After Southern Tanzania, I’m sharing a travel story about the Cantal region with you...
...
For us, at the start of 2025, Le CANTAL was a true “Terra Incognita”!!
After seeing some tempting TV reports, we decided to fill this gap—especially in terms of landscapes. On the same trip, we’ll also head to the Arcachon Basin, the International Seaplane Gathering in Biscarrosse, and my native Landes region...
So, on May 20th, we left Marseille in the rain and thunder, heading toward Nîmes, Saint-Hippolyte, Mont Aigoual, Florac, and stopping in Marvejols to give my arthritic back a break for the night.
The next morning, we decided to revisit the Parc aux Loups du Gévaudan (Europe’s largest wolf park).
As someone used to photo safaris in the wilds of East Africa, I’m not a fan of zoos at all—but I *do* have a deep admiration for wolves!!
Since it’s pretty unlikely I’ll ever see one in the wild, I’ll settle for this Parc aux Loups in Marvejols.
This will be our third visit to this incredible gathering of these fascinating canines.
The enclosures are “spacious” and the animals are grouped by packs and by regions: Europe, Canada, Siberia, etc.
The weather is nice, but it’s pretty chilly on this 20th of May in Lozère.
We explore at our own pace, independently, but occasionally join a naturalist guiding a group to catch a few of her explanations.
The only part of Cantal I know is the Vic-sur-Cère area, where I spent quite a few vacations... when I was 8–10 years old
That tells you how long ago it was! Anyway, I’m jumping in
Si tu diffères de moi, mon frère, loin de me léser, tu m'enrichis (Saint Exupéry)
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll be kind about my photo story.
We were total newbies in this area, and our discoveries happened day by day without much planning.
We might’ve walked right past places that would’ve interested us too...
I often say: We’re ALL different...!!
Hi Muriel,
In the second part of your trip, you might just relive some childhood-vacation memories! 😊
That said, it’ll be quite a change from Tanzania… [;)]
- Thursday, May 22: on the morning of the first full day in Cantal.
The sky is overcast, and it’s chilly in the early morning. That doesn’t exactly encourage an early start.
We’re right next to the Viaduc de Garabit, which I really wanted to see and capture in photos.
No luck; a light drizzle starts, and it even turns into a shower just as I’m taking the last shots. [:/]
In the rain, we head toward Saint-Flour. The town looks beautiful from a distance on its promontory, but inside, I found it a bit gloomy....
Much nicer was the market two days later, ... in the sunshine. However, we did discover a restaurant where we enjoyed some amazing dishes with really warm hospitality.
(FYI: "Chez Geneviève" – booking recommended or arrive very early)
In the afternoon, still some cloudy patches, but no rain.
We continue our exploration, taking small roads toward the upper Truyère valley, upstream from Lac de Grandval.
This last image really captures a feeling we had throughout our stay in Cantal: during this time, we saw every shade of green in the landscapes, along with flowers, and honestly, it was really lovely.
- On Friday, May 23, despite the weather uncertainties, we decide to go for a hike that was recommended by the owner of the guesthouse where we’re staying.
Given my almost total lack of experience, I wanted an easy hike, not too long, and with little elevation gain.
We pass by the Lac de Grandval again first.
Throughout the day, short sunny spells alternated with threatening cloudy passages....!!
Sometimes we had to wait for the scene to be properly lit to take a photo...
The chosen hike is a loop starting (and returning... in theory) from the hamlet of Morsanges.
- It’s the Boucle des Gorges du Bès.
(A route of about 7/8 km with 290 m of negative elevation first, then positive, of course).
Le Bès is a waterway that winds through a fairly steep gorge before flowing into the Lac de Grandval.
Here, at the start of the hike, the gorge opens up just before the lake:
- Here we go....
We’re in le Cantal, but on the opposite bank of la gorge du Bès, it’s la Lozère:
In some places, the trail is a bit dizzying and secured with chains for those prone to vertigo:
That evening, while reading a document about le Bès, I learned that its banks are home to river otters (another personal dream). But there’s even less chance of spotting them than seeing a wolf in the wild.... Oh well, tough luck for me.
At the top of the gorge across the way, all that remains of the château d’Arzenc-d’Apcher is a section of wall, and to its right, l’église Notre Dame de l’Assomption:
Garabit Viaduct, Truyère Gorge... those names ring a (vague) bell...
The Bès Gorge area looks beautiful; shame there isn't a bit more sunshine to brighten it all up.
Si tu diffères de moi, mon frère, loin de me léser, tu m'enrichis (Saint Exupéry)
A final glance at la gorge du Bès and we begin our ascent back to the plateau. I take it slow, since we’re only halfway in terms of distance.
The slope eases as we reach the meadows and then le hameau des Chazals, from where it’s just a matter of following a small road back to the starting point.
The only ones we’ll cross paths with are these "Aubrac" cows—though their gaze isn’t always friendly, despite their distinctive markings.
Note that a large number of marked hikes in Cantal are off-limits to dogs, even on a leash! The livestock might feel threatened and charge. For hikers, it’s best not to get too close to the cows and take a detour if needed...!!
- On Saturday, May 24, we're changing our stay location.
Tonight, we'll be in Thiezac, very close to Vic-sur-Cère.
One last stop in Saint-Flour for a quick visit to the market.
Then, we'll have a meal at « Genevieve’s » before hitting the road toward Murat.
- MURAT
From there, we're heading out for a long loop via small roads, which will keep us busy for part of the afternoon.
We'll pass through the Col de Prat de Bouc, La Combe, Brezons, Lacapelle-Barrès, etc., until we reach Vic-sur-Cère.
Everywhere, it's a vibrant green landscape... with splashes of yellow!
On this route, we’re almost entirely in grazing pastures. We’ll run into a few other tourists like us, a few tractors with trailers carrying young calves, and we’ll always spot orchids here and there...
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? )
When it comes to flowers, besides orchids, we saw wild tulips in the Cévennes, then daffodils and narcissi—a bouquet of them will follow us from room to room all the way to the Arcachon Basin.... [;)] [:)]
Every morning and afternoon, as we leave our accommodation, we’ll pass this little waterfall
On 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 a rather dreary, even austere architectural style... and yep, that’s exactly it!
It’s still pretty gray [:/].
Amid all those shades of green, I actually liked it, I’ll admit. It’s a very distinct style, using local stone, slate roofing, and it’s a nice change from what we see back home....
In summer, surrounded by dark green, it must have a whole different vibe!!
But in autumn... [;)]
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:
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 ... )
Hi Agnès and Muriel,
Thanks for stopping by this post.
Right now, the landscapes in Auvergne are pretty yellow.
Spring has been particularly awful in recent years.
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....
Thanks for this walk. It’s really gorgeous. And I loved all those thousand shades of soft green.
Bluequark
Carnets :
Namibie, Laos-Perhentias-BKK, Ouest US, Lanzarote, New-York, Berlin, Cuba, Bardenas Reales, AFS -Lesotho-Swaziland, Japon et le dernier né Colombie: https://voyageforum.com/discussion/ete-2017-trois-semaines-en-colmobie-en-famille-d10108246/
No specific goal this morning.
We head towards Murat, and from there take the north, northeast direction towards Condat and the Gorges de la Rhue.
It’s another side of Cantal, pleasant but didn’t leave a strong impression on us.
In the gorges, a chamois crossed our path, but didn’t give me time to grab my camera ….
During a break, while studying the map, I realize we’re really close to Bort-les-Orgues … ?? [;)]
And I suddenly remember something that had caught my interest there a few months ago.
I’d seen a classical music concert on TV, performed near a stunning castle.
At the time, I’d thought I’d love to see it and take some photos ….
That’s going to keep us busy for a while and make us drive quite a bit, just to "snap photos" from two opposite directions!!
Here’s the Château de Val, by the Bort-les-Orgues dam reservoir.
It’s on the opposite side of the lake, and we had to drive around quite a bit to find a spot that was accessible and clear of vegetation... perfect for taking photos.
On the other hand, the basaltic Orgues site near Bort seemed really disappointing and not all that interesting. But "to each their own... "
It doesn’t have much to do with Cantal, but that morning, as I was leaving a village, I caught sight of a horse—really beautiful—on my left. I stopped and realized there was actually an adult and a very young foal.
I took a few photos and met the animals’ owner, who told me their stories: the mare had lost her foal during birth, and the foal’s mother had died giving birth to him… just two days apart.
They’re two different breeds! The adult is a Breton horse—I’ve forgotten the foal’s breed.
But it doesn’t matter because when the two owners tried introducing them, the mare adopted the foal and now nurses him. [:)]
While passing through the Col du Perthus the day before, I had taken this photo, and I couldn’t identify this distinctive peak (when you’re familiar with the area).
It was a contact on another forum (!!) who told me it’s the summit of l’Elancèze (1680 m):
At the entrance to St Jacques-des-Blats, I found this mountain slope interesting, with the railway viaduct.
While analyzing the photo, I noticed the cable car pylon: it could ONLY be the one leading to the base of the Plomb du Cantal, which I still haven’t seen...
This other photo shows the top terminal station of the cable car at the very top right (Unfortunately, the summit wasn’t visible from this angle...
When we arrived at our guesthouse, I discovered there’s a castle in Thiézac:
Château de Rivière (unless I’m mistaken)
(Actually, during this trip, we realized there are a lot of beautiful castles in the Cantal... ??)
...
- Wednesday, May 28: It’s our last full day in le Cantal.
This morning, we’re heading to la cascade de la Roucolle, accessible between Thiézac and Vic-sur-Cère:
The vallée de la Cère is a narrow, steep-sided gorge.
The vegetation is dense. Near the waterfall, a nice wooden belvedere has been built, but the view of the waterfall is almost completely blocked by young trees. A bit of trimming would really highlight the site.
We follow a path to a footbridge whose sturdiness might be questionable.
We’re lucky enough to spot a Dipper ...
(This bird feeds on small mollusks, which it finds at the bottom of streams!!)
(Sorry about the poor image quality—it’s been heavily enlarged)
Otters are also said to be present here, but you won’t see them in broad daylight...
After lunch in the A.M. (and the essential coffee), we head toward the hills of Thiezac.
We were told about an easy hike through the pastures. Other hikers at the starting point confirmed the route for us.
We were warned about the feisty nature of Salers cows—especially since there are so many calves here, and the mothers are EXTREMELY protective.
We also always noticed a large male in the middle of these herds, so we made big detours since the path was occupied by the animals.
Unfortunately, at the entrance to a property—even though the official trail markers pointed this way—a sign clearly stated that hikers weren’t welcome to go through the gate.... ?!?
So we turned back and walked through the middle of the cows again... [:/]
But we still managed to see (and hear!) the top of a waterfall, which was on our itinerary.
(Sorry about the poor image quality—it’s been heavily enlarged)
