Where exactly the walk starts
The summit of the Puech de Kaymard rises to 707 metres, in the commune of Pruines, but the easiest access does not start from the village itself. From Rodez, take the D 901 towards Conques as far as Saint-Cyprien, then Lunel, before turning off towards the hamlet of Majorac, in the neighbouring commune of Saint-Félix-de-Lunel, about a kilometre from Lunel. From our cottage in Pruines, allow about ten minutes' drive to Majorac. From this hamlet, the path climbs to the summit over just over a kilometre.
There are two ways to do this walk: a short there-and-back straight from Majorac to the summit, or a fuller loop of about 5.5 kilometres, also starting from Majorac, which passes through the hamlet of La Fage and circles the Puech on forest tracks before returning to the start. We recommend the short version to those who mainly want the view, and the loop to those who like a longer walk.
The 360° panorama that makes the detour worthwhile
Once at the top, the reward more than matches the effort: a 360° viewpoint taking in the Vallon de Marcillac, the Causse Comtal and, on clear days, the Cantal mountains and the Lévézou plateau in the distance. We like going up at the end of the day, when the low light picks out the relief of the different areas you can make out from up there. It is one of the few places in the area where you grasp at a glance the geography behind all our other articles: the valley on one side, the causse on the other, and the ridges of the Lévézou closing the horizon.
Our practical tips
Don't plan to walk there from the cottage: take the car to Majorac, then put on good walking shoes for the kilometre of climbing, which is not technical but has a bit of ascent. Allow just under an hour for the short there-and-back, and nearly two hours for the full loop via La Fage. We recommend going in the late afternoon, for the light, and taking some water: there is nowhere to get supplies once on the plateau. It is an outing that is enough on its own: rather than squeezing it between two visits, we prefer to see it fill a late afternoon of your stay.