An Auberge in the Auvergne

Our next stop in France took us away from the bustle of city life to the tranquility of the countryside and a landscape of lakes and mountains. Crossing part of the Massif Central, with more enjoyable scenery to admire, of rocky gorges and sheer cliffs we took a leisurely route avoiding major roads. Near Millau we stopped at a viewpoint that took in the spectacular viaduct, designed by Norman Foster that is currently the tallest bridge in the world.

To the left of the photograph, in the distance, the Millau Viaduct

We were headed to the Auvergne, a large region in central France that is famed for food, especially cheeses and other regional delicacies. We stopped in a hill top town called St Flour. It was a sleepy place, but the importance of food to the region was apparent as there were a number of epiceries with some unusual offerings.

Auvergne delicacies...but I couldn't tempt Mrs B!

We walked into the main square and heard what sounded like bagpipes coming from a small museum next to the tourist office. We stuck our heads around the door and there was indeed a piper - at the start of a lunchtime concert. 

A picnic was eaten in the shade by the large solid looking church and after wandering through the lanes we continued our journey, arriving mid afternoon at our auberge, a country hotel about half a mile outside the old medieval town of Besse et Saint Anastaise (or Besse for short). We had a top floor room with lovely views of the rolling countryside. 

The high rolling farmland outside Besse - a view from our auberge

After settling in to our room I walked into the town to get Mrs B. some cream for her insect bites, communicated this requirement at the pharmacy (with a bit of help from google translate), popped into the tourist office for a map, then walked back realising as a result that we were a bit further out of town and a bit more uphill than expected. Mercy mission accomplished (and breathing back to normal) we drove to the town to check out dining options.  Besse was a charming old town, full of 15th century buildings and lovely to wander around.

Auvergne bars and eateries - tripoux a speciality!

Besse et Saint Anastaise

Quite a few restaurants looked promising but we chose the one that seemed popular with the locals. I chose a Saint Nectaire cheese fondue that was accompanied by cured meats, a salad, jacket potato and crusty bread. Saint Nectaire cheese originates from the town of the same name a few miles away and is highly regarded. The fondue was delicious. Mrs B. wasn't quite as happy with her choice. She expected some sort of escalope but got a regional delicacy. Tripoux is a dish made with small bundles of sheep tripe, usually stuffed with sweetbreads and various herbs braised over low heat. Two pale roughly spherical balls arrived floating in a thin tomato gravy..with a mountain of frites and salad. Mrs B prodded a ball tentatively, chased it around the bowl and finally managed to cut into it. Her verdict - it was as disgusting as it looked. Fortunately I had so much food I could share some fondue, so Mrs B mostly ate cheesy chips. With Mrs B vowing to stick to safe options on the menu in future we returned to our hotel - hoping breakfast would be less challenging. Fortunately pain au raisin were part of the breakfast buffet so all was well. 

Much of the topography of the area has been shaped by long extinct volcanoes. Millenia of erosion has left peaks that are green and rounded - called puys. There are also a number of lakes, one of which was a couple of miles from our auberge. Lac Pavin is a crater lake that sits at 1,197 m (3,927 ft) and has a circular path that provided an easy walk. Before too many people arrived we set off (and added a bit on to the distance by climbing above the lake) before completing the circuit.

Lac Pavin

The lake is surrounded by trees and has a greenish hue. Near the shore we could see fish in the clear water. Apart from the occasional walker it was tranquil and a very peaceful way to start the day. Afterwards, With no particular plan in mind, we set off on a road that climbed to 1,451 m at Col de la Croix Saint-Robert, a mountain pass, before descending to the town of Mont Dore. Along the way we enjoyed panoramic views of the puys and distant vistas. it was a lush, green landscape, rounded hills, wooded valleys, very different from the Pyrenees, but enchanting in the sunlight.

View of Puy de Sancy

Mont Dore doubles up in a ski resort in the winter months but summer visitors are attracted by its thermal baths. We had planned to buy food for a picnic but none of the grocery shops were open. What was open was a beer shop, so I bought a couple of bottles of beer (made in the town) to add to the collection that is gradually filling up the car. We walked around and after one abortive attempt at a meal (put off by a rude waitress) we found a lovely bar serving a fixed price lunch menu of fillet of bream in a lemon sauce followed by a dessert of tart tatin. It was simple, good value and very well cooked. 

Mrs B didn't fancy any more walking in the heat so I returned her to the auberge having spotted some potential walking routes from the Col de la Croix Saint-Robert, that might offer me the chance to climb to the top of a mountain and return in a couple of hours. 

After Mrs B was dropped off I returned to a small parking area just below the col aiming for a summit called Roc de Cuzeau which, according to the map, was 1737 meters and would require 350 meters of ascent. Putting on walking boots and with a small rucksack and full water bottle I set off. At first the track was level, before stiles led to open grassy hillside. The path then started to climb and views opened up behind me of the landscape. It really was a glorious day with views stretching for miles into the distance.

Views of the Auvergne landscape on the climb up Roc de Cuzeau

More climbing in hot sun with the now familiar sensation of beads of sweat running down my face brought me to a waymarker adorned with a cap.

From there a little more climbing took me to the top. It provided a great view of the Puy de Sancy and what looked like a fine ridge walk. I didn't however linger. There were thousands of small black flies hovering around the summit - my white t shirt was spotty!

Summit view at 1737 meters.

I dropped down, rehydrated, shook off the flies and retraced my steps satisfied I'd managed a good couple of hours walking and been rewarded with some stunning views.

From this point on we'd leave hills and mountains behind. An early night was required after this small taste of the Auvergne - as a 300 mile drive was needed next morning to get us to our penultimate destination. Next stop would be somewhere very different - Versailles.