The Viaur Valley

The Viaur Valley is a special place.  The river Viaur divides the departments of the Aveyron and the Tarn.  It is our favourite river for swimming and our favourite valley for walking.  There is even a roc escalade (climbing/abseiling area) – we’ll give it a go one of these days.  This time we were heading for the pretty village of Laurelie, which sits nestled in the hills overlooking the valley, opposite the slightly higher village of Bar, which is strung out along a ridge.  We parked the car by Le Moulin de Bar and set out upstream along the road running by the river.  As the road bends, we took a path leading off into the woods.  It is a tranquil path, shady in the summer, with only the sound of the rushing water to accompany you.  After about twenty minutes the path begins its sinuous accent up the hillside.   We were once joined by a ferret on this walk – a first for us!   The creature would bound ahead and wait for us to catch up.  In the end he got bored disappearing into the undergrowth.  It is a fairly gradual climb, but finishes with a short, sharp, steep incline – the view is worth the effort.  The path arrives at Laurelie.  You then have three options, to take the marked footpath to Bar, to take the road to Bar or to walk down the road towards the river.  We took the latter route.  As we sauntered downhill we could see a family of wild boar (sanglier) in the distance.  Even they seemed unhurried on this perfect summer evening.     

Bar

View from the bridge