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Off to the area around Puy de Dome next week.
Not taking a bike ☹️ but my sister, who we're meeting up with, lives in France and might be able to borrow a couple for a days riding 😁
Just found out you can't cycle up the Puy de Dome road anymore - only le Tour can ☹️
Anyone ridden in the area, and have any recommended routes/trails?
It's a long time since I went, but there is lift-assisted riding around Super-Besse and Mont-Dore, a little to the southwest of PdD. My recollection is that it wasn't that much to write home about, but that may well have changed in the last 15+ years. Some details here: https://www.auvergne-sancy.com/see-and-do/outdoor-activities/the-massif-du-sancy-by-mountain-bike/
Lots of trails around that I rode and walked. Most of them more gravelthan MTB. many are marked as MTB tho I just picked them off maps or information boards
Maybe we'll just gravel it 😁
I have no idea what type/quality/state the bikes we are borrowing are. Probably be something retrotastic - last time I borrowed a bike in France it was a late 90s hardtail with Quadras and V-brakes 😆
So, we're back, and if anyone's interested ( 😉 ) then my advice is don't bother MTBing in the Puy de Dome area 😆
Absolutely gorgeous area, with loads of walking, swimming, and road biking (if you're so inclined) opportunities, but MTB is not really catered for. Which is a pity as there's loads of really cool extinct volcanoes covered in really nice trails! But said trails are also covered in "VTT Interdit!" signs.
Saw a few bods on MTBs, but they were only riding on pretty boring, flat, gravel trails at the base of the volcanoes.
However, it was really cool area and I walked up a few volcanoes, went to Vulcania, swam in a couple of crater lakes, ate too much cheese, and drank a lot of wine. Which was nice 🙂
I'm late to the party here but there are or at least used to be some family friendly trails around Volvic.
Dr Moutie's trail perhaps?
Started from the Volvic water bottling place (which is a great way to spend a morning).