Mont Mézenc

At 1,753 metres, the Mézenc is the roof of the eastern Massif Central, sitting on the Haute-Loire / Ardèche border. From a distance you can pick out its saddleback silhouette: two summits joined by a ridge. A dome of phonolite, that thick lava which set here seven million years ago, the very rock of the surrounding sucs (volcanic peaks) of the Velay.

You start from Les Estables, at 1,343 metres the highest commune seat in the Massif Central. To climb, head for the Croix de Boutières car park, on the Ardèche side: from there, allow about 250 metres of ascent to the summit, on paths restored in 2025. A metal cross put up in 1954 marks the north summit. The panorama goes all the way round: the pyramid-shaped sucs, neighbouring Gerbier de Jonc, and the Alps in clear weather.

You are on the watershed here, between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. This is also the home of the fin gras du Mézenc, the AOP (protected designation of origin) beef raised on the plateau.

Our take, frankly: come at sunrise, when the light grazes the ridges. Bring a jacket, the wind takes you by surprise even in summer. Allow an hour to link the two summits along the ridge, that's where it gets grand.