30 - The Grand Tour of the Sucs
Start: Parking de l'Antreuil à Yssingeaux
Warning: from March 2025 to March 2027, because of work on the Lavalette dam, this circuit is not accessible in the mornings from 9:00 to 14:00, Monday to Friday. This grand tour will take you to discover 9 communes, each with a very different charm and character! Set off from Yssingeaux, the town of the 5 cockerels, and head for Saint-Maurice-de-Lignon, whose history is intertwined with that of the La Tour-Maubourg family, a famous family in the history of Haute-Loire and of France. Then branch off towards the charming village of “Les Villettes” and carry on to Grazac and its former Cluniac priory. Then head for Lapte and go down to Lac de Lavalette for a short break by the water... Get back on your bike towards the Lizieux and Meygal massifs, via Saint-Jeures, Araules and Queyrières. Up there, astonishing viewpoints await you... Then ride back down to Yssingeaux via the village of Bessamorel and its Templars' church. The loop is now complete!
- Distance
- 72.7 km
- Elevation gain
- +1603 m
- Elevation loss
- -1601 m
- Duration
- 5 h
Route on the map
Base map © OpenTopoMap (CC-BY-SA): route licensed under ETALAB-2.0 via Données : Comité Départemental Randonnée Pédestre Haute-Loire · FFRandonnée · sportsnature.hauteloire.fr — sous licence ETALAB 2.0.
The feel of the route
Lapte and its bell tower
Listed as a historic monument, the church of Lapte stands out for several kilometres around. And for good reason! Its 51-metre bell tower, nicknamed “Le Balcon du Velay”, is considered the tallest bell tower in the département. So climb to the top: you will enjoy a splendid 360° panorama over 250 km, where you can see Mont Mézenc, the Yssingelais sucs (volcanic peaks), the Velay mountains, the Livradois, the Cévennes, and also the Monts du Pilat and the Boutières! Inside the church, you will find a Foucault Pendulum.
Guided tour of the Pendulum on the 1st Saturday of each month at 11:00 (April to October)
Bell tower climb: Sundays (in June and September) and every day (in July and August) from 14:30 to 18:30
The Parc Maubourg in Saint-Maurice-de-Lignon
Rich in heritage and history, this park was the cradle of a famous family, the Fay La Tour Maubourg. It is full of remarkable heritage features such as a château (private), an orangery and an ice house (the cold store of its day), but also incredible biodiversity, notably century-old trees and a pond. Starting point for the Lignon gorges and the footbridge; you will find a picnic area and a play area there (children's games, pétanque...)
Open all year round
In pictures
Other hikes in the area
Cycling
Other activity
Mountain biking