Via Podiensis
Day 3 Saugues to Le Sauvage
18th April 2015
| Distance |
Time |
Elevation in meters |
Km |
Elapsed
Hrs-Mins |
Moving
Hrs-Mins |
Gain |
Loss |
Min |
Max |
| 20.31 |
5H08 |
4H45 |
593 |
266 |
927 |
1,327 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| I wasn't really expecting it to be a hard day with just 332 m of climbing over a listed distance of 19.5 km; however the walk took 5 hrs 8 mins and the distance according to my Garmin GPS was 20.3 km. It was quite a hard day. After a couple of hours I bumped into a French chap I had been talking to in Saint-Privat d'Allier, and he was quite enthusiastic in greeting me with...... "Ahhhhhhh, Monsieur Anglaise!" he shouted . I thought "English, Johnny English, Special Agent" but I did not say it in case he did not appreciate my sense of humour and had not heard of Rowan Atkinson. |
Leaving Saugues
For those going to Santiago....1,480 km left to go!
There seemed to be more people about today
La Clauze
A house typical of the area. No longer volcanic lava, but built of granite and
with a slope leading to the upper section
Yet another ancient cross
Coming into Le Falzet and hoping for a coffee
It looked promising at first, but this place was closed
At Le Suc, 1,150 m, and approaching Le Villeret-d'Apchier
A picnic area at Chazeau. The shed on the left hand side is a toilet provided by the village for walkers
Into the forested area on the approach to Le Sauvage
Overtaken by two speedy walkers.... Jean-Jacques and Renée
It has been a bit of a grey day, so nice to see some colour
Through the forest
Wild, isolated countryside of the Margaride at 1,300 m
At first sight, Auberge Le Sauvage de Gévaudan looks like a low cow shed!
There were remains of the winter's snow on the ground as I approached the Auberge
A solid granite building built by the Templars in the 12th century
Huge granite pillars support the building in the dining area; this was originally stables for horses
Beast of Gévaudan
The Beast of Gévaudan (La Bête du Gévaudan) is the historical name associated with the man-eating wolf, dog or wolf-dog hybrid which terrorised the former province of Gévaudan (modern-day département of Lozère and part of Haute-Loire), in the Margeride Mountains in south-central France between 1764 and 1767. The attacks, which covered an area stretching 90 by 80 kilometers , were said to have been committed by a beast or beasts that had formidable teeth and immense tails according to contemporary eyewitnesses.
Victims were often killed by having their throats torn out. The French government used a considerable amount of manpower and money to hunt the animals; including the resources of several nobles, the army, civilians, and a number of royal huntsmen.
The number of victims differs according to sources. In 1987, one study estimated there had been 210 attacks; resulting in 113 deaths and 49 injuries; 98 of the victims killed were partly eaten. However, other sources claim it killed between 60 to 100 adults and children, as well as injuring more than 30.
The department of Lozère was created from the former county of Gévaudan. |
Accommodation Notes
http://www.sauvage-en-gevaudan.fr
| No English is spoken at Auberge Le Sauvage de Gévaudan so there was a bit of confusion when I arrived, especially as I had sent a deposit of 10 euros to secure my place. Fortunately Jean-Jacques and Renée were checking in at the same time and they kindly helped me. There are two Gîtes at this place,
Gîte Narcisse with 20 places and Gîte Jonquille with 21 places, both located at the back of the main building. For 34 euro I had a bed in a 4-bed dorm with evening meal and breakfast. |
The facilities were good, but with only a Velux window in the roof it was quite dark in the room
Unlike the Camino Frances, which is quite International, 95% of the people at dinner
were French and conversation was a bit of a problem for a non-French-speaking Englishman! Bruno, an English-speaking Parisian, kindly moved to sit opposite me to make me welcome.
Breakfast at the auberge
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