Squeezed out along the narrow wooded valley of the infant Dordogne, grey-slated LE MONT-DORE, 50km southwest of Clermont, is a long-established spa resort, with Roman remnants testifying to just how old it is. Its popularity goes back to the eighteenth century, when metalled roads replaced the old mule paths and made access possible, but reached its apogee with the opening of the rail line around 1900. It is an altogether wholesome and civilized sort of place.The Établissement Thermal – the baths, which give the place its raison d'être – are right in the middle of town and are certainly worth visiting (guided tours Mon–Sat: mid-May to mid-Oct 2.30, 3.30, 4.30 & 5.30pm; €3.05). Early every morning, the curistes stream into its neo-Byzantine halls – an extravaganza of tiles, striped columns and ornate ironwork – hoping for a remedy in this self-proclaimed "world centre for treatment of asthma". For many Parisians, of all ages and walks of life, this is their annual mecca: whiling away their days sniffing sulphur from bunsen burner tubes, and sitting in thick steam. Walkers also frequent the town, the principal attraction being the Puy de Sancy (1885m), whose jagged skyline blocks the head of the Dordogne valley, 3km away (mid-May to Sept; 4 buses daily from the tourist office; €3). Accessible by téléférique (€5.79 return) since the 1930s, it's one of the busiest tourist sites in the country. As a result, the path from the téléférique station to the summit has had to be railed and paved with baulks of timber to prevent total erosion. Combined with the scars of access tracks for the ski installations, this has done little for its beauty. However, with a little sweat and effort you can escape to wilder areas of the mountain. The GR30 passes this way and on down to La Bourboule, giving a good sense of the typical landscape: long views over meadows full of gentians and violets, grazed by sheep and cows. Start out along the summit path and at the first intermediate peak, take a right and go downhill. The GR30 is signposted. It follows the western ridge of the Dordogne valley for about an hour and a half, before turning ninety degrees left, away from the valley. Keep straight ahead at this point, go down a gravelly track, with the rocky dome of Le Capucin, above Le Mont-Dore, directly in front of you. The track enters the woods to the left of this bump by a ruined house. Five minutes later, on the right, just past a concrete water-pipe junction, a path drops steeply down through beech trees to Le Capucin funiculaire station and down again to Le Mont-Dore (3hr).
Pages in section ‘Le Mont-Dore’: Practicalities.
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