Volcanoes – Should I stay or should I go now – followed by the Limousin

For this western odyssey, I had roughly planned to see alot of Spain, then Portugal, then back through France before returning to the UK for the high season period – ie to avoid the much more expensive, booking-needing weeks of mid July to late August particularly given that I’m targeting places that are on the holiday map – and then to depart again late August. But without any fixed plans, I was tempted by the option with obviously lots of advantages, of staying in the south of France at my Mum’s house for those weeks, or leaving the campervan in the campsite next door and flying back to the UK, to return similarly late August. What options to have!

But I decided that the other places were still calling me, and the weather forecast was looking very favourable – as the variable southern Brittany would be hot enough, and also avoid the heatwave of temperatures upto 40deg throughout most of France. So interesting, that after 3 months of travel, the original outline plan was still holding.

Therefore had a beautiful recommended drive north of the Cevennes and west from Les Vans through Villefort, then upto Puy en Velay on the D901, then 906, then N102. The ‘Val D’Allier’ looked stunning. There was even a tightroper who I spied high above a gorge, and by the time the van made it to the top on one of those roads I’m not keen on, they had either fallen to their death or made it across.

Continued to Clermont Ferrand, and then headed west into the Auvergne to Chambon-sur-Lac, to Camping Les Bombes – good reviews, which I confirm and so cheap for the place. Quick cycle ride around the area and resolved that I should push myself to use the van like a car – ie to drive to two locations around the area on route to my next planned stop to meet up with my Mum and partner at his daughter and son-in-law’s house they’re doing up in the middle of nowhere, just east of Limoges.

THE AUVERGENE IS GORGEOUS – mountains – ie extinct volcanoes above 1400, with ski resorts, so like the Pyrenees, Picos etc, loads of hiking/cycling trails, beautiful villages. I drove first to the ‘Vallee de Chaudefour’ and walked up the valley, through the alpine-like meadows to the ‘Cirque’ of mountains/volcanoes.

In the afternoon, drove via Puy de Dome, took the train upto the summit at 1450m to look down on Clermond Ferrand, and the volcanoes in this chain, before driving on another 70 miles or so on great ‘D’ roads to get to the hamlet of Mont Pigeaud near the town of Gueret . Unfortunately my photos don’t do it justice, but plenty on the internet.

Spent 2 nights parked outside the house of Nicola and Darren, just east of Limoges near the town of Gueret. Nicola is the daughter of my Mum’s partner, and so met up with them also as they were travelling down to Courry. Nicola and Darren have taken on a project with this house, not as far as re-building a ruin, but in terms of damp on a main wall, and lots of other basic maintenance, which they do in their holidays, driving down with car fully-laden, and the odd hire-van trip from Homfirth in Yorkshire. Very interesting, the challenges people take on.

The photo belies the amount of work to be, and already done by Nicola and Darren, and it is somewhat in the middle of nowhere, albeit about 20 mins drive on the usual good minor roads from Gueret.