Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Les Quatre Chemins to Aubrac

April 7 and 8, 2023

Our accommodations for the night of the 7th were at the Gîte aux Quatre Vents in the small hamlet of Les Quatre Chemins – which literally translates to The Four Paths. The gîte was located at a rural crossroads with not much else around. There was a café next door to the gîte but it was not open. I arrived at the accommodation around 3:30 pm and was able to check-in along with some other guests who were arriving about the same time. The cost for a room and two meals was 38 euros per person – another fantastic deal!

I captured some photos of the room we had reserved for the night. It is a more typical example of the average accommodations we enjoyed during the 6-week walk. My sister-in-law, Susan, and I had a room to ourselves with 2 twin beds and, as was normal throughout the trip, all gear except essentials were left in a common “mudroom”.

We enjoyed an outstanding meal with several other pilgrims – one from Germany, one from the Netherlands and one from France. They spoke a little English so conversation was a little easier at the dinner table that night! Our meal was superb and included potato soup complemented with a chicken and rice dish. A extra bonus was the availability of a washing machine! No hand washing that night!

Unfortunately, due to the fact that it was Easter holiday weekend, we could not secure accommodations in the next town where we would have liked to stop – Nasbinals. The next available option was in the small town of Aubrac. Since Aubrac was too far to walk from Les Quatre Chemins at this point along the Way, we opted to call a taxi and have them deposit us part way so that our walk would be a manageable 15km.

Planning Tip: It is very difficult to swing getting a ride through La Malle Postale at the last minute. They prefer notice for rides similar to baggage delivery and, while we did get confirmation that we would be picked up at a certain time in the morning, our ride never showed up. There are other taxi services that can accommodate last minute needs – keep those options handy!

It was a very chilly morning and we were waiting outside the gîte because our hosts were busy preparing for the next guests. I must say that I was getting a tad antsy. It was such a beautiful, blue sky day – I just wanted to get walking and almost considered just heading off and committing to a long day. As we were considering our options after it was apparent La Malle Postale was not coming, a car pulled up across the road into a small parking area and a couple exited from the vehicle – obviously dressed for hiking. They spoke a little English and sensed our concern. We explained what had happened and where we wanted to be dropped off and they very kindly offered to drive us there!

It was an unexpected act of kindness that often happens along the Way. The driving distance was not far but it was so generous of them to postpone their own hike to accommodate us! This is where Susan’s ability to connect with people comes in very handy. She has this uncanny quality that attracts people to her and it was her outreach to this couple that secured our ride! 🙂

We shaved off about 9km of walking distance by choosing to start our walk that day at the small village of Rieutort d’Aubrac – which meant we had a more manageable 15km to Aubrac. It was a good decision because the walk that day traversed along much more rustic pathways and uneven terrain. It would have been a challenging 24km walk otherwise.

Rieutort d’Aubrac is a tiny village but it had a nice picnic area and restrooms for pilgrims. We got dropped off here and took some time to get ourselves ready to walk.

After organizing our gear, I was totally ready to start out walking and was extremely excited to be embarking on this unique journey through the infamous region known as the Aubrac. The walk today turned out to be one of my favorite days during the whole trip. I love austere, barren landscapes and, with the promise of good weather, I knew this would be an incredibly beautiful hike through the countryside. Shortly after leaving Rieutort d’Aubrac, the view became monumental with visibility stretching for miles.

Today’s landscape atop this high Aubrac plateau was breathtakingly beautiful for his starkness and simplicity. Criss-crossed with ancient stone walls, the open pastures dotted with clumps of hardy evergreen trees stirred in me a feeling of immense serenity. Pictures are worth a thousand words!

The GR65 crosses over the Pont de Marchastel that spans Le Bès. I read that there is a rare geological phenomenon that occurs along the banks of this river that causes peat bogs to form – interesting. I also read that villages relied on the current of this river to power mills back in the day. The bridge dates back to the 16th century. Up until this point, the walk has been mostly on a very secondary paved road.

After crossing the bridge, the GR65 takes a right and heads onto a narrow dirt and gravel road that traverses the fields.

The next town before arriving in Nasbinals is a small village called Montgros. There is a gîte in this town called La Maison de Rosalie. Like many other accommodations, this one does not open for the season until mid-April. Pretty building, though!

After leaving Montgros, it was a short 2.5km stretch before reaching the next major town – Nasbinals. I was hoping to arrive there in time to pop in to an épicerie for before they closed for the normal afternoon siesta!

The town of Nasbinals is centered around the Romanesque Église Sainte-Marie. There is a statue of Saint Roch here and a unique octagonal bell tower. There was a funeral about to take place inside the church when I arrived so I peeked in side only momentarily.

Across the street from the church is the Astro Marché Nasbinals, a small grocery store where I grabbed some lunch items – a personal size quiche, an orange and some chips – just before they closed for the early afternoon hours. There was a small park adjacent to the store in front of the municipal offices. I sat there in the sun and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. The girls who had stayed the night with us at Les Quatre Chemins showed up and joined me! They ate fast and were on their way as they were covering way more miles that I was that day! I was also happy to see an ATM here and took advantage of that to get some extra cash.

Planning Tip: ATM’s are available in almost every decent-sized town. It’s preferable to pay in cash at most of the accommodations unless you are staying in a hotel as opposed to a gîte. So, you can carry as little as a few days to a week’s worth of cash.

Any lengthy rest stop meant taking of the boots and socks to let them dry and to air out my feet!

Susan caught up to me here as I was finishing my lunch. The grocery store had closed so she opted to eat lunch at the Hôtel de la Route d’ Argent just up the road. It was super crowded as it appeared that it was the only place open. I sat and enjoyed a quick cup of tea with her before heading out on the final long push to the town of Aubrac.

The walking distance from Nasbinals to Aubrac along the GR65 is 8.8km. Most of this section of the Way is on a more traditional-looking hiking trail. It’s a hilly ascent over a pastoral landscape with sweeping views until just before a short descent into Aubrac.

After passing though the forested area, I came to an intersection that marks the beginning of the village of Aubrac, although I am still a 6km walk from the actual town. There was a hiker up ahead of me at this juncture where the Pont de Pascalet crosses the Chamboulies river. It would be the last person I saw until I reached Aubrac.

At this point, I left behind the gravel roads and entered a less obvious trail that followed stone walls and hedgerows through pastures and the parc naturel. As I ascended the trail along the stone wall below, I was followed for quite some distance by a shy little weasel. He was too fast for me to get a picture but he sure was entertaining!

The trail passed over agricultural land that was still in use and it was necessary to be mindful of opening and closing gates along the trail.

I read that the name of the compound of old buildings in the following photograph is the Buron de Ginestouse Bas. I learned that a buron is a traditional Auvergne shepard’s hut found in this region.

After awhile, I started to feel a slight irritation on the little toe of my left foot. It was time for a break anyway so I stopped and removed my boots and socks to take a peek. I was dismayed to see the beginnings of my first blister!! Up until now, I had been wearing one pair of mid-weight wool socks on my feet and they seemed to be working out just fine. I sat and contemplated my options for minimizing the impact of the blister and keep it from getting worse. I read that creating a moisture barrier around the blister would prevent further damage and I proceeded to apply Vaseline to the blister accompanied by a simple band-aid secured with adhesive tape. I also changed up my sock system and pulled out of my pack a thin pair of liner socks and my lightweight wool socks.

Planning Tip: Preventing blisters is the single most important task along the Way! Find a sock system that works for you and stick with it! I removed my boots and socks each time I stopped for a rest and allowed everything to dry out. I also decided that the liner socks with a lightweight pair of wool socks worked well for me and I was blister-free for the rest of the walk.

Back on my way after attending to my blister, I came across these sweet little crocus plants sprouting up close to the trail!

The rest of the walk down into the town of Aubrac was much of the same landscape. There was a high point followed by a steep descent that led to the road into town.

The small shack below sat near the high point before the descent into Aubrac. I’m guessing it was a rustic shelter for pilgrims in the event of inclement weather? It was boarded up so I could not see what was inside.

It was a beautiful walk through this pristine, austere landscape but I was happy to see the road to Aubrac when I completed my descent off the high plateau.

Next time – our luxurious stay at the Chambre d’hôtes La Colonie and relaxing morning exploring Aubrac.