Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole to Aumont-Aubrac

April 5 and 6, 2023

After arriving at Le Gîte d’étape Le Refuge du Pèlerin, my host explained her system for checking in guests. She had a “mud room” entrance where we were to leave our backpacks, shoes and hiking poles. It was all very organized and neat! She also had a small backyard where she had a clothesline so that we could handwash our socks, underwear, etc and hang them out to dry.

I followed my usual routine once I settled into the room that Susan and I would share. Since it was 3:00pm, I decided to do my wash first and get it out on the line drying. Next, I showered and changed clothes while I charged up my phone and camera. With time to spare before dinner, I headed out to explore the town!

A little history...

There is a town located in the northwest corner of my home state of Vermont named St. Albans. I was curious if there was a connection between the two towns. I learned that Saint Alban was the first British Christian martyr to be recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. He would have been on of the few Christians living in what is now England during the 1st century. Originally, he was a pagan who served in the Roman Army. He lived outside of London and legend has it that he protected a priest by harboring him in his home. He became enamored with the priest’s religious leanings while taking care of him and converted to Christianity. When officers of the Roman Army came to arrest the priest, St. Alban pretended to be the priest in order to save the priest from execution. His executioners realized he was impersonating the priest and, because he refused to renounce his new faith, they killed him anyway. Along with Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole and St. Albans in Vermont, there are numerous other towns worldwide that share the name – including St. Albans in England.

The Francois Tosquelles Hospital Center is also located in Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole. It has been in existence since the 1800’s as a psychiatric facility. During the second World War, Dr. Francois Tosquelles arrived and introduced the idea of institutional psychotherapy. Also, during the war, the hospital served as a refuge for those fleeing the persecution of Hitler and the German army who occupied the town. It was a key link in the underground resistance movement.

The Eglise de Saint-Alban, named after the saint, is a prominent architectural feature in the center of the town. It is built from local red sandstone and has a unique 3-bell tower.

After visiting the church and wandering around the cemetery, I popped into a local tavern for a relaxing glass of wine and scoped out the neighborhood pâtisserie. I would make that my morning stop for purchasing tomorrow’s lunch!

Back at our lodging, we were treated to a delectable dinner consisting of a 4-course meal. Starting off the food adventure, we enjoyed a squash soup. That was followed by Chicken Curry with rice and zucchini. Often in France, after the main course, a cheese plate is offered – which was the case here as well. It took me awhile to get used to eating so much after the main meal. Dessert was a light custard tart. All of this, plus breakfast and sleeping quarters for a mere 38 euros each! What a deal!

The next morning, we filled up on the typical French breakfast – bread and jam, cheese, coffee and croissants. A hearty meal for walking energy! Before departing, we captured a group shot of Susan and I with our lodging companions – Thomas (from Florida) and Peter (from Switzerland). As you can see, the weather is still a tad chilly in the mornings!

While the day started off cool, it eventually warmed up and I shed layers rather quickly. Today’s walk to Aumont-Aubrac would be 15 kilometers with a bit of elevation change in the middle part of the walk – quite a lot of ups and downs!

Between Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole and the tiny village of Chabanes-Planes, the landscape opened up and the countryside was beautiful.

After about 5 kilometers, I entered the small hamlet of Chabannes. There was not much here except a few houses and farm buildings – a quiet little town.

The town of Chabannes sits up high on a hill and from the road I could see some white-capped mountains in the distance – not sure what these mountains are called. I think we are still too far away to see the Pyrenees. We are in an area called where the Massif Central range travels – so perhaps some peaks in that region??

After passing through Chabannes, the land opened up with some expansive views.

Most of the “wildlife” I’ve seen along the Way to date has been of the agricultural farm animal variety. But, today, I did see a beautiful, sleek red fox cross the trail up ahead of me. He was too fast to even attempt a photo but the picture below is the field he crossed.

Another 3 kilometers of walking brought me to the village of Les Estrets. Our guidebooks describe Les Estrets as a former Templar command post – specifically the Order of St. John. The Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Fontans is situated on the route into town.

I ate my lunch in Les Estrets at a picnic spot in town. It was a yummy personal size quiche from the pâtisserie in Saint-Alban!!

Upon leaving Les Estrets, the path crosses over the La Truyère – a river that that has its origin in the Margueride area of South-Central France. Along the way, it apparently carves out some pretty amazing gorges.

Between Les Estrets and my destination of Aumon-Aubrac, there is mostly open country with a very tiny settlement called Bigose along the way. The main attraction here is a very fancy looking gîte called the Auberge Les Granges de Bigose. It was not open for the season yet but it appeared to be a nice quiet location for an overnight stay. It was here that I made a very brief wrong turn. I was admiring the architecture of the buildings and missed that GR65 that veered off to the right! 🙂 I realized my mistake immediately!

Because I was also trying to stay tuned to how my feet were holding up, I noticed some minor rubbing on the back of my leg where the top of my boot hits my leg. Something to keep any eye on but right now it is not causing a problem.

On the side wall of the auberge, I noticed these windows. Love the detail!

After leaving Bigose, it was a 6+ kilometer walk to my destination of Aumont-Aubrac along mostly country dirt roads.

It was a glorious day – sun-kissed warmth permeated my being along the Way – and I arrived in Aumont-Aubrac around 2:30pm. Lots to tell in my next post about our stay in this gateway town that will lead us into the elusive, isolated Aubrac region of France. Stay tuned!!