Path of discovery of the historical and natural heritage of the banks of the Couze Pavin

Depart from the town of Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, latitude 45.5123620 (N 45° 30’ 45”), longitude 2.9332750 (E 2° 55’ 60”)

• Place Alfred Pipet

• Central square of Besse which hosted the grain market. This square bears witness to the architectural evolution inherited from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance towards classical architecture.

• The biological station of Besse

• The biological station has been welcoming scientists since 1901 (date of its creation): botanists, limnologists, geochemists... whose work focuses on mountain flora, water and its composition in this volcanic environment... an old mill whose wheel was used until the 70s to operate a turbine to supply electricity to the station.
• In 1935, the biological station welcomed the group of mathematicians Bourbaki who created here their imaginary mathematician Nicolas Bourbaki.

• The hydroelectric plant

• September 23, 1893 the village of Besse is enlightened. The hydroelectric plant is equipped with a 4HP turbine powered by the 7 meter waterfall. All the families of the boroughs subscribed for 30 francs per year and per lamp. Lighting was half an hour after sundown until 11 pm and until midnight on holiday.
• The couze is a river that has its source in the Puy de Sancy and goes down to Issoire where it flows into the Allier.

• The stele of Constable Louis Lavergne

• Louis Lavergne was a gendarme in Besse and resistant. He was executed by German soldiers in this field on April 3, 1944.

• The fir beech grove

• From 1000 meters above sea level, the fir beech grove takes its place.
• The spruce (introduced species) can be recognized by its brush needles at the ends of the twigs, the top and bottom of the needles are green, the cones are pendulous and the roots are superficial.
• The fir tree (a naturally growing species) can be recognized by its flattened needles, the top of the green needles and the underside with two white lines (the stomata), the cones are erect and the roots deep.
• The Scots pine likes light and its twigs are needles grouped by 2. Its trunk is cracked to the color a little pink.
• We can see: garlic mustard, granulated saxifrage, cleavers

• The flora of the banks of Couze

• Geranium grass in Robert owes its name to the fact that it grows near homes. The wood geranium has a very pronounced color close to wine lees.
• The stinging nettle is an essential plant for the caterpillars of certain butterflies (in the process of regression) like the Vulcan, the Peacock of the day, the little Turtle or the Vanessa.
• The knautie is similar to the scabieuse (it has 4 mauve sepals welded, the scabious 5). It attracts bees and butterflies.
• Perforated St. John's wort has its leaves perforated with small holes.
• The swollen silene is fun because you can smack the flower between his fingers. In the young state, the plant is eaten in salad, it tastes like asparagus.
• Valerian officinale is a plant whose root decoction has calming properties.
• Sanguisorbe pimprenelle is a very pretty pink flower that is chewed by cows and gives (among other plants) its small nutty taste to Saint-nectaire.

• The old mills

• Here, structures built in ruins bear witness to the milling activity of the grains, located at the edge of the water to use the hydraulic driving force. There were up to 6 mills in the 18th century. These mills were used only part of the year because the Couze Pavin lacked water in the summer. Written sources say that when water was scarce, the inhabitants of Besse went to the outlet of Pavin Lake to enlarge it and thus increase the flow of the couze.

• The flora of the hedge

• The hedge consists of a tall layer (fir, beech...), a middle layer and a herbaceous layer.
• The middle stratum is characterized by hawthorn, raspberry, mountain ash (actually very popular with birds), the prunner (its leaves are used as food for the butterfly caterpillar "flambé"), the broom and ash.
• The herbaceous layer consists of:
• The pulmonary officinale, a plant resulting from the theory of signatures whose stains on the leaves remind the lungs that it helps to heal.
• The veronique "little oak" whose leaves resemble oak leaves.
• The cuckoo or primula officinale.
• Rapunzel on the cob
• The spotted arum, the seal of Solomon, the foul hellebore which are 3 poisonous plants.
• The oxalis "sorrel" contains oxalic acid which allowed to remove on the linen the stains of rust or ink.
• The fragrant woodruff that scents the cabinets and serves as anti-moths.
• Celandine, also called warts herb because its yellow latex heals warts.
• L'alchemille vulgaire is the plant of the alchemists because the drops secreted by the plant during the night (the flower opens and transpires) were used to search for the philosopher's stone...

• To the Chilosa waterfalls

• Or you stop the ride and you return to the heart of the city of Besse and turning right. You go up the road to Clermont with a possibility to take the street Charreyre-Pisade and return to the church of Besse.
• Or you continue to the Chilosa waterfalls. But beware of the road portion of the Murol road also used by cars.