walk, sunny, a light breeze and 15c.

The views over to the snow covered Puy de Sancy was spectacular.

lugeac and the puys

A feature were the various spring flowers, snowdrops, celandines and hellebores.

celandine

snowdrops

hellebore

More pictures from the walk.

domeyrat castle

senouire valley

snow covered sancy

lavaudieu

old bridge, lavaudieu

farmhouse, senouire valley

ruined farmhouse

lavaudieu village

shadow walkers

 

A walk around Domeyrat Castle

 

Sometimes the best walks are the unexpected ones. We had set out to do a favourite walk from Domeyrat village along the railway line and back through the woods along the river. However the local chasse (hunt) were spread along our proposed route and we never feel particularly safe if walking paths in the middle of the chasse.

So we decided on combining a couple of routes we had covered on other longer walks to make a shorter circular route past and around the castle. It was a beautiful afternoon with the trees looking particularly fine in the late afternoon light.

Domeyrat

The Senouire valley

Sheep at the col

Frugeres le pin gare

Blannet

Domeyrat castle

Track to the castle

Domeyrat

 

weekly photo challenge: descent

Heading down into Horton in Ribblesdale from Pen Y Ghent

This weeks topic gave me an opportunity to look through the many photos I have of walks in the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. I’ve been using Lightroom for over a year now and these were all still in iPhoto, which now seems a complete pain to use! I also always shoot RAW files nowadays and these were all jpegs, mostly from a small Canon Powershot, so I’m quite pleased with how they have turned out with a little tweaking in Lightroom.

Descending Pen Y Ghent

Leaving Great Gable and heading towards Styhead

The restored path from Sty Head to Seathwaite

Descending from Helvellyn via Swirral Edge, with Catsycam in the distance

 

walk PR 15 (Lavoûte-Chilhac) – Le Tour du Pié du Roi (9.5km)

A (mostly) lovely walk in glorious late autumn weather.

Making the most of the continuing warm sunny weather, we headed out to the village of Cerzat yesterday, for a walk which promised a volcanic crater, basalt cliffs and spectacular views over the Allier valley.

It all started well. We found our way out of the village, and across open farmland to the Pié du Roi, which is the crater of a long extinct volcano. It was a glorious day, with mellow autumn light and long shadows.

It was soon after this that we started to have “challenges” with our route finding.

Walking in France on official routes is usually pretty easy. They tend to follow clearly defined paths and tracks, rather than cutting across open ground as they often do in the UK. In addition, there is a clear system of way marks, and wherever there is a choice of paths, the correct one will be marked with a dash, and…

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Auvergne: clouds and sky

On a recent walk from Vals le Chastel up and over to the hamlet of Le Pin (The Pine), the sky and clouds were putting on a spectacular display. The photographs were taken at about 600 metres of altitude, looking towards the Margaride and Cevennes hills in the far distance. The yellow and red stripes on the tree in the photo above are the french footpath way marks letting you know you are on the correct route!

 

First autumn colours

One of the advantages of living in a forest is that small roads and tracks go off all around us, providing endless opportunities for walking straight from the house.

One of our favourites follows the forest road up from our house towards the Col de Montclard.

 

A couple of hundred metres up the road and you reach a break in the trees with a glorious view over the Senouire valley and towards the Margaride and Cézallier mountains.

We either go all the way up to the Col, or turn round at the curés house. This is an old farmhouse owned by a retired priest, who only visits occasionally. ( More photos over on La Petite Maison)

Half way along, the road goes through a lovely beech grove which is just beginning to show its autumn colour. Soon the leaves will have all changed to a deep golden brown and then fall to join last years leaves still on the ground. Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year and here in the Auvergne it blazes into colour.

 

Walk PR 30 (Brioude) – Des Mines à la Fontaine Saint-Eutrope (11km)

This is a walk we have done once before and is a fairly flat circular route visiting the villages of Fontannes – Frugerolles – Billanges – Buze – Fontannes. The highlight of the walk was the profusion of wild flowers on the verges.

toadsflax

ragged robin

wild chicory

white campion

ragwort

queen anne’s lace

plantain

yellow gentian

convolvulus

mallow

We also had a brief encounter with an inquisitive lizard!

The route gives you distant views of both Brioude and the Puys.

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Other interesting features were this old cross outside Billanges, and the Maison Rouge at Buze.

old stone cross – billanges

maison rouge – buze

A lovely walk in warm though not hot conditions, on good paths throughout.

 

 

Walk: ” La Serpentine” PR 408 ( Grahy – St Prejet-Armandon – Cougeat – Cubelles – Grahy) 10km 09/06/2014

 

Abandoned Renault 4, Cougeat

We set off early morning to try and avoid the heat, but as we chose one of the hottest days of the year so far, it was a lot harder than the 10km actually travelled.

harebells

Looking towards the Cezallier

Cubelles

Church, St Prejet-Armandon

Cezallier

Fountain, Cougeat

Cougeat

roofs at Cubelles

Horses near La Peluche

Walk: Domeyrat – Domarget – Domeyrat

white campion

We have done this walk a few times but its glorious at the moment with so many spring flowers in bloom.

wood anemone

euphorbia

looking along the chemin towards Domeyrat castle

Domarget from the bridge over the Senouire river

 

Walk: Col de Montclard – Trabesson – Armand – Col de Montclard

A beautiful morning walk from the nearby Col at 850 metres up to Trabesson at 1053 metres. We came upon a deer in a field on the way up, but it kicked and sped away as soon as it heard us. Last time we did this walk the trees (almond??) around Armand were in full blossom, only budding today. Both the Mont Dore and the Puy Mary were clearly visible topped with snow.

When we returned to the Col we met another walker who was walking through every local commune a total of over 1000 km!