Out through suburds of Espalion and mainly a tarred track for the early kilometres. Stoppped at a beautiful 11-13c church, St Pierre de Bessuéjouls.
Fascinating detail throughout this 'little gem'. Most notable is the 9/11c chapel on an upper floor of the bell tower. Access only by two steep narrow turning stairways - easy to defend! Chapel decorated with numerous early carvings on pillar tops, altar front etc. Includes allegorical/symbolic animals supporting weight and a panel of 'celtic' twisting lines All in red sandstone. Well worth longer study. Incongruous modernisation of adjoining church residence. By contrast a beautifully maintained large manor house nearby - accomodation available for visitors.Path was very steep and narrow, uphill, marked only by encouraging evidence that cows ahd been able to negotiate it either up or down. Great views in all directions and soon, disconcertingly, we were level with the forification that dominates Espalion from on high. Clare in her element at the frequency and variety of wild flowers. It would seem that there are a good 30 varieties of Vetch.
Then across a variety of lovely undulating walks until we reached
a sustained period of unpleasant descent, much of it in a muddy ditch for no real reason during which we passed three middle aged ladies we had seen before. Eventually we were down on the valley floor and passed the Chateau de Beauregard (in course of restoration) and then across open agricultural land. We found a musician in his garden practising his hurdy-gurdy so I stopped to chat and take a picture. His English had been aquired outside France so his accent included both Holland and Germany. He had also played in England and indeed Cork. By then the others had (rightly) left me but it took a surprisingly long time to catch them up. I was delayed not least by the need to check that they had not slipped into any of the available bars.The days walk finished with a pleasant climb up to flat woodland tracks before a gentle decline to the road into Estaing where we duly arrived at our hotel 'Aux Arms d'Estaing'.
Madame blustered in pink but was less than effusive in her welcome and although we managed to order a round of beers on the terrace we were then advised that lunch was finished. It was 1.15. We were also advised that our baggage with clean clothes, courtesy of 'Transbaggage', was not scheduled to arrive until 4.30pm although collection the following day would be at 8am.So perhaps we are at the end of one of their stages and the beginning of another. Our rooms were in the somewhat utilitarian 'annex' across the road. While we waited we had steak/frites in an entirely adequate local bar and took a brief tour of the town. This included the dominant chateau, which could have stood in for Gormenghast. This was at some stage a convent and is in course of restoration. When the French President Giscard upgraded and anointed himself "d'Estaing" he acquired the chateau on condition that the local community renovated it as a quid pro quo for the lustre he was bestowing. Also visiting the building was a family from Send with whom it was established Des and Clare share a window cleaner.Supper was a bit overblown and included paté in puff pastry, confit de canard with six vegetables, three rather uninteresting cheeses and some stodgy fruit tarts. Following our botanizing a supportive nightcap of the local Gentian (Suze) over cards was musty and undrinkable.
