La Virée des Rocs (full tour)

Start: From the esplanade below Viscomtat, take the D42 on the left. At the crossroads, go straight ahead towards Grimond. Go past the fire station and the cemetery. At the fork, continue on the road to the right. This road becomes a track. At the crossing of 4 tracks, continue on the track opposite. 10 m before the tarmac road, turn onto the track on the right.

1. Continue on the track to Les Lignières Vieilles. Go to the right of a building and take the first track on the right. 10 m further on, at the fork, take the track on the left. Stay on this main track as far as the D42. Cross it and follow it to the left for 150 m before taking a small path that goes down to the right. At the end of the path, turn onto the track on the left and take the steps up onto the bridge.

2. Turn right onto the D322 and go through the village of Cornillon. 50 m after the last house in the village, take the track climbing on the left as far as the tarmac road. Take it opposite for 50 m before turning onto the track climbing on the left. At the crossing of 4 tracks, continue on the track opposite as far as the village of Boulay.

3. At the first houses, take the track on the left and stay on the main track as far as the tarmac road (view of the Bois Noirs and the village of Celles-sur-Durolle). Take it to the right for 50 m before turning onto the track on the left. Continue on the forest track to a parking area with a crossing of 4 tracks.

4. Take the track on the right and 50 m further on, climb the first track on the right. Follow the main track to the crossing of 4 tracks. Continue opposite to the Roc du Guet (view of the Bois Noirs and the Chaîne des Puys). Continue on the main track as it goes back down. At the T-junction, keep going down by taking the track on the right until you find the tarmac road again. Follow it to the left as far as the Col des Sagnes. At the pass, cross the D86 and continue on the track climbing opposite.

5. At the fork, go down the track on the left and stay on the main track as far as the crossroads at the Maison du Trésor. Then take the 2nd track climbing on the right. At the crossing of 4 tracks, keep climbing opposite as far as the plane crash cross. Continue on the track opposite to a crossing of 4 tracks. At the crossing, start the descent by carrying straight on and stay on the main track as far as the croix du Gât crossroads.

6. Then take the track that leaves on the right as far as the tarmac road of the village of Vachon. Take the track on the right to reach the D101.

7. Follow it opposite to cross the bridge. Then take the first tarmac road climbing on the left as far as the village of La Forêt. On leaving the village, take the track on the left then, after a few metres, turn onto the path climbing on the right in the woods. Stay on the main path until you find a forest track again.

8. Take it to the left for 20 m and at the crossing, take the track on the left that reaches the lovely little village of Seychal. Go through the village, keeping to the track on the right (Watch out: be sure to close the gates behind you). Continue on this track until you reach a forest track. Cross it to take the path that climbs opposite and comes out again on the forest track.

9. Take it to the right for 15 m before turning onto the path on the left in the plantation. Stay on this path as far as Le Cheix Blanc (short out-and-back to the left to the stone field for the view of the Bois Noirs, the Chaîne des Puys, Mont Blanc). Continue on the main path that goes back down through a plantation to the second rocky outcrop, Le Cheix Petit (out-and-back to the right to the stone field with a cross for a view of the Bois Noirs, Noirétable). The path keeps going down to the left until you find a track again.

10. Follow this track to the left for 20 m as far as the fork. Carry straight on to the forest track. Take it to the right and stay on the main track as far as the Pierre Pamole car park. Then turn onto the track on the right that climbs to the summit of Pierre Pamole (orientation tables with views of Pierre-sur-Haute, the Massif du Sancy, the Chaîne des Puys, the Bois Noirs, the Monts du Livradois, the lac d’Aubusson and Mont Blanc).

11. At the summit, take the path that goes down after the second interpretation table and finds a track lower down. Take the track on the right and stay on the main track until you find the Col du Pertuis again.

12. Cross the D42 to take the tarmac road opposite. At the fork, take the road on the left and go through the village of Les Raillères. On leaving the village, take the path that climbs to the right. At the crossing of 4 tracks, carry straight on to reach the forest track.

13. Take it to the left. At the first crossing, turn right. At the next fork, keep to the tracks on the right to climb to the Roc Blanc. Continue on the main track (out-and-back to the viewpoint on the right over the Chaîne des Puys, the Massif du Sancy, the Bois Noirs and Mont Blanc) and turn onto a path that goes back down on the left along the edge of the Ayguebonne state forest. Cut across the dead end of a track and keep going down opposite along a track before meeting the forest track at a bend.

14. At the bend, take the track that leaves on the right (view of the Chaîne des Puys and the Massif du Sancy). At the T-junction, take the track on the left to the forest track, which you take to the right. Then climb by the first track on the right. Keep going straight on along the main path (view of the Chaîne des Puys, the Massif du Sancy and the Bois Noirs) as far as a fork. Take the path that leaves on the left in the beech forest and stay on this main path until you find the tarmac road again.

15. Take the forest track opposite for 1.5 km. At the crossing of 3 tracks, leave the track on the left and take the drivable track opposite. At a bend to the right, take the track opposite. At the next crossing, carry straight on to pass to the right of the drinking water reservoir and stay on the main track to reach the D102, which you take to the left.

16. In the bend of the road, turn onto a track that goes down on the right between fields. At the D321, take the tarmac road on the right towards Rambaud. At the house, the road becomes a track and goes back down until you find the D321 again. Cross it and continue on the main track to the Glay football ground. Go along the ground and take the track that leaves between the houses of Glay. Continue on this track to the village of Le Cheix, which you cross by the tarmac road, going up.

17. On leaving the village of Le Cheix, take the track on the left. Stay on this track as far as the road, which you take to the right. At the junction of several roads, head left towards the village of Grimond. Then turn onto the first road on the right. At the next junction, keep right to pass the Viscomtat fire station. At the crossing, in the centre of the village, take the D42 opposite to find the car park below.