After our host took the obligatory photo of us by the Eiffel bridge, we set off through the town
and steeply up to the Chapel of Madeleine, built into the cliff high above the river.
Once we had climbed out of the river gorge, we had some rolling countryside to cross to our destination
for the night, La Clauze, itself fairly isolated, but well worth it!
We were heading into the area of the (in)famous beast of Gevaudan, and soon the signs started to appear,
warning tourists of impending souvenir shops.
This was also the day where we first met some other
features of the area that kept cropping up - an open stall for shoeing bullocks, and a local delicacy
made of mashed potatoes and melted cheese, which each host in the following days insisted we should try.
Again. And again. (Although this wasn't the real Aligot, this was a simplified version)
We also met sheepdogs disguised as sheep, trained to warn off pilgrims, and a
selection of interesting statues.
Saugues, a former 12th century stronghold, was also well worth a visit, being the
traditional meeting point for pilgrims coming from Auvergne. As with many places in the area,
it had a "Tour des Anglais", a square keep dating back to the Hundred Years War, as a defence
against hordes of pillaging 13th century English tourists.