ST-NECTAIRE lies some way to the southeast of Orcival, midway between Le Mont-Dore and Issoire. It comprises the tiny spa of St-Nectaire-le-Bas, whose main street is lined with grand but fading Belle Époque hotels, and to the west, the old village of St-Nectaire-le-Haut, overlooked by a magnificent Romanesque church (daily 9am–7pm). Like the church in Orcival and Notre-Dame-du-Port in Clermont, this is one of the most striking examples of the Auvergne's Romanesque architecture. The carved capitals around the apse retain the tantalizing hues of the paint which once covered the whole interior, while the church's treasures are guarded in the north transept and include a magnificent gilded bust of St. Baudime (the third-century missionary of the Auvergne and parish-founder), a polychrome Virgin in Majesty, and two enamelled plaques, all dating from the twelfth century. Among the town's other curiosities are a couple of caverns, the spa (a two-hour basic session from €9), and the Fontaines Petrifiantes, where decorative castings are lowered into a mineral spring and glazed over by the power of nature (daily: July & Aug 9am–noon & 2–7.30pm; Sept–June 9am–noon & 2–5.30pm; €3).On the narrow valley floor, where the main street runs, two of the old hotels have been refurbished and provide a quiet and comfortable place to stay. One, in particular, the friendly Hôtel Régina (tel 04.73.88.54.55, fax 04.73.88.50.56; €30–40; closed Dec & Jan) has an excellent restaurant with menus from €15. The Thermalia (tel 04.73.88.30.28, fax 04.73.88.52.59; €30–40; closed mid-Oct to March), next door, has more character and also provides a good meal from €15. The best-value campsite is the Clé des Champs (tel 04.73.88.52.33, www.campingcledeschamps.com), and there's also a gîte d'étape, Le Clos du Vallon (tel 04.73.88.50.92; closed Nov–March), for walkers on the GR30, which heads north from here to Lac Aydat in five hours, or west to the forest-girt Lac Chambon in three hours via Murol. There's another gîte on the way at Phialeix (tel 04.73.79.32.43; closed Nov–March). For shorter walks out of St-Nectaire, take the D150 past the church through the old village towards the Puy de Mazeyres (919m), and turn up a path to the right for the final climb to the summit (1hr), where you get a superb aerial view of the country round about. Alternatively, follow the D966 along the Couze de Chambon valley to SAILLANT, where the stream cascades down a high lava rock face in the middle of the village.
Pages in section ‘St-Nectaire’: St-Nectaire cheese.
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