Champs-Sur-Tarentaine-Marchal: Hiking, Cycling and Churches

Champs-Sur-Tarentaine-Marchal is the starting point for numerous hiking trails. There is also a cycling loop that crosses the Plateau de l’Artense. Churches, an arts and crafts shop, and public workshops are also among the options to consider when planning your stay. These offerings give your trip different focuses: trails and landscapes, architecture and art, or a combination of these themes.

Hiking trails steeped in history and art

The PR 8, “Le Chemin des Chats,” starts at Place de l’église in Champs-Sur-Tarentaine-Marchal. Part of its route follows an old Roman road. It also includes a section created by schoolchildren from the Artense as part of an artistic school project in the mid-1990s. The design is in a naïve style. The PR 8 thus brings together two distinct features: a route along an old road and a later local art project. If you want to look beyond a trail’s name and learn about its cultural connections, this section offers a specific point of interest. The starting point in the village at Place de l’église helps you locate the beginning of the named trail.

Cycling the RBX Sumène-Artense

The Romain Bardet Expérience “RBX Sumène-Artense” starts in Champs-Sur-Tarentaine-Marchal and is open year-round. The cycling loop crosses the vast Plateau de l’Artense, the only granite plateau in the Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d’Auvergne. Along the way, it offers striking views of the peaks of the Cantal and the Monts du Sancy. The distinction between this route and the hiking trails is clear for planning purposes: the RBX is a named cycling loop with a route across the plateau, while the PR 8 combines a route along an old Roman road with an artistically designed section. You can plan your trip around whether you want to focus primarily on cycling or hiking.

The churches of Marchal and Saint-Rémy

The church of Marchal was originally a castle chapel. Its nave is flanked by two Gothic chapels with ribbed vaults. The church of Saint-Rémy offers a different point of interest: it houses the recently restored painting “Le baptême de Clovis,” probably dating from the 17th century. The choir is adorned with gilded wooden statues, a crucifix and a reliquary of the Holy Cross. While the church of Marchal is distinguished by its former role as a castle chapel and its Gothic chapels, the painting and the choir’s furnishings are the focus at Saint-Rémy.

Both churches are free to visit. For the church of Marchal and Saint-Rémy, you can obtain the keys from the Champs-Sur-Tarentaine-Marchal town hall. If you plan to visit both, keep their different architectural and artistic features in mind: at Marchal, the former castle chapel and Gothic chapels; at Saint-Rémy, the painting and the choir’s furnishings. The same key-collection arrangement for both churches makes planning your visits easier while preserving what makes each church distinctive.

Arts, crafts and workshops

Les Mains de l’Art’Ense is an arts and crafts shop that brings together craftspeople. It offers a place to discover and buy their work. Les Mains de l’Art’Ense also holds workshops for the public. Its offerings therefore include both the opportunity to discover and purchase crafts and the chance to take part in a workshop. This focus differs from visiting the churches: there, the emphasis is on the buildings’ historical and artistic features and their furnishings; at Les Mains de l’Art’Ense, it is on crafts and workshops.

Plan your stay around your interests

The hiking trails, the PR 8 and the year-round cycling loop offer different activities. For a cultural focus, you can plan around the churches and their distinctive features, or the workshops at Les Mains de l’Art’Ense. Choose your destination according to the themes that interest you most during your stay, then look for hotels for your trip.

Discover more destinations: Ytrac, Saint-Mary-le-Plain, Vic-Sur-Cère, Saint-Étienne-Cantalès, Le Claux, Landeyrat, Saint-Poncy, Saint-Amandin

For the wider travel overview: Cantal.