Saint-Genès-Champespe: Trails, Lakes and Artense

Saint-Genès-Champespe offers travellers several distinct themes: the Chemin des Maquisards circular trail, the hiking landscapes of the Artense, the Lac de Laspialade peat lake, and Saint-Sébastien Church with the Artense sculpture. This makes it possible to plan your stay around a specific question: should the focus be on a hike, the landscape, or a stop with historical and cultural interest?

Hiking and the landscape of the Artense

The yellow-marked Chemin des Maquisards is an 8.4 km circular trail that can be walked in about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Use this estimate as a rough guide when planning your day. The trail runs in the shade and has water points; dogs may be brought along on a leash.

The hike at Lac de la Crégut crosses the Artense’s undulating terrain, with rocky hilltops, meadows and damp hollows. The two route descriptions emphasise different aspects: the circular trail focuses on distance and approximate duration, while the hike at Lac de la Crégut highlights the terrain. This gives you both a time estimate and a landscape comparison to help you choose between the excursions. The route to Saint-Genès-Champespe follows the D203, the D614 and then the D30. A sign on the road marks the starting point of the hike at Lac de la Crégut.

On the Artense plateau around Saint-Genès-Champespe, meadows, wetlands, rocks and lakes alternate. Lac de Laspialade is a peat lake west of the Artense crystalline plateau. It lies in a hollow formed during the Ice Age; the term “peat lake” adds the type of water body to this geological context. Lac de Laspialade is home to eight protected species and one species listed on the regional Red List. For travellers interested in nature, this adds specific information about species status to the descriptions of the landscape. The Artense can thus be viewed at different scales: the plateau is characterised by its changing landscape features, while Lac de Laspialade is described in more detail by its type of water body and its formation history.

Church and Artense sculpture

Saint-Sébastien Church offers a connection to the local history. The present-day church was built in 1907 to plans by architect François Picard, replacing an older church that was demolished in 1903. The bronze sculpture Artense, shaped like a Salers cow, stands directly behind the church. The sculpture offers a view of the Massif du Sancy. It is open every day throughout the year; admission is free.

The church’s construction history can be understood through its architect and building dates; the sculpture offers a different perspective: its form and the view of the Massif du Sancy connect an artistic subject with the landscape.

Discover more destinations: Thuret, Parentignat, Neuf-Église, Medeyrolles, Vic-Le-Comte, Peschadoires, Olloix, Fournols

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