A land that reaches far, with its valleys and plateaux and jagged mountain ridges, a rugged and rural land with a huge diversity of flora and fauna and spectacular scenery as far as the eye can see...

The Massif of the Cantal bears testimony to the intense volcano activity that once flourished here upon which man has made his mark since time immemorial. It has now become a hiker's paradise.

Atop Europe's biggest volcano, each year, from Spring through to Autumn, stags, wildboar, roe deer and mouflons share their habitat with thousands of Salers and Aubrac cows that flock to the mountain pastures.

Easier to spot however, the flora is hugely diverse, especially in May and June when the slopes of the Plomb du Cantal, the Puy Mary, the Puy Griou, the Puy Chavaroche or the Puy Violent are awash with colourful flowers.

Enjoy the wide open spaces and silence, treasured and rare gems of our time, against this spectacular backdrop.

Many things await the intrepid explorer: a medieval village in the distance, a romanesque church, a castle, an isolated farmhouse or stone cross, in the nook of a valley or high up on the slopes or even just around the corner. These ruins will tell a story to those who wish to hear it, a story of age-old rural tradition.

La Roussière is set on the South-facing slopes of the Massif of the Cantal and enjoys more sunshine than other parts.

Walks starting from the house: so many to choose from. We will gladly show you the various paths according to your mood (the GR400 is close by). Christian is an accredited mountain leader. If you wish, he can take you on his favourites tracks.

Back at the house : strolls around the house or along the Goul river, reading by the fireplace, boardgames, TV, DVD, boules...

Observe the forest animals (roe deer, stags, wildboar, mouflons), the birds and insects (Microcosmos the film was shot near here), the flowers and geology (don't forget you are in the Volcano National Park!).

Trout fishing in the Goul river.

Seasonal fruit or mushroom picking. Help make jam or mushroom dishes.

Cross-country ski-ing and snow-shoeing : starting at the house or the cross-country ski centre in the neighbouring village (Pailherols). On request, snow-shoes hikes with Christian (accredited mountain leader).

You will find detailed information on the Cantal and nearby Aveyron on the regional tourist board websites: www.cantaltourisme.fr, www.tourisme-aveyron.com, as well as on www.carlades.fr

Local summer markets

Country walks/hiking :

We can suggest suitable itineraries and lend you relevant maps.
Look out for the many guidebooks in your local bookshop and browse the www.rando.cantal.fr website for ideas for walks.

On request, Christian, who is accredited mountain leader (AMM), can accompany you on hikes and share with you is knowledge of the mountain (Full day or half-day). In winter, he can take you for snow shoeing in virgin mountain spaces. Do not hesitate to send him an E-mail for more information.

Discovery trail :

The Jordanne Gorges, a spectacular trail with footbridges along the bottom of the gorges. A family outing.

Car itineraries :

Ronesque, Carlat Rock, day trips to Conques, Entraygues, Laguiole, the Laussac Peninsula/the Garabit Viaduct, Route of the Lords of Rouergue, Salers/Puy Mary/Mandailles Valley/Legal Pass/ Pertus Pass, Murat, Dienne/Serre Pass, Cheylade, Brezons Valley, Siniq Valley...

Educational outings :

- Arpajon : La Plantelière Arboretum. Tel. 04 71 64 27 51
- Aurillac: Volcano Museum St Etienne Castle - Science cluster for Haute-Auvergne. Tel. 04 71 48 07 00 - museum.volcans@wanadoo.fr
- Ruynes-en-Margeride : Haute-Auvergne La Tour Margeride Ecomuseum.
Tel. 04 71 23 42 96 - www.ecomusee-margeride.org
- Mourjou : Chestnut Museum, Maison de la Châtaigne Le Bourg - Tel. 04 71 49 98 00 - www.mourjou.com
- Murat : Animal Museum, Maison de la Faune Rue Porte de la Garde - Tel. 04 71 20 00 52/04 71 20 03 80 - www.murat.fr
- Saint-Flour : Haute-Auvergne Museum, Ancien Palais Episcopal - 1 place d'Armes - Tel. 04 71 60 22 32 musee_haute_auvergne@yahoo.fr
- Vic-sur-Cère : Mineral Water Museum, Avenue de la Duchesse de Fontanges - Tel. 04 71 47 57 19 / 04 71 47 50 68 - www.vicsurcere.com
- Marcenat : Lightning Museum, Musée de la Foudre Le Bourg - Tel. 04 71 78 85 00

Heritage sites :

Castles and churches :
There are simply dozens to visit both in the Cantal and neighbouring Aveyron (Anjony in Tournemire, Pesteils in Polminhac, Messilhac...). A few useful links :

Castles :
www.cantaltourisme.fr/cantal-chateaux/chateaux-cantal.html
Romanesque and Gothic art :
http://www.cantaltourisme.fr/roman-cantal-gothique/art-roman-cantal.html
Rural heritage :
www.cantaltourisme.fr/patrimoine-rural/patrimoine-rural.html

Some intersting villages :
Jou-sous-Monjou (12th Century church, 6km), Raulhac (traditional houses, 12km), Mur-de-Barrez (medieval town, 20km), Vic-sur-Cère (former spa, 14km), Murat (medieval town, 35km), Salers (medieval town, 79km), Conques (romanesque village and abbey church***, 78km), etc.

Outdoor activities and sports :

There is a comprehensive list of outdoor activities and sports on the regional tourst board website www.cantaltourisme.fr/loisirs-cantal/loisirs-cantal-auvergne.html, as well as a list of links to other websites of interest. We have selected a few here :

Sports / adventure activities :

- Swimming pool and tennis court, Vic-sur-Cère (14km)
- Adventure forest trail, Lioran ski resort (30km) www.lioran-aventure.com and at the Graves lake
- rock-climbing - canyoning at the Graves lake : via ferrata, water rambling or rock-climbing www.murmurnature.com (45km).

Ski-ing :

- Downhill and cross-country ski-ing at Super Lioran ski resort (30km) www.lelioran.com
- Cross-country ski-ing at Pailherols (8km) www.pailherols-flocons-verts.com, Vigouroux, Prat de Bouc, Legal Pass (Col de LĂ©gal)...+ 200 km of pistes
www.auvergne-neige.info

Horse riding :

- Donkey rides in Puechmouriez (Raulhac), 9km
- At La Bride ChampĂŞtre in Arpajon-sur-Cère and in summer at Lioran (30km): 06 80 54 22 90 - 06 45 67 90 13 – 04 71 64 05 02, www.labridechampetre.fr
- At Cheval-découverte in Polminhac (20 km): 04 71 47 41 23 - 06 81 08 24 73, www.chevaldecouverte.com

Fitness centres and spas :

- Natura Fitness : fitness centre in Brommat, 20 km
www.brommat.fr/omnisport/natura.htm (pool, spa, gym, squash, weights, massage, water-aerobics)
- Sauna, steam bath and hot tub: Alta Terra in Lavigerie, Tel. 04 71 20 83 03, www.altaterra-cantal.com
- Spa : Kaï-Län in Super-Lioran, 04 71 49 50 14, 30 km

Fishing :

Lots of fishing spots on www.cantaltourisme.fr/cantal-peche/peche-cantal.html

Hang Gliding :

- Thang-Ka in Dienne, 04 71 20 82 60 - 06 62 18 82 60 www.thang-ka.com
- Paragliding Puy Mary in Claux, 04 71 78 95 21 - 06 82 26 85 35 www.parapente-puy-mary.com
- Launch site for hang gliding and paragliding near the Curebourse Pass (10 Km)
- Lightweight and Ultralight aircraft at Doux-Albats, 15 Km

Cycling :

Find a list of forthcoming cycling events in the Cantal on www.cantaltourisme.fr/cantal-agenda/agenda-cantal-auvergne.htm

Food and wine :

Auberge des Montagnes in Pailherols www.auberge-des-montagnes.com
Hostellerie St-Clément at Curebourse Pass www.hotelstclementcantal.com
Louis-Bernard Puech in Calvinet www.cantal-restaurant-puech.com
Other 'Toques d'Auvergne' (award-winning establishments) www.toques-auvergne.com
Michel and SĂ©bastien Bras in Laguiole www.michel-bras.com
Serge Vieira at Château du Couffour (Chaudes-Aigues) www.sergevieira.com
And many other great little restaurants to sample the delights of the Cantal...