Ferme des Gentianes
to Aubrac

We set off from the guest house on the crossroads under blue skies along country roads, which soon led to a track over the moors, passing a group of giant boulders on a rise, where the wind whistled like wolves howling. There we listened to a story about how school children had to be careful not to get lost in the fog, thoughtfully provided by the local tourist board by means of a QR code! From there we continued downward over the moor, past horned cattle, and deserted villages, decorated with posters from a photography competition. We also went past the ubiquitous frame for shoeing bullocks, and a closed restaurant that had been promising that it was open for coffee and cakes for some kilometres. And so to the amazing church of Nasbinals, where there was also a shop with many nooks and crannies offering food, clothing, walking equipment, games: you name it they had it! We also found an open café, where we were joined by a couple we had met several times previously. From there, the weather started to close down, and as the countryside got more desolate, so the weather worsened. We met up with a girl walker on a bridge, and as we took photos, we managed to knock one of her sticks into the river below, which required some acrobatics to return it. As we finally reached the open moor, the rain started to get heavier, and we donned our wet weather gear, much to the surprise of the local cows. After what seemed like ages trudging through the rain and fog, we saw the Domerie and Tour des Anglais of Aubrac looming through the mists. We had reserved beds in the medieval tower, used in those times for protection from the marauding English! Unfortunately, the hotel where we had hoped for an evening meal had had a problem with rebuilding work, and couldn't feed us, so we improvised a tasty meal in the tower kitchen.