Charensat brings together paths by ponds, wildlife watching and historic sites. At Étang de Chancelade, you can choose between a nature trail, a circular route suitable for pushchairs and boat hire; walking options range from a loop of about 45 minutes to a route lasting several days. When planning your trip, it is therefore helpful to consider whether you want to focus on individual walks or a longer hike.
Étang de Chancelade: nature and time by the water
Étang de Chancelade covers 132 hectares and is the largest pond in the Puy-de-Dôme département. Because of its particularly rich variety of wildlife and plant life, it is classified as a ZNIEFF (Zone Naturelle d’Intérêt Écologique, Floristique et Faunistique). An educational nature trail and a circular route suitable for pushchairs offer different ways to enjoy the pond. There are also picnic tables, a small playground and dry toilets on the shore.
You can also plan a boat trip here: two water access points allow boats to enter Étang de Chancelade. Boats can be hired by prior reservation; combustion engines are prohibited. If you want to hire a boat, make your reservation in advance and take this restriction into account when choosing a boat.
Walks to suit the time you have available
The Sentier du BEC is a marked circular trail with a walking time of about an hour and a half. Information panels and wildlife observation platforms are part of the route, where walkers can discover the wildlife and plant life of this protected area. The route therefore combines a clearly stated walking time with opportunities to observe nature.
A gentle, blue-marked circular trail leads to Étang du Chevalet. It is 3 kilometres long and takes about 45 minutes to walk. Information panels along the route describe the wildlife and plant life of the Charensat forest and pond. For a shorter walk, you can compare this loop with the Sentier du BEC, which takes about an hour and a half: the walk to Chevalet is shorter, while the BEC has observation platforms.
For a hike lasting several days, there is the Étangs des Combrailles route: it is 41 kilometres long and is usually walked over three days. This peaceful trail passes through a wild landscape with numerous ponds; the first stage links Charensat with Montel-de-Gelat. This route is therefore quite different from the two circular trails, whose walking times are given as about 45 minutes and an hour and a half, respectively.
Historic sites and local food culture
A Roman road crosses Charensat, passing through Charonnet, Montaudot and Chabassière. Two memorial steles commemorate the Resistance fighters; they were erected in the hamlet of Gourillats and at Croix Rouge. The «A l’école de la forêt» interpretation trail is also located in the municipal forest. Together, these places give your stay a historical and cultural dimension alongside its ponds and walking trails.
Another local speciality is Pieds de cochon, a gastronomic speciality of Charensat. It is prepared only one day a year.
Discover more destinations: Valcivières, Puy-Guillaume, Saint-Nectaire, Saint-Julien-Puy-Lavèze, Pontaumur, Bromont, Boudes, Le Vernet-Sainte-Marguerite.
Go to the wider travel overview: Puy-De-Dôme.
