The village of
La Vinzelle is
famous for its very large bell, La Campana Bella, but we were here to walk on the
Sentier des Buissieres, which starts by the cemetery.
It is a two hour circular walk wending its way around the village with
some short ascents and descents. The
prettiest point was high up when the path led through a carpet of
purple heather. The views up here were breathtaking. At first the village was above us clinging to the hillside and then, as we gained height, we were satisfied to see it below us.
A little over halfway
we heard voices and went to investigate.
It was a group of hunters, clad in bright orange, overlooking a field
below the path. We were surprised to see them as it was a main
walking path, a Saturday and lunchtime! The eldest hunter squinted at
us and when we asked if it was dangerous for us to carry on along the path he said
we should turn back. We’ve never been good at going back! We explained we wanted to continue – he looked
a bit unsure and then two more walkers hurried by so he had no choice, but to
let us carry on. One of the hunters had
a radio and said he would let the other hunters know we were on the path. As we left, he wished us “bonne chance,”
which was slightly disconcerting!
I’ve never been fast at going
downhill, but the risk of getting shot made my legs move more quickly. I was pleased I was wearing a bright red
top. We could hear the dogs in the woods
above us and then suddenly they were behind us.
Reaching a clearing, where we hoped we would be seen, we stood and
watched, being sure to make lots of noise.
The hunting dogs had so much character and were surprisingly agile as they made their way over the rocks. They were completely disinterested in
us. Their tails wagged enthusiastically
as they picked up the scent of their prey, a fox which had rushed passed us in
a blur a few minutes earlier. We knew
that the hunters were looking for sanglier (wild boar) not foxes. Looking up I could see a lone hunter perched
on an outcrop of rock like a bright orange sentinel. As we shouted he spotted us and indicated
with a wave of his gun that it was safe for us to continue.
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| La Vinzelle |
The rest of the walk passed
uneventfully, thank goodness. We arrived
back at the village and went up to look at the famous bell. A sign politely asks visitors to refrain from
ringing the bell, although it was very tempting!
Close by, the
Auberge du Peyral
(open April to September) was doing a roaring trade and we managed to get the
last table. We sat on the airy terrace
tucking into delicious salads and sipping cold rose wine as the River Lot sparkled
in the sunlight far below.
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| Auberge du Peyral |
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| The start of the Sentier du Peyral a short circular walk - we did this too! |
Having driven here it was now my
turn to be a passenger. The drive down deep
into the Cirque didn't disappoint! At the
bottom there were small clusters of houses, clearly inhabited. The houses were pinned in on all sides and I
wouldn’t want to live here – busy with tourists in the day and then dark and
deserted. We were surprised to find a
gift shop, creperie and an auberge. The
cascading river Vis made a thunderous sound as it went on its way down the
hillside. There had been storms a few
days previously so the flow of water was impressive. We climbed up to the top of the mound where
a statute of the Virgin Mary presides. A swarm
of bees buzzed around the base of the statue where they had made a nest a good deterrent
to would-be scramblers. 
