Hike at Lac de Guery- Part Deux

With both Freddie and Matthew out of town (correction- out of the country!) on business trips, Jen suggested taking the kids for a picnic and hike.  This hike had to be "Emily friendly" (ie. easy enough for a 2 1/2 year old), and "Kim friendly" (ie. easy enough for this 8 months pregnant/28 year old).  I suggested going back to Lac de Guery.  Matthew and I have snow shoe-ed there, as well as doing one of the trails during the summer.  I remembered seeing a path that was marked with a yellow butterfly, showing a trail appropriate for kids. 

We started with a picnic by the lake.  Fall is definitely here in the Auvergne!  We sat in the sun, but when the wind blew, I was definitely chilly. 

After putting our picnic gear back in the car, we set off following our 'butterfly trail'.  It was a great trail for the kids, with lots of wooden bridges to cross, flowers and insects to inspect, we even found a dead mole. 

There was quite a steep climb up to an overlook by the waterfall, which the kids climbed like champs! 

The best thing about this trail is all of the different types of terrain you see.  You start out by the lake, wander through the forest, hike up to the waterfall, meander through a field beside a stream (with amazing views of the puys in the distance and hills dotted with clusters of black and white cows), climb a ladder over a fence...

...back into a dense pine forest, alongside a pasture, and then head down back into the forest. 

Believe it or not, we ARE on a trail here... (and ps- do you see the incredible views of the volcanoes in the distance???)

 
And because hiking wasn't enough to wear these kids out, some wrestling/tackling was needed....ahhh to be young again...

Playing 'Hide-and-go-Seek'

 
What a beautiful day and a beautiful setting for a hike! 

For anyone living in or near Clermont, the hike we did today was 2.3km and the sign says it should take about 1 1/2 hours.  It took us closer to 2, but I highly recommend it!