The Great Descent

There was nervous talk of rain at dinner last night, but this morning the sky was fair with only a little mist lying in the valleys. It was cold, and the road quiet, but beautiful when the sun shone. I stopped at Aumont-Aubrac for morning prayer, provisions and called in at the Tourist Office because I'd forgotten to get my passport stamped at St Alban's. The greatest excitement of the morning was being urged on by a farmer to cycle with his cattle along the lane. I was managing quite well to get past them, but one cow kept taking fright and alarming the others into a run. I could blood on the road, and Pamplona style chaos. The alarmist cow had raised its tail to vertical like a flagpole in an act of unwarranted aggression, so I kept my distance. Eventually we came to the farmer who was waiting to turn the cattle into a field and all was well.

The wind got up about 9:30 and there was clearly weather about, but, dark clouds cleared and it has been bright. As I cycled towards Nasbinals (my designated lunch stop) I had, for the first time the impression of the Massif Central as a plateau. It is vast and high, with colours I associate with the Northumberland coast: long pale grasses, weathered fence posts and lichen covered rocks. The south westerly wind is brutal when the road turns south but wonderful when it heads west. For some miles I sailed along with the wind at my back, in a beautiful landscape with huge vista. I'm at 1250m. "Made it, Ma! I'm on top of the world!" as Jimmy Cagney once said.

If the previous miles had strained my legs, this descent strained my fingers that pulled had on the brakes, and my shoulders where I felt the tension of the gradient and the wind.

Finally I arrive at St Come which has a twisted spire like Chichester(?). It's interesting how the architecture changes. Around Le Puy and across most of the MC most of the churches have tiered belfry, showing you the bells and ringing them lustily. Here, on the western side of the MC the buildings generally have more turrets and the churches, spires.

Two good steers from JH. 1) he recommends the church of St Pierre, Bessuejouls as "one of the most beautiful churches on the whole pilgrimage". It took a little time but it is lovely and has amazing 9th c carved friezes that I imagine Rosemary Cramp enjoying. 2) the hospitality St Jacques, which is run by Leonard and Elisabeth and a lay community which is wonderfully welcoming and is donation only. I went to the village church to find mass being celebrated and sung by a priest with aspirant priestly vocations for the diocese of Versailles. It was beautiful singing and really very moving. And now for dinner.

JH warned of a long, exposed climb to Aubrac. In fact it wasn't too bad. I passed a milestone which gave the altitude as 1340m. And then, long before I expected it, I passed a ski station and swept down towards Aubrac village, looking like another volcanic outcrop, virtually windowless, and austere.

JH's ride profile suggests at this point that one cycles off a cliff losing 1000m of height and descending into the Lot valley. Time to change into a dry shirt, warm jacket and weatherproof gloves!