The Aveyron Valley Bowl

Najac stretched along the ridge

This weekend we stayed even closer to home – in fact the walk started from our front door!  We followed the yellow flashes of the local PR path.  It is a circular walk descending deep into the Aveyron valley to the river and then climbing back up over a rocky track to the hamlet of La Loubiere.   The walk is detailed in the Topo Guide – Les plus beaux villages de l’Aveyron a pied.  We chose the 9km circuit (walk no. 20).   It is one of my favourite local walks.   Much of it is along quiet roads.  The route takes you past La Singlarie where our friends run an organic farm.  For the most part, the walk rewards the walker with stunning views of Najac and its castle.  As we descended we spotted a bank of wild strawberries, which we feasted on (okay there weren't that many and they were tiny, but oh so tasty!) The climb back out of the valley gets your heart pumping, but it is worth it for the vast panorama when you reach the top.  Occasionally, on a clear winter’s day, you can see the snow-capped Pyrenees looming on the horizon. 

Lunch!

Wild flowers

The Lot Valley

Last weekend we did a wonderful walk in the Lot valley.  It is from the book Au Coeur de la Vallée du Lot, Collection les belles balades de l’Aveyron : 22 balades à faire à pied, à cheval ou en VTT (walk number 14).  We’ve got several of these books and they have some beautiful walks in them as well as listing some interesting historical facts about the area.  They are of course in French.  The books are available from Tourist Offices.  This one cost about 6 Euros.    

12kms in length, the walk starts and finishes in the town of Bouillac.    The walk begins with an ascent (about 300 metres in total).  There are some perfect places for a picnic en route with sweeping vistas over the river and beyond.  After reaching the top, the path stays on the plateau for a while.  We were lucky to see a new-born calf take his first unsteady steps.   The path then descends over a rocky path towards a road – again the views were stunning.  The wild flowers that dotted the hillside gave splashes of colour.   There is a short stretch along the main road and then you cross a bridge over the river before taking a shady path on the right that runs next to the river over level ground.   After about an hour you take another bridge back over the river to Bouillac.  

Everywhere seemed shut, but then we spotted a bar that was open so we were able to reward ourselves with a cold beer.   

Begur, Costa Brava

Last weekend saw us making our annual visit to Begur on the Costa Brava.  We stayed in the family run Hotel Rosa, where we always try to stay.  And we did the scenic walk from Begur down to Sa Tuna where we sipped beer and ate boquerones and watched the wind whipping up the sea in the normally tranquil bay.   The next day, in glorious sunshine, we walked along the coast to Sa Riera and then back inland on GR92 path (the same walk we did last year see early blog entry).  In the evening we took a hike up to Begur castle. 

 

In 1577 a general royal permit was announced to build towers for defence against pirate raids and so the area is dotted with these stone defence towers.  The towers usually had two or three floors and the occupants used a removable ladder to climb up to the upper floors.   Stones and other heavy objects were kept on the roof to throw down at enemies.  Many of these towers have been restored and now form part of posh villas.  Begur has some beautiful colonial houses.   Many of which were built by inhabitants of Begur who returned after making their fortune in Cuba.  There is one for sale with a whopping price tag of 2.9 million Euros!  I think we’ll stick to visiting!

The snow-capped Pyrenees in the distance!