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Local heritage
You can discover our local heritage whatever way you want, whether you decide to follow the theme pathways or the guided visits or just discover it on your own.
Some local heritage walks
Le sentier des vielles pierres
This route which can be done either on foot, or with your mountain bike, is a real trip back in time. Along the pathway you will discover underground prehistoric shelters, tombs and funeral mounds dating back to the Bronze Age, Merovingian stone tombs, beautiful Roman churches, medieval crosses, castle ruins, and the village ovens.
Round circuit of 13km, 4 hours 220m gradient. It is possible to shorten en route at Neussargues, 9km; 2and ¾ hours
Topo guide Walks and hikes
Pays de la Pinatelle et de la Haute Santoire
Le sentier des burons
Leaving from the tourist information office at Le Lioran a green PR (pathway) will take you to some of the oldest burons built at altitudes of more than 1400 m.
The ones not to be missed: Buron des Gardes, Buron du Baguet which dates back to the 18th century, Buron du Remberter: hillside setting.
Le sentier des Quiroux
This pathway which goes from Dienne to Cheylade can be done on foot, by bike or on horseback. It goes over the plateau which is scattered with cairns or piles of stones. The cairns are found about every 20 m. They were to help people travelling find their way especially in bad weather.
Topo guide walks and hikes
Pays de la Pinatelle et de la Haute Santoire.
Murat: the medieval citadel
For those who prefer visiting alone, there is a detailed guide available at the tourist office. It will help you find the main points of architectural interest in Murat, which used to be a fortified and a very busy town from the 14th century. During the summer, the tourist office also organises guided visits and unusual nocturnal walks through the medieval town with flares.
The cave dwellings in Laveissière
Above the village of Faisse Haut nestled in a cliff face overlooking the Alagnon valley, you will find some unusual caves which used to be inhabited by, and which communicate together by internal stairways. Begin your walk from the lake at Laveissière.
Yellow circuit 7.5km, 2 and ½ hours, a gradient of 250m.
La Maison de la Cheyrelle, Dienne
During numerous walks you will come across several medieval and renaissance castles overlooking the valleys, however the only castle open to visit is the Maison de la Cheyrelle. In 1866 it was a farm manor house, but at the beginning of the century it was transformed into a summer holiday house by Gustave Serrurier-Bovy. He was a Belgian decorator and promoted decorative art in Europe.
Open from July 11th to September 30th on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after 3pm as well as the first four Sundays in September.
Price: 4€ per person, free for the under 14 year olds.
The bread ovens
In the Middle Ages people could cook their bread in the village oven as long as they paid their duty entrance fee. The right to cook the bread in these ovens was suppressed during the French Revolution. There after the upkeep of the oven was assured by those who used the oven. They used to cook the bread about every 15 days. The families took it in turns to provide the wood to heat the oven. After cooking the bread, they used the oven which was still hot to cook tarts and dry fruits. Nowadays many villages organise summer meals around their restored ovens.
The Burons
Originally every farm had a mountain buron that they used to make cheese. It was initially a shelter made from earth, but as time went by it was built using stone and thick slate for the roof. The same room was used as living quarters and as an area to make the cheese. There was an arched cellar that was used to refine the cheeses. Nowadays there are not many burons in use; they now form part of the local heritage. They are sometimes used as a shelter for hikers. Some of them have been transformed into inns or stopover and holiday hostels.
Heritage buildings
Confronted by the harsh winters, people living in the Monts du Cantal adapted their buildings to the climatic conditions and their farming occupations. In the Monts du Cantal the farm buildings have traditionally thick walls and sloping roofs. Inside the farm the most important feature was the cantou (fire place) around which the daily activities were organised. The main materials used to build the houses were, the volcanic rock for the walls, pine wood for the framework and lauze tiles (sheets of cut volcanic rock) for the roofs.
