From the Viaur to Cheval du Roi

The walk was graded difficult in our walking book (walk no. PR34 in L'Aveyron a pied TopoGuides), probably due to an unrelenting climb of 1,200 feet.  It started at the valley bottom by the River Viaur and it was such a beautiful spot we decided to have lunch first.  Sitting with a picnic overlooking the river we saw the unmistakable iridescent blue of kingfishers streaking past.  We thought we knew this river so well, but this stretch was unfamiliar.  

The path followed the road for a bit, gradually climbing away from the river.  Then it was straight up via an old mule track.  We gained height fairly quickly, but even so it was a long slog uphill to reach the Cheval du Roi.  Some of the landmarks were familiar to us from when we took part in the Marche Gourmande at Lescure Jaoul (see blog post from July).  The villages on high looked desolate now with all the holiday homes shut up.  The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, but hard to capture on camera.   

The path circled around the Cheval du Roi before heading back down.  A mistake where we turned left when we should have turned right ended with us being confronted by a couple of loose guard dogs – not a pleasant experience, but at least it forced us to turn back and thereby realise our mistake.  We should have turned right and walked behind an old chapel (Chapelle de Murat), but a parked truck was obscuring the sign (well that’s our excuse!)  There were sounds of work being carried out inside the chapel and Richard, spying someone, stopped to check we were going the right way.  The man invited us in to look at the chapel.  

Plaster was being chipped away inside by a group of volunteers to reveal ancient frescoes.  The volunteers were all from the troisieme age, French, except for an Irishman who joked that he was in charge of the wheelbarrow and just did as he was told.  They were so kind and welcoming even offering us a drink from their cool box.    It was interesting to learn some of the history of the Chapelle de Murat and that of the ruined Chateau de Roumegous, which stood above.  They expect the renovations to be completed next year and we promised to go back and see the finished result.  They posed for a couple of photos before waving us on our way.  It was only 30 minutes back to the car from here, but by now our feet were hurting.  

Chateau de Roumegous

When we got back to our picnic spot we were joined by a couple walking with a donkey.  They were obviously settling down to camp for the night so we left them to enjoy the last of the sun’s rays.  Another great day in and above the Viaur valley, a place we love so much.    

Back to Begur

Is it boring to keep going back to the same place each year?  There’s no denying that the familiarity of this place makes us feel instantly at home, which is perfect when you are on a short break.  It means we know where to stay and where to eat, without the usual trailing around inspecting the restaurants only to find they haven’t got a table free anyway.    We have never visited in season before so the sight of the crowded beach at Sa Tuna was a new one.  Never mind, we knew that if we took a short walk uphill and then a scramble down the cliffs through a steep gulley we would be rewarded by a small un-crowded sandy beach.  How nice it was to rest our backs against the rough rock and to sit and read or look out at the boats anchored in the bay.  The swimming was perfect too.  On our last day a smiley Spanish lady who had been busy handing out food to her family came over to us with a Tortilla sandwich insisting we take it.  It was delicious and far better than our usual fare – we normally make do with a bag of nuts.  We felt awful as we had nothing to give in return and we couldn’t communicate how grateful we were for her kindness.  We kept exchanging smiles though so I think she knew. It was a petit moment; another experience to add to our beautiful memories of Begur.