Coltines: Agriculture, Dolmens and Trails

In Coltines, agricultural themes, named dolmens and a range of activities come together. When planning your trip, you can decide whether you are interested in the history of agricultural work, cultural heritage, a route or a guided horseback excursion. Introductory flights and a mountain biking route are also among the options described.

Agriculture in a historical setting

The Musée de l'Agriculture Auvergnate is housed in a 17th-century farmhouse in the heart of the village of Coltines. Its theme is agriculture throughout the year. In addition to the production of Cantal cheese, the exhibition covers haymaking and the grain harvest, as well as ploughing and sowing. Its thematic scope therefore ranges from fieldwork to the production of Cantal cheese. These different activities are presented in the context of the agricultural year, rather than as a single step in the process. If you are particularly interested in agriculture, this mix of themes offers several specific points of interest: harvesting, sowing and ploughing, as well as the production of Cantal cheese.

Two named dolmens

The protection status of the Dolmen de Touls is clearly specified: it is fully protected as a historic monument. It was listed on 11 February 1986. The Dolmen du Bardon is also known as La Pierre Chabrée and is located in a hollow. The two sites can therefore be distinguished by different features: for the Dolmen de Touls, the dated listing is the key reference; for the Dolmen du Bardon, it is the alternative name and its location in a hollow.

Hiking and orienteering

The “Pierres et Planèze” hike starts in Coltines and leads to the ruins of Bousquet. It crosses the Planèze plateau, with the Monts du Cantal on the horizon. Its starting point, destination and landscape give the route a clear direction: it links Coltines with a named endpoint and crosses the plateau along the way. This is a different kind of route from the “Parcours d’orientation de Coltines « le Bourg »” orienteering course, which starts in the village of Coltines and has seven checkpoints.

If you are choosing between the two activities, the descriptions mainly differ in their format. “Pierres et Planèze” is described as a hike ending at the ruins of Bousquet; the orienteering course is defined by its seven checkpoints. Seasonal conditions may affect access to the orienteering course. So check before your visit whether conditions are suitable for your travel dates.

Flights and guided horseback tours

Saint-Flour-Coltines airfield offers introductory flights by plane and ultralight aircraft on three circuits. The information specifies both types of aircraft and the number of circuits. This makes it easy to distinguish the flight options from activities on foot or horseback when planning your trip.

Ferme Equestre du Dolmen offers guided horseback tours in Touls, a village in Coltines. Its horseback trekking package is available without accommodation or with accommodation and meals served as a table d’hôtes. The key choice is therefore whether to plan a horseback tour without accommodation or include accommodation and meals.

Mountain biking across the Planèze

The Chalinargues / Coltines section of the Grande Traversée du Massif Central à VTT follows easy-to-ride tracks across the Planèze to Coltines. It adds another route option to the “Pierres et Planèze” hike, using a different mode of transport. Both routes relate to the Planèze, but their described courses differ: the hike starts in Coltines and leads to the ruins of Bousquet, while the mountain biking section leads to Coltines. When comparing hiking and cycling, the specific differences are the activity and the stated route.

Discover more destinations: Ferrières-Saint-Mary, Pailherols, Méallet, Massiac, Ruynes-en-Margeride, Roumégoux, Junhac, Auzers

For the broader travel overview: Cantal.