Le Massif Central

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Tuesday 16th April

Today we left the Alps and travelled west across the Rhône and into the centre of France – the mountains of Le Massif Central. It was interesting to watch the scenery changing. Now we have old volcanoes as the mountains – rounded, not as high, eroded. It is still easy to see the shapes of the old volcanic cones. Many of the higher parts are still covered with snow. Pine forests and fast mountain streams, endless hills with the roads winding between, meadows and dark stone buildings are all features. It is very pretty, even though the spring has not yet sprouted the new leaves on the deciduous trees – the snow has only recently melted away from the meadows, and persists in shaded parts of the higher farms, as well as on the mountain sides, as mentioned above.

Houses are inexpensive here compared with the alpine region – are you tempted by a tidy house with furniture for €70,000?

This morning we had a guided tour of the Château de Murol, a forbidding and imposing enormous dark stone fortress on a steep hilltop. Somewhat bleak and windy in winter I would imagine – it was cold enough today with a bit of wind and 13 degrees. Our guide was excellent – a lively and humorous man dressed in medieval garb. His knowledge was excellent, and he made the tour very interesting and enjoyable. The place was quite a fortress, with a virtually impregnable series of defences. He described how the original 13th century castle did have some renovations done in the 16th century to make it a bit more comfortable - like larger windows to let light in, and wider stairs that were not built as defensive features like the earlier stairs.

After lunch we visited La Maison du Fromage at St Nectaire, where we learned about cheesemaking and sampled some of the St Nectaire cheese, with a particular focus on the differences between the cheese made from raw milk and that made from pasteurised milk. We then took a half hour drive to wind our way about 15km to Mont Dore, our overnight stop. The is another ski resort, but seems quiet and peaceful at present. This is because the ski season is over, and the summer season is yet to start. Quite a few businesses are all locked up for their annual closure.

The town has a rather heavy look – lots of heavy architecture and lots of dark stone (the local volcanic stone). Inside the church was extremely gloomy and dark. Perhaps on a bright sunny day one would have a different impression, but most of the modern architecture also lacks vitality.

Tomorrow we head to Rocamadour.

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Photos

The Forbidding Château de Murol
Sorry for the blur, this was taken from the bus.