Coltines brings together agricultural culture and a range of activities: the Musée de l'Agriculture Auvergnate showcases farming throughout the year, while hiking, orienteering and a mountain biking route offer different ways to explore. There are also dolmens, flight experiences and guided horseback rides. A specific question can help with planning: are you mainly interested in agriculture and heritage, a particular type of route, or an activity on horseback or in the air? The distinctions below make it easier to choose.
Agriculture throughout the year
The Musée de l'Agriculture Auvergnate is housed in a beautiful 17th-century farmhouse in the heart of the village of Coltines. The exhibition showcases agricultural activities throughout the year and covers the production of Cantal cheese as well as haymaking, grain harvesting, ploughing and sowing. This brings different aspects of agricultural work together: fieldwork, harvesting and Cantal cheese production all belong to the same theme. Those interested in rural working life will find more than just a single harvest theme. The historic farmhouse and the focus on the activities of the year together form the museum's cultural highlights.
Dolmens and heritage protection
The dolmens also offer their own historical highlights. The Dolmen de Touls is fully protected as a historic monument; it was listed on February 11, 1986. The Dolmen du Bardon has a different specific description: it is also called La Pierre Chabrée and is located in a hollow. The two descriptions are therefore clearly distinct: for the Dolmen de Touls, they concern its protected status and date, while for the Dolmen du Bardon, they concern its alternative name and location. Together, they complement the museum's theme with further, distinct aspects of the area's heritage.
Routes with different highlights
The “Pierres et Planèze” hike starts in Coltines and crosses the Planèze plateau to the ruins of Bousquet, with the Monts du Cantal on the horizon. The landscape and the named destination are part of the same route description. The “Parcours d’orientation de Coltines « le Bourg »” orienteering course also starts in the village and includes seven checkpoints. Its use may be affected by seasonal conditions, so bear this in mind when planning.
The different types of route are therefore easy to distinguish: a hike to the ruins, an orienteering course with seven checkpoints, or a mountain bike route. The Chalinargues / Coltines section of the Grande Traversée du Massif Central à VTT follows easily rideable tracks across the Planèze to Coltines. The hike describes the route to its named destination, the orienteering course the sequence of checkpoints, and the VTT section the route across the Planèze. These are concrete differences that can guide your choice without combining the activities into a single route.
In the air and on horseback
Saint-Flour-Coltines airfield offers introductory flights by plane and ultralight aircraft on three circuits. If you are planning a flight, check the current offer in advance. This keeps the activity distinct from the routes on the ground.
Ferme Equestre du Dolmen offers guided horseback rides in Touls, a village in Coltines. For the horseback excursion, there is an option without accommodation or one with accommodation and meals served as a table d’hôtes. The difference between the two options is therefore not limited to the ride: the second option includes accommodation and meals. This gives travelers a clear choice if they want to combine a guided horseback activity with an accommodation option.
Discover more destinations: Le Falgoux, Chavagnac, Laroquebrou, Le Rouget, Saint-Étienne-De-Maurs, Landeyrat, Pers, Ruynes-en-Margeride.
For the broader travel overview: Cantal.
