Out and about
How pleasant it is to step outside our door and into nature.
How about a stroll through the village of Saint Maurice près Pionsat. You can visit the brocante "La Remise".
From the gîte, you can take 2 walks. These vary from 1½ to 2½ hours.
Within a radius of 5 to 10 kilometres, several walks start out with different levels of difficulty and duration.
These walks are listed in the walking guides or the information pack available in your gîte.
A little further afield are
Lac des Fades (30 min) and Gour de Tazenat (55 min). For a lovely walk with your dog(s) combined with a cool dip.
Or how about a walk to La cascade du gour saillant near Saint Priest des Champs. Just over an hour's walk (3.2 km). This walk is half an hour's drive from our house.
If you want something more mountainous, you'll have to drive a little further.
A short hour and a half's drive from our house, you'll find several large lakes.
Lake Pavin; situated at an altitude of 1197m. The beautiful circular walk takes about an hour.
Lac Chambon; very popular with tourists in summer, with a small bathing beach and a circular walk of around 4 km.
Lac Guéry; this lake lies at an altitude of 1244 m. In winter, the lake is completely frozen over. The walk around the lake is just over 9 km long. The walk offers many magnificent viewpoints.
Tourist sites in the region.
The villages to visit are : Néris les Bains, Evaux les Bains, Aubusson and Chambon sur Voueize.
The larger towns are a little further away.
Montluçon; (45km)
Situated on the river Cher.
On the right bank, you'll find the old town with its narrow, steep streets. One of the town's attractions is Notre Dame, which dates back to the 14th century.
Riom; (65 km)
Well worth a visit. Beautiful sights are the Bâlois Saint Amable, the palace and the Sainte Chapelle church. In the old centre of Riom, you'll find pleasant shops and lovely terraces.
Clermont-Ferrand; (74km)
Rich in beautiful squares, medieval streets and historic buildings. Like the black Gothic church of Notre Dame de l'Assomption. This church is built from lava stone.
The town also boasts a large shopping centre, pretty boutiques, trendy cafés and restaurants.
Vichy; (93km)
First of all, the famous thermal baths are well worth a visit, as are the beautiful church of Saint Blaise and the art nouveau opera house.
Activities other than hiking.
There are plenty of opportunities for day trips in the region with the whole family, for example to Gorges de la Sioule where you can go canoeing (also for beginners).
Climbing parks, such as "le parc écureuil" in Chatel-Guyon, or the magnificent volcano region, where you can hike, cycle, paraglide, climb mountains and swim in a volcanic lake.
And of course, the theme park Vulcania.