Stage 7: Chasserades to Le Bleymard, France
The usual breakfast of bread, coffee and juice and we set off very early out of the very charming Chasserades trying to beat some of the heat. Downhill through the center of town with lots of dogs barking at us and up a gravel track. We followed the GR 70 waymarks alongside railroad tracks with the Mirandol viaduct and special tunnels that protect the rail line from snow in winter. This railway line was being surveyed when Stevenson visited the area.
Under the huge viaduct through the hamlet of Mirandol with a young boy fishing in the river to L'Estampe. ...View image... The path started climbing gently but became steeper as we ascended the Goulet massif and climbed up to the pass at 1413m/4,635'. Forests, woods, memorial stone to a forester, across roads and more directions, "...ignore minor tracks to left and right. At a major track Y-junction take the right-hand fork heading downhill..."
We were now in the Mont Lozere area, bordered to the north by the valleys of Lot and Allier and on the south the Tarn and Luech and in the Parc National de Cevennes. I spied a forest track that led for miles through a cool, wooded area and we diverted onto that all the way to Les Alpiers, a hamlet before Le Bleymard. We saw no one on the trails today and the areas are very isolated. It will become even less populated the further we go into the Cevennes.
One last long downhill with no shade and there was Le Bleymard (pop: 448) with an actual grocery store. Le Bleymard is a small ski resort with extensive cross-country skiing. Our very nice Hotel La Remise was supposed to have WI-FI but it wasn't working. Instead, a walk over to the grocery store where they did have Internet capability. TIP: It's common for grocery stores to have Internet access in small towns. Go in and ask.
Coming into town, a group of off the road vehicles (ATV's) came zipping down the same steep trails as we had trod, stopped for lunch at Hotel La Remise and stripped off their very heavy protective gear.
Transbaggage...where are you? This was a relatively short day for us...ONLY four hours...and we were looking forward to taking off the stinky boots and getting cleaned up. They picked up the suitcases at 7:30 am this morning and still weren't here when we arrived by noon. It wasn't until around 4:00 pm before they arrived. There is nothing to do in these small towns and out of desperation, I started walking through town and then realized this was the way out tomorrow. How silly to walk now especially when there is nothing to see.
Dinner, bed and tomorrow...
