Day 4: Montrisol to Saugues

Montrisol to Saugues(30.4-42.5km)

Dave: A simple 7am breakfast and then completion of the new morning ritual of treating blisters. Then we are off. One of our friends at the Gites commented that it was 1 degree – just above freezing!. It did indeed feel cold. But it was very clear and beautiful. A string of pilgrims walked with energy across the bridge spanning the Allier river and then through the town. 

Circuit  des orgues

Annie:  On the way out, we stopped at the Bakery-Epicere for lunch material: 2 apples, demi baguette, croissant and Cheese – for 4 E 50!! Then it was time to climb: we got tangled up in different pilgrim groups, but nonetheless had a wonderful climb around the “Circuit  des orgues,” massive granite or volcanic rocks [shaped like organ pipes] and bluffs overlooking the Alliers. It was a tough walk to start with.

Chapelle Trogolodyte de la Madeleine

 One of the remarkable sights on this first part of the walk was a Chapelle Troglodyte,” a chapel carved into a cave. We couldn’t get in but were able to look in.

The path gradually became less steep and we ran into a nice French guy we had met at Montbonnet. The path took us through mostly open fields but the weather got cloudy and chilly. 

Escluzels, the end of our climb out of  Montrisol

The view from high above Montrisol

Dave:  Throughout the morning we followed a series of D roads, and wide dirt/gravel tracks, and the occasional footpath.   At one point we zig zagged on switchbacks through some woods – at a couple of clearings we had some fine views of Montrisol way below us.  Most of the walk was through open fields. We passed numerous farms, walked by two donkeys (!!), and walked through several tiny villages – some neat and tidy, others dirty with trash lying around.  

Potable water was available on most of the Chemin

We were on the look-out for a Buvette a little

snack bar type place,which supposedly served drinks and snacks. There were numerous homemade sings for it – “2 km.  Boissons froid et chaude.” But we never found it. Then we saw another sign that said we had in effect passed it. Scribbled beneath it in angry letters:   “Menteurs” Liars.  An angry pilgrim! We felt their pain.  We found another buvet a few kilometers after – a little shack in someone’s back yard, and there waving at us as approached was Penny.  She and Janine had left Montrisol before us and we had caught up with them here, having an omelette and hot chocolate.  We sat down to have a cup of coffee, and just then the three Brits, we had met at the Gites in Montbonnet, Jonathan, Jane and her friend. The 7 of us made a jolly group as we crowded in the little buvet talking, eating and drinking.

The path into Saugues

Annie: Then back on the road. A brisk wind had  kicked up in the meantime – back to the rain coat. We walked through more beautiful fields then down the road to Saugues where we said goodbye to Penny and Janine who were going another 5 km or so. They were good companions on the road. We probably won’t see them again.  

We cruised into the Gites a la Fermes,” where we had reservations, fairly early (1:30pm) so we had our lunch and left our backpacks and went to explore the town of Saugues.

Saugues has a marvelous small Romanesque church with a particularly fine Virge en Majeste. The church is called St Medard but it had a rather creepy reliquary of St Benilde [Dave: the relics were inside a lifelike body lying in repose, below a side altar – a very common way to store relics]. I turned around and who was there but the nice couple from Paris. She shared with me some ideas for pilgrimages with students. It was really nice to see the familiar faces.

Gites a la Fermes, on the outskirts of Saugues

Dinner was a real farm meal, although rather late at 20h. We had two kinds of soup, followed by a large salad. Then – surprise!! – Lentilles de Puy with sausage (home made). Then 3 fromages (Blue, St Nectaire and a home made one). Then a custard for dessert!  The conversation headed into bizarre topics as in how to slaughter rabbits and cock and cow fighting!!

Madame Martin, proprietor of our Gite