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As a professional Mountain Leader (learn more) I have the opportunity to organize hiking activities, which allow me to share my passions for nature and outdoor living.
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The Cantal mountains are located in south Massif Central. The construction of this medium high « range » (1855m/6086ft max.) results from a great volcanic activity that ended only 3 millions years ago. An important erosion, due to the glaciers, has sculpted wonderful rough landscapes which call us on for walking and contemplating.
As you may wonder to associate the discovery of this particular region with a soft physical activity, I made up a weekly programme of guided hikes that will hopefully contribute to enjoy holidays with your family.
The next paragraphs give details on each daily walk of a « typical » week, which is repeated all along summer from june 11th to september 18th. To get more information (Time, places and prices), please take a look at my leaflet or at the summary table, or call me on my cell phone (+33 (0)6 33 38 12 36).
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Would you please notice that a booking is necessary prior to come to the meeting points.
Dogs are not allowed because of cow’s herds.
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EVERY MONDAY (duration : the day)
History of traditional « burons » in wonderful surroundings
As we will hike up the “Roc des Ombres” we will find occasions to talk about men and cow’s pastoral life in those mountains. At the summit, we will enjoy a splendid panoramic view. On the way down I will show you, with historic photographs, the past and traditional Salers’s cheese making.
Suitable for occasional walkers, and from 9 years old.
EVERY TUESDAY (2 different walks)
Wild and preserved mountain in beautiful scenery (duration : the day)
Appart from crowds, we will walk up the wild side of this volcano, so close to Salers village. Hopefully we could see stags, roe deers and moufflons while we will go through the woods, but for sure we will be rewarded for our efforts with great views as we will reach the summit.
Suitable for occasional walkers and from 9 years old.
Sunset at the Puy Violent’s summit* (duration : from evening to sunset)
This pretty easy walk will lead us to the Puy Violent’s summit just in time to admire sunset on Cantal Mountains. During that show I will heat a drink up with my stove for the whole group, and after the « tasting » we will hike down with the help of flashlights…or with the full moon light.
Suitable for novice walkers, and from 7 years old.
* Meeting time for that walk change during summer
……………………………………………………because of sunset time lag.
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EVERY WEDNESDAY (duration : half the day in late afternoon)
Carnivorous plant’s discovery, and visit of a mountain « buron » about Salers cheese production*
Walking through pasture lands, we will reach a high place which offers a nice view on the “Puy Violent” and the valley. Then we will head to a peat bog, a place with humid ground where we will observe some carnivorous plants.
Before going back to our cars we will make a stop at one of the last mountain “buron” that still works in Cantal. The “vachers” (persons in charge of cows care and cheese making) will comment the visit* of the place and explain their traditionnal techniques. They will also offer a “goûter” (teatime) with cheese, bread, wine, and jam and syrups for children. If you wish you will have the possibility to buy some cheese from the “buron”.
Suitable for novice walkers, and from 7 years old.
* Visit and teatime at the “buron” are not organized in june and September. Consequently, price decrease during these periods (please consult the summary table).
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EVERY THURSDAY (duration : the day)
Mountain hiking to reach some amazing landscapes
Because this walk is a little bit longer and steeper than the others, we will have the chance to go through a great variety of ecosystems : forest, moor, cliffs, brook, and pasture lands.
We will reach the top of the “Puy Chavaroche”, which people calls “L’homme de pierre” (means “man made of rock”) because of the two big cairns built at the summit. As this mountain is central in the range, it offers a terrific view over the whole summits of the Cantal Massif.
Suitable for steady walkers, and from 11 years old.
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EVERY FRIDAY (duration : the day)
Wild fauna viewing
Starting from the “Jordanne’s” valley early in the morning, we will walk up to a very central point of the Cantal Massif from where we will have good opportunities to watch wild animals with a spotting scope. From there the surrounding view on main Cantal’s summits is fantastic. Several trails will give us various possibilities to explore the mountain, and to search for chamois and marmots.
On the way down we will take a break close to a former “buron” where I will offer you a piece of local cheese to taste.
Suitable for occasional walkers, and from 9 years old.
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EVERY SATURDAY (duration : from late afternoon to sunset)
Soft walk on pasture lands before diner* and « sunset walk » in a lovely mountain setting**
The purpose of this gentle walk through pasture lands is to discover and understand the History of generations of men who have lived and worked here with herds until now. We will see some “burons” (houses for living and cheese making) of past centuries, and we will take time to visit an archaeological site of cattle farmer’s half-buried huts, dated of the 11th century.
This walk will give us an appetite to have diner in a former “buron” working nowadays as a small restaurant in a beautiful mountain setting. Meals are typical of “Auvergne” cooking*** and are only prepared with farm products.
After the diner we will go for a short walk until a high point to watch a wonderful sunset on the Cantal Massif.
Then we will end that day using flashlights for a small descent back to the cars.
Suitable for novice walkers, and from 7 years old.
* Please make your booking at least 3 days before the outing.
** Meeting time for that walk change during summer because of sunset time lag.
*** The 16€ menu is included in the price of the hike (summary table), but you can easily choose the 19€, 23,5€, 28€ or 7€ (for children) menu while booking. Menus are available (in French) on the MENUS page.
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EVERY SUNDAY (duration : half the day in afternoon)
Local volcanic activity presentation
Starting from the deep “Falgoux” valley, sculpted by the erosion of a glacier, we will hike up through the strata of the volcano. We will make several “educational” stops to observe and to discuss about the geological formation of the biggest European volcano!
Suitable for occasional walkers, and from 9 years old.
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Would you please notice that the walks may be cancelled in case of bad meteorological conditions or in case of an insufficient number of participants.
Payments exclusively in cash.
Additional information :
Download : SUMMARY TABLE (Time, places and prices)
Essential equipment :
…..- Hiking shoes
…..- 2,5 L of water per person for a day walk.
…..- 1,5 L of water per person for half-a-day walk.
…..- Lunch and/or snacks.
…..- Hat or cap and sunglasses.
…..- Jacket and warm clothes.
Optional equipment :
…..- Sunscreen
…..- Trousers (instead of shorts)
Contact :
…..Laurent BESNARD
…..Ph. : +33 (0)6 33 38 12 36
…..e-mail : l_besnard@yahoo.fr
…..Website : http://cantalrandonnee.wordpress.com/
