Lac du Bouchet, maar du Devès

Cayres (et Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas)

The Lac du Bouchet occupies a maar of the Devès massif, between Cayres and Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas, at 1,205 m above sea level according to the DREAL (1,208 m according to Wikipedia). A maar is an explosion crater: the magma met a body of groundwater and the rock was blown out. The DREAL dates the event to about 800,000 years ago (its entry writes ‘800 0000’, probably a typo). The crater is said to be 100 m deep, the lake itself 28 m (Geotrek entry, Wikipedia) to about 30 m (DREAL). The Geotrek entry specifies that it is the only maar of the Devès still occupied by a lake. The site has been listed since 1950; the lakeside inn dates from 1900 and the building was renovated between 2013 and 2015. Before the Second World War, the lake was already popular. Recreational fishing (carp, perch, trout) is practised there almost all year round, along with hiking and cross-country skiing; access is free and it is the most visited natural site in Haute-Loire. No legend appears in the sources consulted. For any local tradition, the commune or an archive collection will need to be asked.

Getting there: Free access to the lakeshore; hiking trails and cross-country ski tracks (DREAL). Mountain hike, check the weather. Coordinates: Nominatim and Wikipedia EN agree.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound