Cantal—have you heard of it?

...Following up from the previous page:At one point, by the side of the road, we spotted a discreet sign pointing toward a waterfall.It was a dead-end road near the final hamlet: La cascade du Capat.
It’s not exactly an unforgettable waterfall, but it was a great chance to stretch our legs and relieve my aching back.After that, we continued our journey along some very winding but really charming little roads.Above: the Puy Gerbel (1,640 m) (Did you notice the partly blue sky in the last two photos? )...

...As fatigue starts to set in (for me at least, anyway!)....
The most beautiful floral encounter of the trip: a meadow filled with Orchids  :)... and also a patch of Pasqueflowers! (a little past their prime)Then, later in the afternoon, we reach Vic-sur-Cère, and Thiézac, where we’ll be staying for several days (in a guesthouse)....

These orchids are gorgeous!

...- Sunday, May 25:Every morning and afternoon, as we leave our accommodation, we’ll pass this little waterfallOn the way up to le Liorans via the N122, you’ve got two options: either the tunnel—it’s quicker—or the old mountain pass road, which is way nicer for the scenery. The old road is steep and full of hairpin turns.On the left: le Puy Griou.The village of St Jacques des Blats, the last one before the pass....

...Since we hadn’t prepared anything in advance, we really struggled to find a hike within "my abilities"...!!In the end, we decided on a small loop in the "Gorges de l’Alagnon".
For us, the starting point was (by chance) La Maison du Buronnier, a beautiful, restored traditional building that also serves as a small museum, open "in season".In the meadows all around, you can find yellow gentian (though it wasn’t in bloom at this time of year).
The root is used to make liqueurs and aperitifs....Then came a long, very steep descent—about -100m, almost vertical—leading us to the edge of the Alagnon stream...Alongside the water, there are little features: bridges and small wooden sculptures....

...In any case, it was a really pleasant walk, much appreciated along this stream...« Me, the Alagnon, I start as a drop of water at the Col de Rombière...
... then I saw through the rock and carve these gorges to join my "mother", the Ocean, in Nantes. »The gorge opens up by the small road that will let us return to our vehicle on a gentler slope than the one—almost vertical—behind the Buronnier’s house!!...

After grabbing a coffee and wandering around Murat (a "ville de caractère," though I wasn’t inspired to take any photos that morning!), we head back toward Le Lioran.A photo stop is a must in front of Château d’Anterroches (13th century).This time, we cross Le Lioran through the tunnel. Near Saint-Jacques-des-Blats, we cross the Cère River to our left to enjoy the scenery from this bank.On the left side of the image, that distinctive peak is—unless I’m mistaken—Puy Griou.Along this narrow road, we stumble upon a few hamlets, all of which are livestock farms....

I remembered it as having a rather dreary, even austere architectural style... and that’s exactly it!
It’s still very grey .

...- Monday, May 26:Probably the day with the most stunning landscapes of our entire stay in Cantal (just my personal taste...)Via St Jacques-des-Blats, we head toward the Col du Pertus.- Emerging into the Jordanne Valley, downstream side:- The Jordanne Valley, upstream side, dominated by the summit of Puy Mary (1783m)
At the bottom, the village of Liadouze on the D 17.- On the slopes of Puy Mary...- Climbing toward Col de Redondet on the D 17:...

...- The Puy Mary from the Col du Redondet:- The Pas de Peyrol, a pass/junction between the D 17 and the D 680 (a key spot in the Tour de France cycling race)- The climb to the summit of Puy Mary (I didn’t manage to make it all the way...!!)- The D 17 after the Col du Redondet:- The D 680 heading north toward Dienne, then Murat:- The Chalet du Puy Mary at the Pas de Peyrol: (Quick reminder: just click on each image to see it in full size, then click again to return to the text.)...

...View from Puy Mary (... well, from the highest point I could reach...!!)From left to right:
- Col de Redondet, La Roche Taillade (1654m), Roc d’Hozières (1614m)- Below, towards the west, the end of la vallée de L’Aspre.Really sorry if you don’t like it,... but personally, all these shades of "green" fascinate me....We hit the road again, heading towards col de Neronne:...

...On the D-680, we follow the ridge between the Mars valleys and the Maronne valley.- The village Le Falgoux (if I’m not mistaken).And we reach Col de Neronne.A large herd of "Salers" cows on transhumance stops here to rest the animals and their handlers. We arrived just before they left....Since we hadn’t had a picnic, we checked the restaurant menu and went to enjoy a delicious dish with a Salers steak, of course, paired with Bleu d'Auvergne ice cream!! Surprising but delicious, and the prices were very reasonable...After the pass, the upper part of the Maronne valley (named after the river that flows there) heading toward Salers:...

...Again, the Maronne Valley.Here, probably St-Paul-de-Salers.— SALERS —...

...Despite the predominantly grey stone (with splashes of orange and brown) of the buildings, I really enjoyed visiting this town of Salers, with its VERY distinctive character.
(I should’ve spent a whole day there...)...

...Let's not forget we're in a region of volcanoes (dormant ones!)...

Right now, the landscapes in Auvergne are pretty yellow.
Spring has been particularly lousy these past few years.

Hi Agnès and Muriel,
Thanks for stopping by this post.I’ve just gotten some updates too—everything’s “burnt” in Cantal, and the temperatures are unbearable. So in the end, I’d rather have been a bit cold and been able to see all that green and all those flowers!! On the other hand, we only had rain when passing through Garabit.When we visited Salers, the light was so harsh (with that white, hazy sky) that I had to take multiple shots with different exposure adjustments (Like I experienced back in 2012 in the Namib Desert!?!?).
You’ve got to adapt to the conditions at the time....Cheers,...