Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Saugues to Chanaleilles

April 3 , 2023

After getting all settled in at the Gîte d’étape Le Par’ici, my sister-in-law and I took another stroll around town to find the church and maybe a little café to enjoy a snack and a glass of wine.

Saugues is a commune located in the Haute-Loire department of Southern France. It is also in this area where the renowned Beast of Gévaudan terrorized the countryside in the 1760’s. There is a museum in Saugues called the Museum of the Beast of Gévaudan devoted to the history surrounding this beast. Legend states that over a hundred people were killed by this wolf-like beast until a local farmer managed to destroy it. I wish that I known about the museum when I was in the town. I might have chosen to stop in. Next time!

We stopped in to see the church and also a small chapel called the Chapelle des Pénitents. It is one of the few remaining chapels of penitents remaining in this region. The Penitent Christian movement dates back to the 4th century. Apparently, these chapels were built by penitents – those who confessed to serious crimes and were offered redemption upon the completion of a penance. Many of the brotherhoods of penitents constructed or repaired churches. The original chapel here was built in 1681 by the Brotherhood of White Penitents. The Chapelle des Pénitents in Saugues was quite ornate! Please excuse the iPhone photos – not sure why they are showing up blurry here but not on my phone!

We eventually found our way to a small café (one of the restaurants that was full when I first arrived in town) and it had cleared out nicely. Le Petit Chez Soi was a sweet little restaurant and bar. So glad we stopped and gave them some business!

Another bit of information I learned about Saugues (once I was back in the states) is that it is known for woodworking. In particular, the craft of making “esclops” or clogs is associated with Saugues. This explains why I noticed clogs while walking in this region. I wondered why people decorated with them. Now I know!

Once we got back to the gîte, I had some time to rest and write in my journal. The accommodation was full for the night so we had a large gathering at the dinner table – several young walkers (one with a small dog) and two middle-aged ladies. Laure also joined us again and would be ending her journey the next day. She had only a limited amount of time to walk and so we would say good-bye to her in the morning.

Our hosts prepared an awesome dinner of squash soup, vegetable lasagna with salad and dessert. It was exceptional!

April 4 , 2023

The next morning, it was kind of chaotic getting ready to leave since there were so many people trying to exit at the same time.

While we were waiting to take our turn in the hallway to don our packs, Laure picked up a guitar that was in the corner of the common room and proceeded to play and sing Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry. It brought tears to my eyes for some very sentimental reasons. I had a nephew who passed away at the young age of 26 due to melanoma cancer. His favorite artist was Bob Marley so anytime I hear a Marley tune I am reminded of him. I shared with her the reason for my reaction to her singing and she was so touched. She also then shared with me her reason for this journey (which I will not divulge) but it was equally touching. What a beautiful person she is!

The young woman with the dog and another young man decided to travel together for a spell. We would see them again further along in the day.

The morning started off very chilly but as the day progressed the sun did warm things up a bit. We had a 15.5 kilometer walk today to get to our next destination. Some photos leaving town…

Most of the walk today is through the countryside – a combination of paved back-country roads and dirt paths. The way passes by some interesting sights too!

The landscape here is harsh with granite outcroppings, stream-filled meadows and groves of Scots Pine trees. One of the main enterprises in this region was the cutting of granite stone for construction of many of the dwellings. This route traversed through farmland with a few scattered small villages. Often, there would be impromptu “pilgrim” messages along the trail.

Just opposite this meadow view, there was an old farm – check out the granite corner stones in the wall of that barn!

On the other side of that barn, there was a stone stairway leading up the hill and the ever-present “Camino” shell at its base.

In a short distance, the small hamlet of La Clauze came into view. The most prominent feature of this town is the ancient tower that still stands as a reminder of the feudal castle that once stood here.

It was here in La Clauze that I ran into the young man and woman who had the dog. I did not write down their names in my journal – so that is the only way to identify them!! They were wandering around the tower when I arrived there. Near the tower there was a small picnic table and I took off my pack and had a snack before moving on.

Eventually I came to a place where a sign indicated I was entering the area known as Chanaleilles.

Soon after passing by this point, the small village of Le Falzet. I saw a sign that indicated a farm where pilgrims could stop and picnic and, if desired, get a beverage or snack. La Ferme aux Fromages is operated by Daniel and Murielle Delcros and it was by far the highlight of the day. They make 5 different types of cheese here and sell to local restaurants and gîtes.

The farmhouse complex was absolutely breathtaking – the buildings and architecture. I had a nice cup of tea and ate my packed lunch at one of the picnic tables. I was joined by a French couple who spoke some English and we had a nice conversation. At another table, there was a large Australian group and the atmosphere was quite festive.

The second floor of the structure in the background is a large open area for gatherings – I’m guessing a great place to have a wedding!?

Leaving the farm, the path passes by the village and through the countryside to the next little village – Le Villeret d’Apchier. It had a small park with some interpretive signs describing the geology and history of the area.

Along the way, you will often find restrooms for the pilgrims. I took a photo of the one below as an example. This was one of the nicer ones. Some are more rustic. Unfortunately, this early in the season some of these were not open yet. But, it is handy that these accommodations exist. In the guides, these are well-marked.

Below are the interpretive signs in the park in Le Villeret d’Apchier.

As I passed through Le Villeret d’Apchier, I turned around to get a view back towards the town. It’s always a good idea to stop and look back the way you came! A different perspective!

The rest of the walk this day was sunny and peaceful with farms and open land.

As I was getting close to our destination for the evening, I stopped to look at my guidebook. Our gîte for this night was not right on the GR65. It appeared we would be taking a slight detour into the town of Chanaleilles. I was hoping for some signs and because I was looking – I saw one that pointed in the direction we needed to go. In the guidebook, there are directions that state “à Contaldès (repère A) prendre à droite sur 400m”. But, it is not obvious where the Contaldès crossroad is! Because my sister-in-law was somewhere behind me on the trail, I was concerned she might miss this turn-off so I improvised with a little sign in the middle of the GR65 in the gravel! 🙂

I made the right hand turn and walked into the town of Chanaleilles. It was a little confusing as to where the accommodation was located and the map pointed to a small café that was closed. As I was wandering around trying to find someone, another pilgrim appeared also looking for the same place – Gîte du Pont. And, much to my surprise – I met the first fellow American on the trail – Thomas from Miami. Together, we found the gîte and connected with our host, Evelyn. We learned that this was the first night her gîte was open for the season and she was expecting more guests than she had planned for due to other places ahead on the trail being full. She was concerned that she did not have enough food to feed everyone. Thomas and I assured her that whatever she had would be appreciated and not to worry – we could manage.

Next time… our evening in the Gîte du Pont! And journey to Saint Alban-sur-Limagnole. Stay tuned… 🙂