Volcano Land

Monday September 29 to Wednesday October 1 

The Puy-de-Dome department is right in the middle of France and named for the highest peak in the area which at 123 metres towers above the city of  Clermont-Ferrand, just twenty minutes north of our village, Saint Vicente. There are a large number of extinct volcanic peaks which pop up above the rolling hills and many of them are topped with ancient villages with remains of watch towers and crumbling chateaux.

View from our kitchen window in Saint Vincent

After a month of lovely weather we woke on Monday morning to steady rain and grey skies.  Our hosts, Helen and John Clark, English expats, had suggested the market at Besse further up the valley and close to the skiing areas so we set off with clouds hanging over the hills and everything looking very damp.  Besse was only 20 minutes away and by the time we had parked the car the rain had stopped and there were some rays of sun peaking through showing off the distinctly alpine architecture of the town.

Besse

  The market was not large, but there was plenty of local produce on offer - fruit, vegetables, meat and of course plenty of cheese.  The town also has quite a few shops selling very cosy looking knitted clothing and sporting paraphernalia.  Besse is a really charming old town and on the slopes surrounding the commercial centre are a large number of new houses, many looking like ski holiday homes.

Modern houses above Besse - ready for the ski season

  There are a number of restaurants in Besse but none appealed -however the town boulangeries had lots of yummy looking tarts and quiches just begging to be taken home for lunch.  Before returning to Saint Vincent we followed the road higher up the mountainside to see the crater lake, Lac Pavin, apparently the youngest such geological feature in Europe.  The lake is a pretty intense blue, almost circular and mostly edged by forest.  From our vantage point we looked across the lake to the high peaks beyond - grass covered at this time of year but I imagine that the snow will not be far away.

Lac Pavin

The road carried on through the lush pastures where herds of happy cows were munching away - their one mission, creamy, tangy Saint Nectaire cheese!  Along the way there were fields where crops had recently been harvested and we were thrilled to see a number of beautiful birds of prey hovering and then swooping low in search of food - they are so graceful and majestic. The views across the hills and valleys was quite stunning as we made a loop back to Besse, stopping for a quick chat with a couple of pretty grey donkeys in a field - they were happy with Gerri's offering of a carrot that she had bought at the market.

Donkeys in the countryside near Besse

On the way back to St Vincent we stopped briefly to admire the higgle-di-piggle-di stone bridge in the village of Saurier - very quaint!

The bridge at Saurier

By the time we arrived home the day had improved heaps and while Gerri opted for a restful afternoon I took myself off to a couple of neighbouring villages and a bit of walking.  After shopping for a few supplies in Issoire, I drove a short distance north to Montpeyroux, a village that tops one of the  Mt Fuji-like volcanic peaks.

Montpeyroux

 The car park was of course at the bottom of the hill, but I enjoyed the walk up through the woods with tantalising glimpses of the countryside and the many other pointy hills in the area.  Once into the village I discovered a spiral road lined with immaculate stone houses winding its way to the summit where there is a tall donjon (keep) - obviously providing a great view of approaching danger in times gone by.

Winding path to Montpeyroux

 The village was very quiet, just the occasional dog barking at me through the beautiful wrought iron gates of some of the houses - I must confess to peaking in to see the gorgeous gardens -usually terraces with fantastic views!

Garden with a view (and a barking dog!) - Montpeyroux

Although it was late in the afternoon, the clouds were breaking up allowing the sun to shine intermittently and there was not a breathe of wind to be felt.  I drove a little further on to another hillside village, St. Saturnin, where there is an imposing church dating from the 12th Century  and a partly ruined small chapel, circa 1060!

Ste Madeleine Chapel, St Saturnin

 I took the lovely walking trail which skirts the village, running alongside some pretty woods, with the sound of a rushing river below.  The first signs of autumn are beginning to appear with some foliage taking on golden and russet hues.  The trail led me up past the church and the through the outskirts of the village, along a road (Grand Noble -unsurprising!) where the houses  are indeed grand.  It was a little odd to see such magnificent houses in such a small place, especially when I discovered that the architecture on the opposite side of St Saturnin was definitely more of the peasant dwelling variety.

Magnificent tree blooming in St Saturnin

Anyway, a lovely walk and an equally lovely drive back over the rolling hills to Saint Vincent.
On Tuesday morning the skies were clearer so we packed a picnic and drove about 20 kilometers to to the east and the hilltop village of Usson which was the home of Queen Marguerite, wife of Henri lV, when she was exiled for her religious beliefs.

Lovely old stone buildings in Usson

 It is a typical medieval little town with a great view far over the surrounding lands.

Looking over the lovely countryside from Usson

  The most interesting part however are the ruins, just some rock walls now, with grass between, and part of the local park and playground.  We stopped to watch a tiny red squirrel gather some pines nuts in its cheeks and then scamper away - no doubt stocking up for winter.  The ruins area is lovely, very peaceful with picnic tables - just the spot for lunch.

Picnic spot in the ruins of the castle at Usson

We drove back via the supermarket, and headed to Saint Nectaire, a spa town in the mountains which has given its name to the famous cheese.  We thought the town looked quite shabby - some old decaying hotels gave a hint of the grand spa days when people flocked to the town for the rejuvenating properties of the spas. This activity was once sponsored by the government but lack of funds have now reduced the popularity of such holidays.  Our destination was not a spa but the Bellonte Farm which has been operated by the same family since 1663 where we saw a large herd of cows being milked and the round cheeses being made in the adjoining dairy.  There were quite a number of visitors wandering about but the cows seemed unperturbed and stood patiently waiting for the milking machines to be attached.  The all have names and look very large and very healthy.

Milking time - Bellonte Farm, St Nectaire (cheese on the way!)

We were able to watch a video about the history of the farm and the cheese making process and then peeked through the glass partitions to see the real thing.  We didn't need any of the cheese that was for sale in the small shop so took the narrow winding road back to St Nectaire-le-Haut, stopping to view the huge 12th century church, which is an excellent example of the Romanesque architecture which is well represented in the area.

St Nectaire and its famous Romanesque church

  Further down the hill in St Nectaire-le-Bas the old hotels sit alongside the main road and the river but it was not a village that had very much appeal on this rather grey afternoon.  However it was worth a visit to see the old farm.  The route home took us through rolling green hills and forests - we had a feast on some roadside blackberries (hope they hadn'tbeen sprayed).

Juicy blackberries - yum!

Wednesday, our final day in Saint Vincent was sunnier and having read about an old monastery, one of the so called "daughters of Cluny", in a village only about 20 km away we decided to visit, although a detour was necessary owing to road works on the most direct route.  We drove east past Issoire to Sauxillanges and there discovered that the part of the monastery accessible to the public is a museum which was unfortunately closed.  We strolled through the medieval streets for a while and then peaked over a gate to view what seemed to be the cloisters.  To our surprise a very chatty lady emerged and invited us into the forecourt of the buildings - apparently her mother lives in a section of this ancient building.  In fact most of the monastery is now privately owned and seems to have been converted into apartments.

Privately owned monastery, Sauxillanges

  We had a delightful conversation and took some photos before madame had to hurry away for an appointment.  There didn't seem to be much else to see or do in Sauxillanges and no restaurants that appealed for lunch so we drove back through the lovely rolling hills to Issoire and the large shopping centre on the edge of town. We though the spacious, modern cafeteria style restaurant there might be good but as it turned out it was quite expensive and the food was not great.  Shame. Heading back towards St Vincent we made one last stop at the Plus Beaux village of St Floret, a riverside community which is in rather a crumbling state of repair - very ancient houses, a castle ruin on the hilltop and a pretty stone bridge.

River at St Floret

 Definitely not No 1 on the Plus Beaux list.

St Floret

  So it was back to our house to rest and pack - off to Paris in the morning.  The evening was quite nice and sunny so I strolled through the village of Saint Vincent.

Lovely house and garden, Saint Vincent

  Not a lot going on here - just a number of very old houses, a school and a church - no shops or amenities, but it is only a few minutes to the next village for supplies.

Charming lane in Saint Vincent

  A peaceful, rural community that shows no signs of joining the 21st century any time soon!

The Old Hayloft - our apartment in La Maison Bourgeoise