Champs-Sur-Tarentaine-Marchal combines numerous walking trails with a named cycling route and cultural discoveries. If you would like to plan both time outdoors and a look at church art and local crafts during your stay, you will find a variety of options here. Rather than following a fixed sightseeing itinerary, you can explore the trails or focus on individual cultural attractions.
Walking Trails and a Cycling Route
The town is the starting point for numerous walking trails. One specific option is the PR 8 “Le Chemin des Chats,” which begins at Place de l’église in Champs-Sur-Tarentaine-Marchal. Part of the trail follows an old Roman road. This route therefore combines a named starting point with a historic section of trail.
The Romain Bardet Expérience “RBX Sumène-Artense” also starts in Champs-Sur-Tarentaine-Marchal. The cycling route is open year-round and crosses the vast Plateau de l’Artense, the only granite plateau in the Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d’Auvergne. Along the way, it offers impressive views of the peaks of the Cantal and the Monts du Sancy. Alongside the walking trails, this gives you a dedicated option for a cycling trip; the landscape and the views mentioned are part of the route.
A Trail with Local Art History
“Le Chemin des Chats” combines a section that partly follows an old Roman road with an artistic stretch: schoolchildren from the Artense created a section of the trail in a naïve style in the mid-1990s as part of an art project at school. Those who choose the PR 8 will encounter not only the history of the trail described here, but also a specific example of local artistic work. The Roman road and the school project represent two distinct aspects of the same route.
Churches and Their Furnishings
The church in Marchal was originally a castle chapel. Its nave is flanked by two Gothic chapels with rib vaults. These architectural features give the church interior its described layout: the nave in the middle and the two chapels on either side. Admission is free; you can collect the keys from the Champs-Sur-Tarentaine-Marchal town hall.
The focus at Saint-Rémy Church is on its furnishings and paintings. It houses the recently restored painting “Le baptême de Clovis,” which probably dates from the 17th century. This date remains uncertain. The choir is decorated with gilded wooden statues, a crucifix and a reliquary of the Holy Cross. This church can also be visited free of charge; its keys are likewise available from the Champs-Sur-Tarentaine-Marchal town hall.
Local Crafts
Les Mains de l’Art’Ense complements the trails and churches with an introduction to art and crafts. The shop brings together craftspeople and offers a place to discover and buy their work. Workshops for the public are also held there. This gives you the option of adding a hands-on craft activity to your visit, while the churches showcase architecture, painting and sacred furnishings.
Discover more destinations: Reilhac, Faverolles, Sansac-De-Marmiesse, Chaussenac, Thiézac, Chavagnac, Alleuze, Saint-Cirgues-De-Jordanne.
Back to the main travel overview: Cantal.
