The GPS road tracklog
from Thueyts to Borne (D301)
from 2020/07/20 to 2020/07/20
Monday, July 20, I visited the Tanargue massif by crossing
extra-narrow departmental roads in sublime landscapes between 1000
and 1300 meters above sea level, sketched by Jean Yanne: "I hate
departmental roads ..." I love to drive at 25 km/h between light and
shade passing from fragrant fir stands to steep grassy slopes.
Before leaving Thueyts I went down the steep path to reach the
Ardèche river carving its bed in a narrow gorge of basalt passing
under the Pont du Diable (Devil's Bridge),
here.
It was 7.30 am when I saw it in low-angle light. At the
end of the morning I parked on the roadside, D301, about 3 km
upstream from the village of Borne.
click on the pic for opening the gallery
The GPS road tracklog
from Borne to Vinezac
from 2020/07/21 to 2020/07/21
Tuesday July 21 I left with regret my bivouac before Borne at 1100m
altitude; what a peaceful night! At daybreak I headed for the Col de
Meyrand to avoid passing vehicles on the narrow D301 road. Certainly
the morning mist had not dissipated. Then I drove through the
villages of the Ardèche defiles. Vogüé caught my attention as one of
the most beautiful medieval villages in France. Its castle is still
the property of the de Vogüé family. Then it was Rochecolombe and
Balazuc. After a few minutes of waiting at the entrance to the
Défilé de Ruoms, the alternating direction D4 road runs through open
tunnels overlooking the Ardèche river. Finally I arrived at Vinezac
to bivouac in the parking lot above the cemetery.
click on the pic for opening the gallery
The GPS road tracklog
from Vinezac back to Thueyts
from 2020/07/22 to 2020/07/22
Wednesday July 22 I spent more than two hours visiting the city of Aubenas,
here.
I arrived shortly after 7.00 to avoid the heat, alas the
weather was gloomy after a stormy and rainy night. The low light
made the photos bland. The Château Montlaur is emblematic of the
city and was occupied by the most prestigious families of the Ancien
Régime. Alas it is being renovated. The other two curiosities, the
St-Laurent church and the St-Benoit Dome, are set in the old town
without receding for the photo. St-Laurent Church has remarkable
woodwork as well as a baptistery surmounted by a symbolic golden
sculpture. The Dôme St-Benoit can be visited with a guide by
appointment; Again I bivouacked in Thueyts. Tomorrow I will leave
Ardèche to enter Auvergne, the land of Arvernes whose king best
known as an opponent of Julius Caesar was Vercingetorix.
click on the pic for opening the gallery
The GPS road tracklog
from Thueyts to Monastier
from 2020/07/23 to 2020/07/23
The objective of Thursday July 23 was to reach Le
Monastier-sur-Gazeille,
here,
which will be the starting point of my hike on the "Chemin
de Stevenson", GR70, on September 7th. To arrive at this village I
traveled, as before, on narrow roads, fortunately without any
vehicle to pass, but with encounters of the third type, sheep moving
slowly here and there. The journey through mountains and dales and
at the end of the route along the Loire river was embellished by the
ruins of medieval castles on hilltops watching the surroundings.
Before entering the Monastier I made a detour of about 2 km to see
an expensive curiosity from the beginning of the 20th century the
Recoumène Viaduct,
here
for the railway line, Transcévenole, which never existed .
The village conceals some tourist nuggets including the abbey
church, the abbey castle as well as a treasure. At the start of the
afternoon I returned to bivouac facing the Recoumène viaduct.
click on the pic for opening the gallery
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Église abbatiale St-Chaffre, Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille |
The GPS road tracklog
from Monastier to Puy-en-Velay
from 2020/07/24 to 2020/07/24
Friday July 24th I was walking around Le Puy-en-Velay,
here,
for nearly five hours; I entered the old town via the
Pannessac Tower. Unfortunately, I saw neither the cloister nor the
Treasure of religious art, however I wandered the tour suggested by
the Green Guide book. Of course I climbed the Rocher Corneille and
then I climbed inside the statue of Notre-Dame de France,
here.
The gallery shows the interpretive panels of the statue
taken on the way down. I ended this great half-day with a visit to
the Crozatier museum. I found a bivouac in the Decathlon car park,
hoping not to be ejected. Tomorrow morning I will climb the Rocher
Saint-Michel in Aiguilhe to visit the eponymous chapel at the top.
click on the pic for opening the gallery
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Statue de Notre-Dame de France |
The GPS road tracklog
from Puy-en-Velay to Chanteuges
from 2020/07/25 to 2020/07/25
Saturday July 25 began at 9.00 am by climbing the 268 steps of
Rocher Saint-Michel d´Aiguilhe leading to the eponymous chapel,
here,
at the top of an 82 m high lava needle. It dates from the
10th century AD. The columns simulate an ambulatory; the vault is
decorated with frescoes from the same period. Around 10.30 am I
headed towards the Fortress of Polignac,
here,
perched on a volcanic chimney at 62 m high. Certainly the
French Revolution sold it as a national asset and served as a basalt
stone quarry. Still by narrow departmental roads, I arrived in the
early afternoon in Chanteuges, which I visited in the middle of the
afternoon when the temperature dropped. The old Roman-style abbey church
here
is built of basalt rubble. In an adjacent room,
interpretive panels present the different styles of the capitals. I
selected the most enigmatic with the photo on the panel and the one
I took. Haute-Loire department is rich in castles and abbeys of the
Middle Ages partially in ruins following the destruction by the French
Revolution. I bivouacked in the parking lot of the disused railway station.
click on the pic for opening the gallery
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Chapelle & Rocher Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe |
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Bivouac at Chanteuges |
The GPS road tracklog
from Chanteuges to Brioude
from 2020/07/26 ato 2020/07/26
Sunday July 26 I left Chanteuges station for Brioude, stopping in
Haut-Allier and the Sénouire valley to visit the churches erected
between the 10th and 13th centuries. But the winding roads slow me
down, so I had to select a church, that of Lavoûte-Gilhac,
here,
on the road that runs along the Allier river. I arrived around 10.00 in Brioude,
here,
to attend mass in the Basilica of St-Julien. "A huge stone
reliquary erected above an illustrious tomb ..." by Bernard Crapet.
The building is in Roman style, built with stones of various colors.
The inverted nave of the nave is impressive by its height and
narrowness. The faithful attended the religious service in large
numbers. I bivouacked at the Bageasse campsite
click on the pic for opening the gallery
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Brioude |
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Camping at Bageasse, Brioude |