Road Trip, Day 3

Today was a transition day. We made a couple of visits in the area near Saint Geniez, and then drove three hours to get to our home for the next three days. To arrive in the town of Égletons, we drove through the Aveyron, then through the Cantal, and then into the Corrèze. As you’ll see, the landscape became even greener as we made our way north.

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We drove to the picturesque village of Bozouls, which clings to the cliffs on either side of a remarkable circular canyon that’s about 330 feet deep. After a stop in the visitor center, we walked down, down, down, across the Dourdou River, and then up, up, up to visit the medieval church that’s placed on the spit of land “inside” the circle.

We ate lunch on the very edge of the cliffs, then drove on to the hamlet of Bessuéjouls to visit another 12th century church built of the gorgeous red sandstone of the region. This church is l’Église Saint-Pierre in the hamlet of Bessuéjouls, and it’s a popular stop with people who are walking the Chemin de Compostelle. Interesting to all three of us was the magnificent giant sequoia tree that stands next to the church and completely dwarfs it.

And then it was time to hit the road. Our three-hour journey took us north, passing out of the Aveyron, through the Cantal, and into the Corrèze. We drove through the Lot River basin and some lovely villages, and then found a little rain as we made our way north through some forested canyons. The Cantal, famous for its namesake cheese, is rolling hills of velvety green, plus a lot of cows. As we crossed into the Corrèze, we were suddenly pelted with extremely heavy rain—the kind it’s hard to drive in—and there were a few thin washes of mud across the road. Thankfully, it ended just as quickly as it had arrived, and we continued to make our way through more intriguing towns and rolling green countryside. We passed a restaurant named Colorado, and an exquisite castle on the edge of a lake. Whole hillsides were covered with heather in full pink bloom, and we had a double rainbow to color our world as we drove into Égletons. There was definitely magic in the air today!

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