Charbonnières-Les-Vieilles: Nature, Mills and Châteaux

Charbonnières-Les-Vieilles brings together three themes that offer different perspectives for planning your trip: Gour de Tazenat, a maar lake; watermills with their own history of technology; and châteaux with a range of architectural features. At the lake, the focus is on its shape, dimensions and geological origins. The mills raise two different questions: how is water used as a source of power, and what work takes place in a mill that is still operating? The châteaux differ in their building histories and features. You can explore nature, technology and architectural history as separate interests during your stay.

Gour de Tazenat: Maar Lake and Crater Lake

Gour de Tazenat is an almost circular maar or crater lake, measuring about 700 metres across and approximately 66 metres deep. Its clear water is surrounded by forests. The lake formed when liquid lava met an underground water reservoir and is considered a rare form of volcanic activity. Its landscape features and geological origins offer different perspectives: its nearly circular shape defines the lake's appearance, while the contact between lava and groundwater explains how it formed.

The Les moulins de la Morge Trail

The Les moulins de la Morge trail starts in Charbonnières-Les-Vieilles, follows the Morge Valley to Gour de Tazenat and offers views of the Chaîne des Puys. The route thus links its starting point, the valley, the lake and the views. If you want to take in the landscape beyond a single destination, the trail complements the lake with a route through the valley and views of the Chaîne des Puys.

Watermills: Operation, Power and Breadmaking

Moulin des Desniers is a watermill dating from the 16th century that is still in operation. Visits are possible by appointment as part of a guided tour. You can watch flour being made and take part in activities such as breadmaking. Alongside the historic mill building, a specific process takes centre stage: the mill's operation demonstrates how grain is processed into flour, and breadmaking builds on this.

Moulin des Palles offers a different perspective. Its waterwheel is powered by the overflow from Gour de Tazenat; the mill also displays old tools. While flour-making and breadmaking are the focus at Moulin des Desniers, here the emphasis is on power technology and tools. Together, the two mills illustrate different aspects of using water power.

Châteaux with Different Building Histories

Château de Lord Davis was built around 1880 from white stone. Its features include carved woodwork, inlaid floors, trompe-l’œil ceilings and stucco cornices. The building's materials and features offer different points of interest: its white stone and the elaborate interior details.

Château de Puy-Saint-Bonnet, by contrast, is a complex of varied buildings dating from the 14th, 15th, late 17th and 19th centuries. The complex includes a chapel with wall paintings. Compared with Château de Lord Davis, whose features mainly describe its interior fittings, the focus here is on the different building periods and the chapel. If you are interested in architecture, this comparison offers two distinct perspectives: a building with described interior features, and a complex spanning several centuries with wall paintings.

Discover more destinations: Briffons, Manglieu, Vollore-Ville, Vollore-Montagne, Avèze, Ennezat, Saint-Cirgues-Sur-Couze, Saint-Bonnet-Le-Chastel

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