Walking in Haut Vivarais

WALKING IN HAUT-VIVARAIS

by Ann Pugh

A four day walk in the Volcano Country of the Ardèche

The Ardèche is a region of high hills and ancient volcanoes to the west of the Rhône. It is the watershed of central France and the source of the rivers that flow north and west to the Atlantic and south to the Mediterranean. A more ancient name for the region is the Vivarais.

The walk known as the Tour du Haut Vivarais is a circuit can be undertaken in ten days of easy walking. However, as it can be accessed at several points it can be adapted to suit the time you have available or your stamina. We chose to walk a circuit of 75 km over four days, setting out in Saint-Agrève and finishing in Le Cheylard. This was in early summer.

Access to the walk from the east is possible from Valence or Tournon, both of which are on the main train line that runs down the Rhône Valley. From either of these you could take a minor variante to join the main route or catch a bus to any of the towns along the route. From the west access is from Le Puy-en-Velay.

The walk presents no great physical challenges though it does gradually climb to an altitude of 1753m at the summit of Mont Mézanc and 1551m at Gerbier de Jonc.

We arrived in Saint-Agrève by way of a fortuitous coincidence of opportunities. Plan A had been to catch a bus from Valence to Tournon and then another to Saint-Agrève, but the start of the summer holidays had left the timetables in disarray and a resourceful ticket seller came up with Plan B. This involved taking a bus, which was on the point of departure, to Tournon and then, with 10 minutes to make the connection, catching a special steam train to Lamastre and then taking another bus to Saint-Agrève.

In spite of the risky connection and some doubt about whether reservations were necessary, it seemed worth giving it a go. A nail biting journey had us at the terminal of the Chemin de Fer du Vivarais with 2 minutes to spare. Then, tickets in hand, we joined a milling crowd, dressed in period costumes, waving flags and drinking champagne. There was just time to leap onto the last carriage of the second of two trains which pulled out to the accompaniment of a jazz band and a wildly waving crowd. Today was the centenary of the line, so it was fun and games for all - flag waving, champagne drinking and greetings by bands and crowds at each small station along the way.

The original rail line was constructed between 1886 and 1891 as part of a network which ferried passengers and freight between different points of the hilly and relatively inaccessible départements of the Ardèche and Haute Loire. The network was closed in 1968 but soon afterwards this sector was reopened by a group of enthusiasts. It now operates a regular timetable during holiday times.

The route is spectacular, first running through vineyards, crossing old bridges and viaducts, running through tunnels and climbing through the Gorges de Mordane, so called because even donkeys died trying to negotiate the difficult terrain.

After about two hours the train arrived at Lamastre and we connected with a bus to the attractive small town of Saint-Agrève. Here, the comfortable Hotel Cévennes faced the central square of the town and had an interesting menu for dinner.

Walking in Haut-Vivarais © K&A Stillman

Walking in France

Visit the Vivarais

Rhône-Alpes Regional Tourism Committee:

http://en.rhonealpes-tourisme.com/

Official website of Parc Régional des Monts d’Ardèche:

http://www.parc-monts-ardeche.fr

Tourist information Board of the Pays de Saint-Agrève:

http://www.pays-saintagreve.fr/

Tourist information Board of Ardèche département:

http://www.ardeche-guide.com/

Haut-Vivarais © Olivier Risnes

A beautiful, clear sunny day with a little cool breeze was perfect weather to start the walk. With 17 km to cover, we set off early and could almost see the whole walk spread out ahead. In the distance were the mountains to be encountered in a couple of days, particularly Mont Mézanc and the Gerbier de Jonc which were clearly visible as extinct volcanic cones standing above the plateau. It was easy walking through fields full of flowers and wheat and then through a pine forest. Along this part of the route we followed the GR 420 which doubles up with the GR 7, the one that runs from the North to South of France, from the Vosges to the Pyrenees.

Along the way we crossed paths with a group of four ladies doing a 10 day walk from Le Puy-en-Velay, following in the footsteps of a saint. We never knew the saint’s name but shortly afterwards, in the middle of no-where, there was a display of religious books with a sign inviting passersby to take a Bible if they didn’t have one. Perhaps this was something to do with the saint?

The track wound down to the River Lignon and then up a steep hill, through the outer streets of the town and through a tall archway into the main square of Fay-sur-Lignon. From down in the valley the sound of animated, chattering, laughing and clattering of plates and glasses had been intriguing. Sunday lunch was clearly an event in Fay sur Lignon and indeed, at 3.00 pm, lunch was still in full swing at the Hotel des Négociants. Agreement was reached with the rather flustered patronne to let the dust from lunch settle and return later when things were plus calme.

A short stroll took in all the familiar sights of a small rural village – the town square with a few kids hanging around, old men sitting outside a bar and, always in a central place, the war memorial. By 4 pm a light, airy room overlooking the market square had been made ready. The final lunchtime farewells continued till well after 5 pm.

During the late afternoon the noises of furniture moving seemed to be much more than would normally be expected after lunch. Indeed at dinner time the dining room had been totally re-arranged, this time for a function. Food and wine were all laid out on the tables for a large party. On enquiry it conspired that an ordination was to be celebrated.

A little table had been set up in a corner for the unexpected hotel guests – along with the children. Then course after wonderful course arrived on the table without any consultation – soup in a tureen for us to take as much as we wanted; a dish of paté maison, again to help ourselves; a huge steak with delicious little round fried potatoes; a large bowl of salad; a cheese platter; desert; and a carafe of good red wine.

The new priest, called Jean Paul, was a handsome, though serious, young man. The party was distinctly different to the abandonment of lunch time – the ladies were grim and unsmiling, the older men wore suits and casquettes and talked among themselves, the young people were pretty casual, but no-one seemed to be enjoying themselves very much.

After a glass of verveine, the local very powerful digestif, a polite retreat seemed appropriate. The party must have lightened up because we drifted off to sleep to the sound of laughing and singing.

Prelude – Reaching St Agrève

Day 1: St Agrève – Fay sur Lignon

The action never stops in Fay-sur-Lignon. At 6.30 am sleep became impossible due to the sound of horses clip-clopping down the street, the clanging of metal and busy hammering. A peep out the window revealed that a market had been set up in the square outside the hotel. Downstairs, the dining room and bar were again transformed – this time to serve breakfast and drinks to Les Négociants.

Yummy lunch things were plentiful in the market – cheese, paté, bread and fruit. Clearly we had no need for the chickens, ducks, calves or two beautiful black and white rabbits awaiting their fate but we did acquire the makings of a lunchtime feast.

Today was windy, but quite warm out of the wind. We reckoned on 20 km for the days walk, most of which was a long but gradual climb, past Mont Signon, through the village of Chaudeyrolles and then up a valley dotted with fantastic rocky formations, the most dominating called La Roche Pointue and La Grosse Roche.

Lunch among the rocks was a splendid spread of the market goodies and in the afternoon there was more climbing up to a parking area at the foot of Mont Mézenc. Here a clump of pine trees provided a hiding place for our backpacks and a steep pathway climbed to the summit – actually two adjacent summits. It was very windy but a spectacular view opened up of the routes behind and ahead.

From the summit the GR descended steeply down the other side. A small road led to Les Estables, just a short way off the GR. Once a quiet little village, Les Estables has discovered the advantages that come from good snow and is now a centre for cross country skiing with chalets, lodges and ski trails dotted over the hillsides but, at this time of year very few facilities were open.

The only obvious hotel showed no signs of life. Instead there was a gîte/chalet where, the bedrooms were set up dormitory style and bathrooms were shared by all. A school party took up most of the rooms but there was plenty of room for walkers as well.

Dinner was simple but good and the 50 or so disabled school kids had a ball, supervised in a low key way by a small group of teachers.

It was an early night for the walkers who slept like logs – unlike the teachers who were kept awake by noisy kids having fun till about 3 am.

Day 2 : Fay sur Lignon – Les Estables

There was another 20 km to be covered today with the evening in a self catering gîte d’étape so provisions were needed for dinner, breakfast and two days lunch. A small shop, which at first looked unpromising, provided le nécessaire, including pasta, sausage, cheese and ample bread and wine.

On the road by 9 am, we headed out of town to where the GR comes down from Mont Mézanc. Again the meadows on either side of the road were a mass of different colourful wildflowers. It was then a pleasant walk through forests with views back to Mézanc and onwards to Gerbier de Jonc.

In a forest clearing some farmers were loading delicious looking peaches into a van. We asked if we could buy two. They offered 2 cases, and then 2 kilos but didn’t see the value of a deal involving two single peaches, so peaches were off.

Soon afterwards the GR 7 went its own way and the GR 420 continued on to Gerbier de Jonc which is both a mountain and a small village. Le Gerbier, the town, had bars and restaurants, one of which provided the opportunity for a beer. There were also roadside stalls selling cheese, sausages, bread and honey, all looking more delicious and better than those bought back in Les Estables.

Le Gerbier, the mountain, was quite disappointing close up. For nearly three days it had appeared ahead as a target, always a high conical volcanic peak. Now it just looked like a big hill, emphasising how much climbing there had been since the start of the walk. Although seemingly benign, Gerbier de Jonc is a difficult peak to climb and even the GR continued along the road at its base.

At this point we were right on the divide between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Reinforcing this, the track passed over an unprepossessing muddy trickle of water feeding into a farm dam and grandly signposted “La Source Véritable de la Loire”. What a far cry from the river’s picturesque journey westward through Nevers and Orléans, passing by the celebrated châteaux, to its mouth at Nantes/St Nazaire. The GR3 follows the Loire all the way to the sea and the GR 420 here was partly concurrent with its first stage.

Following round the road there were wide panoramas of all the knobbly volcanic peaks – back to Mont Mézanc, and after a while Gerbier de Jonc also began to recede. From the highest points of today’s walk the hazy outline of the Alps could be seen in the far distance.

A loop in the GR doubled back on itself either side of the town of Sagnes-et-Goudoulet. With no reason to visit the town it made more sense to follow a minor road which cut the corner and joined up with the GR to descend fairly quickly, down a forested valley, to the gîte d’étape at the farm of La Coutelle.

The gîte had been full the previous night but tonight we were the only occupants – fortunate as there was only one dormitory, albeit with lots of beds, and only limited space for cooking. The unaccustomed load of the day was lightened after eating a hearty dinner of soup, macaroni and sausage with the wine rationed to allow for tomorrow’s lunch. It was bedtime by 9.30 pm.

Day 3 : Les Estables – La Coutelle

Away by 8 am with once again a comfortable 20 km to walk. Mist and cloud hung on the high mountains but it was clear along the ridges and in the valleys. It was lovely walking through masses of yellow broom. At one point the track climbed up a hillside where the broom was shoulder high. Then it ran alongside grassy pastures with the delicious smell of new mown grass. Again there were colourful wildflowers everywhere. The Topo Guide, whose particular interest seems to be geology and plants, lists all the flowers common to this region and notes that from spring to autumn the flowers “embroider” the pastures. You couldn’t disagree. Lunch was among pine trees with Le Gerbier just remaining in view.

The afternoon bus from Le Cheylard to Valence left at 3.45 pm. This was going to be tight. A steep and difficult descent to Le Cheylard was made more stressful by missing a turn and taking 10 minutes to retrace the route. It was also very hot. We made it, with time for a quick beer but not enough to look round Le Cheylard which seemed to be a very agreeable town.

Day 4: La Coutelle – Le Cheylard

So why such haste to reach Valence? Suffice to say that we had long planned a special treat - lunch at the celebrated Pic three star restaurant. Even the most picturesque village or town in all of France was not to stand in the way. If you dine in a Michelin three star restaurant once in a lifetime it will always be remembered and this was a grand finale to a wonderful walk.

After the walk

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