True Val de Sioule’s green lung, the Colettes forest is known as one of the most beautiful beech woods of Europe. It is very old: a selling certificate dating back to 1245 has been found. It fell into the forest area of the State after the seizure of Charles III’s belongings, constable Bourdon duke in 1527. Those places were used by smugglers to illicitly trade salt, as the forest lies between the Auvergne region, a territory where salt was not taxed, and the Bourbonnais, a place where this condiment was taxed heavily.
Did you know it ? The name “Colettes forest”, formerly called the “Colettes wood”, might signify “the wood of the running sources” !
Thanks to its geology, height, variety and diversity of its essences, the Colettes forest offers to strollers a perpetual discovery of nature. In a wild environment, explore the tortuous roads, ravines, valleys, streams, the Bouble river, rare minerals and mushrooms… Climb at the heart of the forest thkans to the treetop adventure park, Accro’Sioule. Do not forget the Bélon and Perrière viaducts and the peak: the Bosse (729 m), allowing the viewer to discover the Chaîne des Puys, registered at the UNESCO’s World Heritage, when the wheather permits it. Over there, Wolframines, the house of minerals, will a-stone-ish you. Bordering the Colettes forest, Bellenaves, a charming village with the jewel of its patrimony: the Saint-Martin church, will offer you the rest you deserve after your captivating adventure through the forest. The weekly market of the Wednesday morning and its automobile museum located and in an ancient snails’ cannery are also to be discovered !
