Walks and hikes

Walking and Cycling in Pays d’Issoire

Thanks to its hills and varied landscapes, Pays d’Issoire has a whole host of footpaths for couples or families, on your own or with a guide, on foot, by bike or on horseback…

When you travel even a short distance, you will soon see the beauty and diversity of our landscapes, such as the plains, peaks, volcanic plateaus, the medium mountain ranges in the Livradois or the high plateaus of Le Cézallier. On the way, you will also get a chance to admire the riches of our local heritage, with such charming villages as Montpeyroux, Usson, Saint-Floret, Champeix, the striking hillside villages, impressive medieval castles, fine Romanesque churches, abbeys, etc.

In Pays d’Issoire, there are no less than 68 short hiking trails of between 1 and 5 hours with 666 km of footpaths. These circuits are easily accessible to families.

See the hiking trails

Hiking

The 5 regional circuits

Itineraries to discover Issoire area during some days :

• Circuit n°1: Tour of Pays des Couzes (61 km; 3 days)
• Circuit n°2: Tour to the Land of Queen Margot (67 km; 4 days)
• Circuit n°3: Des rives de l’Allier aux portes du Livradois (69 km; 3 or 4 days)
• Circuit n°4: To the steps of Le Cézallier (71 km; 3 or 4 days)
• Circuit n°5: Tour in the Auvergne Dauphiné (85.5 km 4 or 5 days)

Tour of the Auvergne lakes GR®30

BA 189-kilometre circuit lasting nine days, the GR®30 takes in a large number of Auvergne’s lakes, both of glacial (Lake Guéry) and volcanic origin (Lake Pavin, Lake Cassière, etc.), and crosses three volcanic regions in Auvergne: Mont-Dore, Les Puys mountain chain and Le Cézallier, featuring a stage at La Godivelle.

New: the GR300

The GR300 follows the old Way of Saint James route. It runs from Sancoins in the Cher department to Le Puy-en-Velay in Haute-Loire, and crosses the Puy-de-Dôme department from north to south. From Coudes, it runs along the Allier valley as far as Brassac-les-Mines. The route gives a taste of the rich heritage of Pays d’Issoire: Montpeyroux, one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, the abbey church of Saint-Austremoine d’Issoire, the Château de Parentignat…

For more information: http://www.ffrandonnee-puy-de-dome.fr/fiche-GR300.php

Cycling and mountain-biking

Pays d’Issoire is perfect for cyclists and mountain bikers. They will enjoy the landscapes, the hills and valleys, the climbs (1750 metres on average), the quiet roads and the charming villages along the way: Montpeyroux, Usson, Sauxillanges, Saurier, Dauzat-sur-Vodable, La Godivelle…

Explore the cycle-touring routes

Fans of mountain biking will be delighted with the number of paths, forest tracks or roads inviting them to great rides with ever-new sensations as the miles go by.

One of the two mountain-biking bases with the Fédération Nationale de Cyclotourisme (FFCT) label in the department is located in Issoire.

Horse-riding

We are lucky enough in Pays d’Issoire to have a large number of horse-riding centres with a wide range of offers for all tastes and all ages: pony rides, horse rides with a guide for one or more hours and even horse-drawn carriage rides.