Hotel Le Castelet, Mont Dore
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Highlights
A spectacular walking tour taking in the highest and most beautiful summits of the Puy de Sancy with exceptional views
Dramatic waterfalls, beautiful lakes and wild mountain scenery
Historic villages built from volcanic stone with great ecclesiastical monuments
Rich flora & fauna
Welcoming guest houses in historic buildings
Let 's discover the full itinerary!
Day 1: Arrival
Arrival in Mont Dore and transfer from station if arriving by public transport. Welcome at your delightful guest house.
Day 2: Tour from Mont Dore
You have the choice of two wonderful walks to start your holiday. You could always add an extra day at the end of the holiday to be able to do them both.
Option 1: You days starts by climbing to the beautiful Lac Guery, where you can reach the Col Guery and a magnificent view of the twin volcanic towers of Sanadoire and Tuilière, separated by a glacial valley. You then have a gentle climb to La Banne d’Ordanche amid a wild and spectacular landscape. Return via the summit of Puy Gros which has wonderful views of Mont Dore and Puy de Sancy. 21km, +820m. This walk can be shortend to take in just Puy Gros.
Option 2: A magnificent day taking in 3 waterfalls and a ridge of volcanic peaks with sumptuous views. Your trails takes you up to the Col de la Croix Morand, after passing Cascade du Queureuilh and Rossignolet. You then have a challenging but rewarding traverse of 4 volcanic mountain summits separated by short descents, with the highest the Puy de l’Angle at 1738m being a wonderful vantage point for views across the Auvergne mountains. Descend past the Grande Cascade which at 32m is a beautiful site. 19km, +900m
Night: Mont Dore
Day 3: Mont Dore - Lake Chambon / Murol
Another great day's walking taking in the eastern flanks of the Puy de Sancy. After a stiff climb up to the Plateau Durdise your trails climbs the edge of the spectacular U shaped valley leading down from Sancy. You have the opportunity to climb Roc Cuzeau before climbing to Puy de Crebasses at 1762m, which has remarkable views down into the Chaudefour Valley with its fins of rock. Take a moment to enjoy the views and look out for falcons or chamois. You’ll then begin a long descent, passing by the village of Chambon sur Lac before reaching the beautiful lake itself. A short walk brings you to your hotel.
Night at Lake Chambon, Walk: 20km, +830m, -900m.
Optional extra day: Murol et St Nectaire
This walking holiday has the option of an extra day where you can decide on the amount of walking you wish to do. You can have a partial rest day and do a short walk around Lake Chambon, Murol, and adjacent hills for views over the lake and the mountain summits. Chance to visit Murol’s 12th century castle and during the summer months watch a medieval show. 7km, +200m. Longer option: walk to St Nectaire and its superb basilica, one of the wonders of Auvergne, passing through beautiful rolling countryside with remote hamlets and pre-historic standing stones.
Night at Lake Chambon, Walk: 19km, +490m.
Day 4: Lake Chambon - Pavin Lake
This circuit starts by going around the lake before climbing onto an open plateau with extensive views. You’ll then descend to the pretty historic village of Besse before climbing to reach Lac Pavin, a circular lake which is also the youngest volcano in the Massif Central. Short transfer to your accommodation in Super Besse.
Night at Besse, Walk: 21.5km, +810m
Day 5: Besse - Mont Dore
A wonderful and long final day’s walk. You’ll then take a picturesque walking trail to Lac Pavin, a beautiful circular lake, the deepest in Auvergne and the youngest of the volcanoes at only 6000 years old. A short walk brings you to your guest house on a working farm on the flanks of Puy de Sancy who serve superb food. You’ll climb onto a ridge on the southern edge of the Chaudefour Valley with great views, before climbing to the top of Sancy, at 1885m, the highest point in the Massif Central. Your walking trail will then take you along a stunning ridge, this time on the western edge of the glacial valley. Broken into a number of summits this spectacular ridge has the odd exposed section, as well as a number of surprising rock features along the way. The trail then summits the Puy de Cliergue and le Capucin before descending directly to Mont Dore.
Night at Mont Dore, Walk: 21km, +900m, -910m.
Day 6: Departure
Walking holiday ends after breakfast.
Extra days at Mont Dore are possible.
At a glance
20 May - 30 September
From £565 / €620 per person (based on 2 sharing)
Self-Guided
5 or 6 nights / 4 or 5 days walking
Linear
Self-guided
Distance:16 - 22km
Ascent: 530-1090m per day
Small hotels and guest house, rooms with private bathrooms
B&B plus 2 evening meals & 3 lunches (except 2 evening meals)
Other self-guided walking holidays in the Auvergne
Volcanoes, Lakes and Historic Villages
Tour of Ardeche: Rustic Trails
Cantal Mountains: The Rugged Heart of France
Similar challenging Walking holidays
Auvergne
This independent walking holiday in France explores the stunning Puy de Sancy mountains in northern Auvergne, including its summit, which at 1885m is the highest in France outside the Alps & Pyrenees. Your walking holiday takes the form of a circular tour, starting and finishing in the pretty spa town of Mont Dore at the base of Puy de Sancy, taking in the most spectacular trails with expansive breath-taking views. It will also explore many of the features that make up this beautiful landscape including beautiful volcanic and glacial lakes such as Lake Chambon set in a backdrop of verdure, mighty volcanic domes, dramatic rocky cliffs, secluded glacial valleys and amazing waterfalls.
Your walking trail will explore a number of dramatic summits and beautiful ridges on all sides of the Sancy mountain range. Puy de Sancy is a large complex volcanoe which has been eroded by glaciers to form a series of airy ridges, beautiful valleys and dramatic secondary summits which you'll cross as you navigate your way around this massif. In between the summits your walking tour will visit the charming medieval villages of Besse and Murol, with the chance of extending the trail as far as St Nectaire with its wonderful basilica. A rich flora and fauna will accompany your circuit with mouflons, chamois, falcons, orchids, and a host of other wild flowers.
Holiday Profile
5 or 6 nighs: 4 or 5 days centre based independent walking
Dates
Everyday (subject to availability) from 30 May to 30 September
Walking Profile & Grade
The walks on this independent walking holiday in Auvergne are graded challenging, although it is at the easy end of the grade. This holiday will suit those people who enjoy mountain walking as well as exploring different facets of an area. The daily walks on this walking holiday average 19km in length with an average of 750m of ascent. The terrain is hilly & mountainous. The paths are generally good although they can be rough and stony in places with the odd exposed section which requires a degree of surefootedness as well as a good head for heights.
This walking holiday is graded challenging. See more information about walking grades.
Accommodation & Meals
5 or 6 nights: You will be staying in a mixture of B&B guest houses & small hotels, (good quality 2 star equivalent or higher). They are often traditional Auvergne properties offering authentic, comfortable accommodation where the welcome is warm and generous. Evening meals not included in Mont Dore
Where is this walking holiday?
When to Travel
Our Tour of the Sancy self-guided walking holiday in the Auvergne is available from 20 May to 30 September. Although this is not a high-altitude holiday, on three of the days your walking trail goes above 1500m in altitude where snow could still be present mid-late May if spring weather conditions have been cool. From the end of May onwards there is far less risk of snow. The weather in the Auvergne generally is more settled during the summer months, although unsettled or stormy weather is possible at any time. The busiest period in terms of tourists and fellow walkers is from Mid July to mid August. Late May and June are the best months for wildflowers on the mountains. See more details about the average Auvergne weather conditions.
Navigation, Walking Notes & Maps
Most of the walks have a variety of waymarkings. There are several GR or grande Randonnée which cross the area. The GR4, GR30 and GR441 all cross the region. These long distance trails are well way-marked with red and white markings. There are also a number of signposts along the trails, which indicate directions and place names. In addition, most of the other non-GR trails are marked with other waymarkings, usually yellow.
The walking trails are on clear mountain paths, tracks or mino roads. There are limited sections of trail where the paths are less well-defined, where care will be required with navigation. Our walking notes are detailed (more information here) and easy to follow. They also include information about the sites which can be explored along the route. We supply one walking guide per person on this holiday. As well as the detailed walking notes we supply walking maps. You'll be provided with a detailed 1:25,000 walking map.
Luggage Transfers
On this walking holiday your main luggage is transferred between guest houses so you only have to carry a day rucksack with picnic lunch (supplied by the guest houses and included in the holiday price), water and spare clothes, waterproofs, camera etc. On this holiday a local taxi company is responsible for transporting your main luggage. We use the same company throughout the walking holiday, so if you have any specific requests you can ask the driver at the beginning of your trip. Please limit the weight of your bags where possible to 20kg.
Travel Info
Train
Eurostar and the TGV run trains from London to Paris Gare du Nord. Take intercity train to Clermont Ferrand. Change and take either bus run by regional train company (TER) direct to Mont Dore station or take a train to Laqueuille station and a shorter bus trip from there, again run by the train company. The bus stop is close to your accommodation in Mont Dore
Self Drive
Channel ferry crossings from Dover are provided by a number of operators including P&0 ferries and DFDS. once in France, the journey from Calais to the Mont Dore takes about 8 hours (excluding long breaks).
Tolls amount to about 35 euros each way. Non-surveilled parking is available free of charge.
Fly
The nearest airport is Clermont Ferrand which only has limited services which change each year. Consult the airport website for more details. There maybe connecting flights via Amsterdam. The airlines Easy jet and British Airways have scheduled flights from the UK - Luton, Gatwisk, Edinburgh, Heathrow - to Lyon St Exupery airport. From here you can take the shuttle tram to Lyon Part Dieu and take a train from here to Clermont Ferrand.
All the main car hire
Price for 5 nights / 4 days walking
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£565 (single supplement £145)
- €620 (single supplement €160)
Price for 6 nights / 5 days walking
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£645 (single supplement £160)
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€705 (single supplement €180)
Prices per person based on 2 sharing a room
Loyalty scheme reduction applies for returning customers (see terms and conditions)
What's included in the price
- 5 or 6 night's accommodation, all breakfasts, 2 or 3 lunches (depending on option) and evening meals in Murol and Besse
- Luggage transported between guest houses
- Detailed walking notes and walking map
What's not included in the price
- Travel to and from Mont Dore in France,
- lunches on arrival and departure days plus those walks leaving from Mont Dore,
- evening meals in Mont Dore,
- visits,
- travel insurance
Payment
- A deposit payment of 30% or at least £250 or 250€ per person must be made to confirm your booking. The balance of payments is due 8 weeks before the holiday date. If the holiday date is less that 8 weeks away at the time of booking, then the full price should be paid.
5 or 6 nights: You will be staying in a mixture of B&B guest houses & small hotels, (good quality 2 star equivalent or higher). They are often traditional Auvergne properties offering authentic, comfortable accommodation where the welcome is warm and generous. Evening meals not included in Mont Dore.
Extra Nights
Our standard walking holiday includes 5 or 6 nights and 4 or 5 days walking. It is possible to add an additional night in Mont Dore. There are already two nights in Mont Dore at the start of the walking holiday and one at the end, however you can add a additional nights at the start or end of the trip. There are two walking options from Mont Dore included in the walking guide. If you would like an extra night to have a rest day during the walk, then we would recommend an extra night at Lake Chambon where you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the lake.
Tailor Made Trips
If you want to learn more about the region's culture through tailor-made activities and visits, check out those trips that include a few days in Lyon and Avignon. Contact us to add them to your hike.
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Our Expertinsight
The Puy de Sancy ascent, the highest peak in the Massif Central, is one of my favourite hiking memories in the Auvergne. The summit offers a breathtaking panorama of the neighboring valleys on clear days. The secret of a good holiday in the french mountains is a good fondue after a long day's hiking. Le Mont Dore is full of local inns where you can sample the best local cheeses.