The GR 400 is a long-distance walking route within the

Grande Randonnée The GR footpaths are a network of long-distance walking trails in Europe, mostly in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain. They go by the following names: , , , , – generally meaning "long trail" or more literally "great route". T ...

network in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is not a linear route, but a series of five circuits, all within the Monts de

Cantal Cantal (; or ) is a rural Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour, Cantal, Saint-Flou ...

area of the Massif Central. The circuits interconnect with, and sometimes follow the same route as, the

GR 4 The GR 4 is a long-distance walking route of the Grande Randonnée network in France. The route connects Royan with Grasse. Along the way, the route passes through: * Royan * Saintes * Montbron * Aixe-sur-Vienne * Aubusson * Mont-Dore * Les Van ...

, one of the spine paths of the network, and also with a subsidiary section of the

Via Podiensis The Via Podiensis or the Le Puy Route is one of the four routes through France on the pilgrimage to the tomb of James, son of Zebedee, St. James the Great in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain), Galicia in northwest Spain. It leaves from Le-P ...

St James's Way route. The walking is described as "within the range of any good hiker accustomed to walking in mountain country and to carrying a rucksack""Volcan du Cantal", TopoGuide of the Fedération Française de la Randonée Pédestrien, The five circuits are: *

Alagnon The Alagnon (; ), also spelled ''Allagnon'', is an river in south-central France. It is a left tributary of the river Allier. Its source is near the village of Laveissière, near the Plomb du Cantal in the Massif Central. The Alagnon flows gene ...

valley loop, starting and finishing at

Murat Murat may refer to: Places Australia * Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia * Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area France * Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier * Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal Elsew ...

(44 km) *

Cère The Cère (; ) is a long river in south-western France, and a left tributary of the Dordogne. Its source is in the south-western Massif Central, near the Plomb du Cantal mountain. It flows generally west through the following ''départements' ...

valley loop, starting and finishing at Super-Lioran (39 km) * Jordanne valley loop, starting and finishing at Mandailles-Saint-Julien (35 km) * Le Falgoux loop, starting and finishing at Le Falgooux (39 km) * Le Claux valley loop, starting and finishing at Le Claux (19 km) Parts of these loops, together with sections of the GR4, can be combined to create a complete tour of the Monts du Cantal volcanic region, totalling 133 km GR400 Tour of Cantal Volcanoes
/ref> and suggested as an 8-day walk. The routes include some of the highest and most dramatic points within the Cantal volcano area, including the

Plomb du Cantal The Plomb du Cantal () is the highest summit of the Mounts of Cantal in the Massif Central, France. It is the second highest summit of the Massif Central, after the mountain of Puy de Sancy. Geography and geology The summit is located in the ea ...

(1855 m, the highest point on the path and the second highest in the Massif Central), Puy Mary and Puy Griou

References

Hiking trails in France {{France-geo-stub