Olby: Hiking, History and Goat Cheese

Olby offers several starting points for planning your trip: circular walks with published route details, a church with archaeological traces, evidence of former work and cheese made from locally raised goats. Which of these themes you focus on can shape the character of your stay.

Hiking trails and landscapes around Olby

The blue circular route “Le Puy de Cros” is 6 km long and has a stated duration of 1 hour 45 minutes. It starts at Place de l’église in Olby, 63210 Olby. Check the current trail markings before setting out. Another option in terms of time and distance is the “Balade le bourg-Les Bernards” walk: rated very easy, it is 6.7 km long, takes about 1 hour 30 minutes and involves 100 metres of ascent. In direct comparison, it is 700 metres longer, but its stated duration is about 15 minutes shorter. This lets you consider distance, time and the stated difficulty together, rather than focusing on just one measure. Also check local conditions before setting out on this walk.

An out-and-back walk to the summit of Le Puy de Cros, with its calvary, offers views of the Puy de Dôme. Olby lies at the foot of this mountain. The path around Le Puy de Cros crosses a hill whose layer of basalt has protected it from erosion. Landscape and geology are therefore concrete themes you can connect when exploring the area, without confusing them with the stated route details for a particular walk.

The “Le tilleul d’Olby et le pont du Glavin” circular walk starts in Olby and passes over the Pont du Glavin. The so-called Roman bridge over the Glavin also lies on the PR “Le Pont du Glavin” hiking trail. These routes offer further named points of interest for anyone who wants to explore the history and structures of the area as well as Le Puy de Cros.

Church, archaeology and local history

The Église Saint-Pierre in the centre of Olby was completed in 1898, replacing a Gothic building. Archaeological excavations in Olby’s parish garden uncovered 117 burials from an extensive early medieval necropolis in the 1990s. Among them were 49 sarcophagi made of trachyte. Today, only the motte castrale remains visible at the archaeological site near the church. The excavation finds and what can be seen today are distinct aspects of local history.

The Tilleul de Sully in Olby is more than 400 years old. Other historical traces tell of work and shared use: the Moulin des Bernards was supplied by a millrace from the Ceyssat stream. The Four banal des Bernards and its associated washhouse were once used by around 15 families. They took turns baking bread every two weeks. The structures offer a glimpse of how the mill, baking and washing were once part of everyday local life.

The former sawmill in the hamlet of Les Viradas is another such piece of evidence: it remained in operation until the 1960s, and its crane mast is still visible. Along with the mill and communal oven, it shows other stages of local work than the archaeological finds around the church. If you are interested in Olby’s history, you can explore both traces from the early Middle Ages and evidence of more recent activity in the area.

Olby cheese and trout fishing

Ferme des Cabri’Olby makes organic farmhouse cheeses from the milk of its French Alpine goats raised in Olby. These include fresh, matured, coated and spreadable varieties, as well as faisselle and fromage blanc. Guided tours for individuals and groups are available by prior request; reservations may be required. If you would like to include the cheesemaking farm in your travel plans, request a tour in advance.

Another possible focus is trout fishing: Olby remains a well-known centre for this activity and has several clear streams. Hiking, local history, cheesemaking and fishing appeal to different interests. You can take into account which of these themes matter to you when choosing your stay in Olby.

Discover more destinations: Vergheas, Saint-Georges-de-Mons, Saint-Rémy-De-Chargnat, Saint-Jean-des-Ollières, Enval, Saint-Rémy-de-Blot, Puy-Guillaume, Chamalières

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