Explore the Massif Central with a Cicerone guidebook

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• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Reviews
• Further Reading

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Stage 1: Clermont-Ferrand to Laschamp

Once you set out from Clermont-Ferrand you are beginning the long journey to the Mediterranean, although this at first appears not to be the case, as the route almost immediately heads north to the small town of Volvic, famous throughout the world for its pure spring water.

Don’t be in a rush to exit Clermont-Ferrand, as this large industrial city has a charming centre, with a splendid cathedral at its heart. Then be sure to allow some time to visit the water-bottling factory just outside Volvic, before heading off across country, first westwards to Le Vauriat, and then finally south to pass through fascinating wooded countryside dotted with long-extinct volcanoes. The Puy de Dôme is the highest in the region, and the most celebrated, with a steep tarmacked road winding its way to the very summit, but the bike (VTT) route sticks to tracks and paths through the woods – trails that are often muddy, with many protruding tree roots and rocks, so beware! The gîte d’étape in Laschamp is a pleasant place to spend the night (and perhaps lick your wounds after the first stage on the trail).

Cyclists may like to take a day and a half over this stage, particularly if they have perhaps travelled up from Nîmes on the morning train. After a few hours sightseeing and lunching in Clermont-Ferrand, Volvic can easily be reached in a few hours on the first day. This will also allow more time to look around Volvic and its water factory on the second day, before continuing on the ride to Laschamp. This tactic is also a sensible one, so as not to overdo things on the first day.

Facilities

Clermont-Ferrand, the capital of the département of Puy de Dôme, and by far the largest city in the whole region, has an abundance of the facilities expected of such a metropolis. A large maison du tourisme is situated in Cathedral Square – l’Espace Massif Central, Place de la Victoire. There are hotels of all categories, as well as a youth hostel and an Éthic Étape for budget accommodation. Restaurants of all grades and café–bars abound, with épiceries large and small, department stores and supermarkets. There are several cycle shops, so if you need any equipment or spares, now is the time to buy.

Malauzat, south of Volvic, has a hotel–restaurant, Les Moulin des Gardelles. The Hôtel-Restaurant du Commerce in the centre of Volvic can be recommended for both accommodation and food. Volvic has several shops, including épiceries and a boulangerie, and a choice of restaurants and cafés. For further information, consult the office du tourisme in the centre of town. Tiny Le Variant offers a café en route, near the railway line, and there are inns at the Col de Ceyssat. There is a gîte d’étape about 5km east of this col, off-route in the village of Ceyssat.

Those climbing the Puy de Dôme will find a large and expensive hotel-restaurant, Le Dôme, at the very summit, where there is also a café.

This stage ends in Laschamp, where there is a gîte d’étape, as well as a gîte d’étape/hotel–restaurant complex (Espace Volcan).

Places of Interest

Clermont-Ferrand

The home of Michelin tyres. The attractive city centre radiates from the large and open l’Espace Massif Central, on which stands a massive 13th-century Gothic cathedral.

Volvic

Famed for its dark volcanic stone (andesite) and the world-famous mineral water that bears the town’s name. A visit to the free Volvic Water Visitor Centre is a must, with its excellent audio-visual presentations (English soundtrack available). See also the town’s Romanesque church of Saint-Priest and, if there is time, the picturesque Château de Tournoël, situated 1.5km to the north.

Puy de Dôme and the Volcans d’Auvergne

At 1464m (4800ft), the Puy de Dôme is the highest peak in the Monts-Dôme region of the Auvergne. A road leads to the very top – for those with the energy!

GTMC Mountain Bike Trail

If arriving at the central railway station in Clermont-Ferrand, make your way to the l’Espace Massif Central, Place de la Victoire, the official starting point of the GTMC, on the south side of the cathedral. Head south on Rue Terrasse to Place Sugny, soon reaching the Place de Jaude (equestrian statue). Ride ahead here along Rue Blatin to reach Rue Gabriel-Péri. At a T-junction turn left on Rue Fontgiève (D941A). Continue ahead on Avenue Raymond Bergougnan, uphill to turn right at a crossroads on the Rue du Limousin, signposted to Volvic, heading towards Durtol.

Immediately in front of Durtol Cemetery turn sharply to the right to find the first GTMC sign of the route. Follow the signs uphill. A viewpoint is reached, from where there is an excellent view of Clermont-Ferrand below, with the Puy de Dôme visible to the south. On reaching a telecommunication tower turn left, leaving the surfaced road to sample your first section of off-road cycling. Follow the waymarked trail across the plateau, until the descent (care, particularly in wet conditions) to the left towards Blanzat.

In the centre of Blanzat cross the road and ride ahead at the ‘WC Publics’. Leaving Blanzat the road becomes a gravel track. Remain on this until you reach a track junction, where you turn left on the Balade de Vignerons. At Malauzat follow the D15 in the direction of Volvic. At the end of the village take a tarmacked track to the right, which you follow to the outskirts of Volvic. Cross the main D986 road (care) to head into the centre of Volvic.

The GTMC mainly follows the route of the GR441 from Volvic to Le Vauriat. Leave Volvic on the minor road to the right of the office de tourisme, signposted to La Vierge. Climb on this to reach a point from where a short detour may be taken to visit the Volvic Water Visitor Centre (highly recommended).

Up until this point the biking route has been generally easy, but from now on, all the way to Laschamp, the tracks and paths are often more difficult to negotiate, particularly after rain, when sections of the trail are often very muddy and sometimes waterlogged. Tree roots along the trail demand respect!

The waymarked trail climbs to the hamlet of Le Viallard and from there heads northwest, until a left turn at the P. Leyrit stone cross takes you to the southern end of the small community of Les Brossons. Cross the D16. Waymarks take you first to the northwest, but after about a kilometre swing towards the west-southwest, crossing first a minor road to the south of Beaunit and later a railway line and the D90, to follow a minor road into the hamlet of Grelière.

Tracks head southeast and then southwest to a second hamlet – Lambertèche. Soon after this settlement turn left to cross a railway line and continue into woodland. After about 1.5km be sure to take a waymarked right turn, south of the Puy de Lespinasse. After a further 0.6km, at a junction, turn left to follow the trail towards Le Vauriat (café), the latter stages of which may be very muddy. Take care on the short section on the D941 on the final approach to Le Vauriat.

Turn left, leaving the D941 to follow the railway line towards Le Bouchet. Skirt to the east of this hamlet, then turn left to head southeast. At the cross, a little before Beauregard, turn left to enter the hamlet. Continue southeastwards for about 2km, where there is a sharp left turn on a main track heading north. After about 0.5km turn right to skirt Puy Chopine, firstly in an east-southeasterly direction, gradually bending to head south and then south-southwest, to reach the D559.

Turn left along the D559 for about 250 metres, then right to cut across to the main D941B, which can be busy. Left along this road for 100 metres, before turning right to head along a track into the woods. After about 1.2km take a left fork, now heading southwards to pass between the Puy de Côme, on the west, and Le Grand Suchet, on the east, two prominent volcanic puys.

At the southern end of the Grand Suchet, be sure to head eastwards for about a kilometre, before continuing in a southerly direction to pass to the west of the Puy de Dôme. Progress along this section can be slow, with mud, tree roots, steep sections and eroded paths to contend with.

The road (D68) at the Col de Ceyssat (café – refreshment) is reached after about 2.5km. Turn left to pass the inns and then right along a path. Take care on the steep, eroded, and possibly muddy section here. This trail leads all the way to the D941A, a distance of approximately 1.8km. Cross this main road (care) and continue ahead for another 800 metres to reach the outskirts of Laschamp at the D767A. Turn right to enter the village.

Road Bike Alternative

See ‘Stage Maps for the Road Bike Alternative’, after the end of Stage 17.

Follow the GTMC to Durtol (see above for a detailed route description) and then minor roads to Nohanet and Sayat. From there take the D15 or D15A north to Volvic. Leave the town on the main D941, direction Pontgibaud, but leave it after a few kilometres to head south on minor roads (D407, D776, D90) to Chanat-la-Mouteyre and Temant.

Continue on the D90 south, crossing the D941B, to reach the main D941A. Head southwest along this for about 3–4km to take the turn-off on the left, the D767A, to Laschamp. Before doing so, very fit cyclists may wish to test their hill-climbing abilities on the mountain road up to the summit of the Puy de Dôme. It is 40km from Clermont-Ferrand to Laschamp (omitting the detour up the Puy de Dôme).

Walking Trail – 2 Days

There is about 5km road walking from the centre of Clermont-Ferrand to just beyond the suburb of Durtol, so non-purists may wish to take a bus to Durtol to start the walk from there. Nevertheless, the walking out through the centre of Clermont-Ferrand is full of interest. Thereafter, all the way to Laschamp, only about another 5km is on tarmac, in small sections along the way.

Volvic is easily reached in a day’s walking from the centre of Clermont-Ferrand, but only the very fittest long-distance walkers will manage the 39km from there along the GTMC to Laschamp in a day. There is very little opportunity for acquiring accommodation between Volvic and Laschamp, but the walker is served by a considerably shorter, more direct route of 27km between these two villages. Follow the GR441 from Volvic southwest over the Puy de la Nugère to join the GR4, which is coming in from Le Vauriat to the northwest, at the Puy Chopine. From there follow the GR4/GR441/GTMC southwards, over, if time and stamina allow, the summit of the Puy de Dôme, all the way to Laschamp. This is a fine route, with excellent views, and the opportunity for refreshment en route in the café/restaurant on the top of the Puy de Dôme. This route is described in detail in the Cicerone Guide Walks in Volcano Country (see Appendix C).