Murat, on the eastern edge of the Cantal, is the closest town to the high peaks and a busy little place, its cafés and shops with a bustle uncharacteristic for the region.

Rather than any particular sight, it's the ensemble of greystone houses that attracts, many dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Crowded together on their medieval lanes, they make a magnificent sight, especially as you approach from the St-Flour road, with the backdrop of the steep basalt cliffs of the Rocher Bonnevie, once the site of the local castle and now surmounted by a huge white statue of the Virgin Mary.

Facing the town, perched on the distinctive mound of the Rocher Bredons, on your left as you approach, there's the lovely Romanesque Église de Bredons (July & Aug daily 10am–noon & 2.30–6.30pm; free), containing some fine eighteenth-century altarpieces. One of the finest of the old houses is now open to the public as the Maison de la Faune (July & Aug Mon–Sat 10am–noon & 3–7pm, Sun 3–7pm; Sept–June Mon–Sat 10am–noon & 2–6pm, Sun 3–5pm; €4), full of stuffed animals and birds illustrating the wildlife of the Parc des Volcans.