Gouttières: Granite Bocage, Panoramas and Street Art

Gouttières is shaped by a hilly bocage landscape on granite. Viewpoints, chapels and street art offer different highlights: landscape and panoramas meet architecture and art in public spaces. The named viewpoints include the Belvédère Chapelle de Montagard and the Les Bouchauds trail. There are also stops along an 87-kilometre trail, a walk featuring cat motifs and dining options. This gives you a chance to explore different sides of the area as you plan your trip.

Landscape, Views and Architecture

The hilly granite bocage landscape shapes Gouttières as a whole; the viewpoints add specific panoramas to this landscape. At the Belvédère Chapelle de Montagard, you can enjoy an unobstructed panorama of the Chaîne des Puys and the Monts Dore. The belvedere is within walking distance of the town centre. The Chapelle de Montagard was built in 1959 on the Montagard hilltop. Its year of construction gives the viewpoint a specific historical connection alongside its landscape views.

The Les Bouchauds trail also offers a wide panorama of the Chaîne des Puys and the Monts Dore. Both viewpoints therefore look out over the same mountain landscapes; Montagard is also distinguished by its chapel and hilltop location, while Les Bouchauds is a trail. If you are choosing between these two named vantage points, you can opt for either a belvedere within walking distance of the town centre or a trail with panoramic views.

Trail and Stops

The “Escapade insolite en nord Combrailles” trail is 87 kilometres long. Its tenth stage leads to the Chapelle Notre-Dame des Blés in Gouttières; the eleventh stage leads to Cat Street Art, with paintings in the streets of the municipality. The distance refers to the entire trail, while the two stage numbers identify individual destinations in Gouttières. This helps distinguish the full route from its named stops in the area. The two stops also offer different highlights: a chapel and art in public spaces.

Street Art in the Townscape

Gouttières Cat Street Art features large-scale artworks on house façades, with smaller cat motifs adding to the walk. So as well as the large façade paintings, smaller motifs are part of the stroll. Cat Street Art is a permanent visitor attraction and is open year-round. The art can therefore be viewed as a distinct feature of the townscape that is not limited to a single building.

The festival’s history is also part of the street art story: new works by Abys, Scaf and Sonac were created under the direction of Cofee TSK at the fourth edition of the “Les Chats de Gouttières” festival. Visitors could also discover works that were already there.

Dining in Gouttières

La Table de Gouttières serves traditional and themed cuisine. Takeaway dishes are available on request. This specific dining option adds to the area’s landscape and cultural attractions, with a clear condition for takeaway meals.

Discover more destinations: Peschadoires, Saint-Genès-La-Tourette, Vertolaye, Saulzet-le-Froid, Les Pradeaux, Singles, Domaize, Sauret-Besserve.

For the wider travel overview: Puy-De-Dôme.