Lac de Servières

At 1,202 metres above Orcival, Lac de Servières fills a former explosion crater, a maar born of the explosive meeting of magma and groundwater. A nearly round basin, some fifteen hectares of dark water sitting among the pastures and spruce woods of the Parc des Volcans.

The walk round the lake is flat, right at the water's edge: allow about 2 km and 45 minutes to an hour, with no climb to tire your legs. A car park and a café-gîte await you on the shore. Swimming and fires are not allowed, the site has been labelled an Espace Naturel Sensible (a protected natural area) since 2019, but picnics on the banks are still allowed.

Two things we like about it: the lake goes down to nearly 26 metres deep, and, near the banks, its shallow waters shelter rare aquatic plant beds (quillwort, shoreweed, floating water-plantain), protected at national level. Anglers know it for its trout and Arctic char, in water reputed to be very pure. You need the Puy-de-Dôme fishing permit plus the “Lac de Servières” option (€7.50 a day in 2026). The 2026 season runs from 28 March to 31 December, and you fish from the bank, without going into the water.

Our take, frankly: it's the kind of place where you come to switch your brain off for an hour or two. Come early in the morning, when the mist still hangs over the water and you have the path to yourself.