Mid-symposium excursions: monts Dore
Wednesday 9 September
The mid-symposium excursion will take place in two groups. They will be able to observe some of the types of vegetation or localities or locus described and explored by Luquet (1926) in the monts Dore, such as those of the Fagion, Piceion, Calamagrostion, Genisto pilosae-Vaccinion, Nardion and Arrhenatherion alliances.
They will also be able to see the vegetation and landscapes of montane and subalpine belts of the monts Dore, on volcanic rock and characterised by an oceanic climate.
The first group (medium walkers) will visit the Chaudefour valley, formed by glaciers (from below, 4 km round trip, 100 m elevation gain) in the morning and lac Pavin (3 km round trip), a volcanic crater lake, in the afternoon.
Departure at 7:45 am from the Polydôme in Clermont-Ferrand
9:00 am – 12:15 p.m: Hike in the Chaudefour glacial valley (from the National Nature Reserve house to the valley center): visit to a locus of a surveyed site by Luquet (1926) and several types of beech forests; vegetation of the Adenostylion, Arrhenatherion, Nardo-Agrostion, and the meadows and pasture systems of the valley floor. Presentation by a ranger from the National Nature Reserve.
12:30 pm: Lunch at the “Auberge de Monneau”.
2:30 pm: Departure for Lake Pavin, the deepest crater lake in Auvergne: hike around the lake and ascent to the viewpoint in the summer pastures of Puy de Montchal: vegetation of the Fagion, Arunco-Petasition, Pruno petraeae-Sorbion, Nardo-Agrostion.
5 pm: departure and passage to the Croix Morand pass in the Dore mountains.
5:30 pm: departure for Clermont-Ferrand.
6:30 pm: arrival at the Polydôme de Clermont-Ferrand
The second group (good walkers) will visit the Chaudefour valley (by the Monneaux viewpoint, 4 km round trip, 280 m elevation gain) in the morning and then the Capucin-Sancy area in the Mont-Dore valley (2 km round trip), in the afternoon.
Departure at 7:45 a.m. from Clermont-Polydôme
9:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Hike from the Cirque de Monneaux through the Bois de Sarrevielle to the promontory above the Chaudefour glacial valley (viewpoint): vegetation of the Fagion, Adenostylion, Nardo-Agrostion, Genisto-Vaccinion, Calamagrostion, and Aceri-Fagion.
12:30 p.m.: Lunch at the “Auberge des 500 Diables” in Monneaux.
2:30 p.m.: Departure for Mont-Dore/Capucin.
3:00 p.m.: Hike to the Salon du Capucin: visit to a locus of a surveyed site from the Piceion Luquet 1926 and several types of Abies alba and Fagus sylvatica forests.
4:30 PM: Departure from Le Capucin for the Sancy massif, the highest peak in the Massif Central (1886 m). We will stay at the base of the massif for the viewpoint.
5:30 p.m.: Departure from the Sancy and return to Clermont-Ferrand.
6:30 PM: Arrival in Clermont-Ferrand at Polydôme.
The excursion guide will be available for download here shortly