Situated two hours from Lyon, not far from the towns of Vichy, Clermont-Ferrand and Le Puy-en-Velay, and comprised of 180 districts in the départements (counties) of the Puy-de-Dôme and the Haute-Loire, Livradois-Forez is one of France's largest regional nature parks. It covers more than 320,000 hectares (790,737 acres) and has 110,000 inhabitants.

The beauty of the landscapes and the richness of their fauna and flora have been shaped by the area’s high altitudes, numerous waterways and varied terrain. The abundant energy supplied by the rivers once encouraged the growth of human activity here and the development of remarkable traditional skills.

Discover these skills for yourself:
In this land of agriculture and forests, over the centuries the local inhabitants have successfully taken advantage of the natural energy supplied by the rivers to develop craft and manufacturing activities which have gone on to make the region famous far beyond its borders and which continue to serve as showcases for the area throughout the world even today. Devoted to knife making from the 14th century onwards, the Thiers area has emerged as the country's cutlery capital and produces 70% of the cutting utensils manufactured in France. In the Ambert area, the heirs to the braid and shoelace makers of the 19th century are today world leaders in the production of electrical sheathing or cables, bungee cords or mountaineering rope, etc.
As the Auvergne's number one traditional craft area both in terms of its age and scale, the Livradois-Forez regional nature park stands out for the ingenuity and adaptability of its inhabitants, who have kept pace with changing markets, introduced new technology and constantly improved and fine tuned their techniques.

Take a trip along the "Route des Métiers" (The Auvergne Trades Trail) created in 2003, which has around 40 members including castles, museums, craftsmen and producers of farm products.
You'll have fun exploring this trail, as you stock up on products and chat with the locals, who will be only too happy to tell you more about their region and help you appreciate it to the full.

All along the Trades Trail you will find castles, monuments and museums - living witnesses to ancient trades, the techniques and origins of which have been passed down since the dawn of time. As modern day heirs to these nameless artists, contemporary craftsmen and producers today continue to offer a warm welcome and all the quality and know-how generally associated with well-made products which are both traditional and contemporary.

www.parc-livradois-forez.org