Channel 2 Med Vajrin 2016: Day 8 – Saint Flour to Mende

We cycled out of the Auvergne into the Languedoc Roussillon region.

The Gabarit Viaduct was constructed by Gustave Eiffel (of Blackpool Tower fame) to allow trains to pass over the Truyere Gorges in 1885. At the time it was the highest bridge in the world. Because of constructional issues it was closed then reopened with a speed limit of 6 mph.

A long slow climb initially on a few busy roads exiting St. Flour ...

...and then an almost traffic free utterly gorgeous ridge route with excellent views, strange rocky outcrops, sumptuous trees, gorse and dairy cows.

Muscular red cow

This area is described as “garrigue” –

Wiki description of garrigue, ‘low, soft-leaved scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.

This undulating, up and down terrain allowed you to be completely alone if you separated from a fellow cyclist for a minute or so - well almost all alone.

A bit of history concerning the area – “Languedoc" covered a large part of southern France and is a major wine-growing area.

The long and winding road.

Roussillon is a much smaller area, roughly the area covered by the Eastern Pyrenees. In the past, it was the northern part of Catalonia and people here still speak Catalan as well as French. As well as wine-growing it’s also known for its fruit and veg.

St Chely d’Apcher - really tasteful use of cobbling and hand cut roof tiles everywhere.

St Chely d’Apcher from bridge.

We also We cycled through Aumont-Aumac where there is a statue of the Beast of Gevaudan (sorry – no photo, but see link Beast of Gévaudan).

Sumptuous lunch spot overlooking an oxbowing stream

Salad foods to die for...

A fantastic edible work of art

My veggie selection

Beautiful stone churches in every village.

These wind turbines heralded the summit of our final ascent (3 significant climbs despite a short day).

We travelled through the Lozère...

...with its dramatic deep valleys, bubbling streams, steep cliffs, plunging gorges...

...and the Cevennes mountains, the south eastern peaks of the Massif Central.

For food of the region: cassoulet, wild boar, Confit de Canard, olives which are often turned into tapenade, truffles, lavender honey and local goats cheese. Asparagus and wild mushrooms are grown in the forests of the Cévennes mountains.

For wines: Corbières, Cotes du Roussillon, Fitou, Cotes du Roussillon-Villages, Minervois and Rivesaltes, a sweet white wine drunk as an aperitif.

We finished our day with a spectacular descent in Mende, a small city in the rural and mountainous Lozere. It’s next to the Cevennes National Forest and close to one of the longest river canyons in France, the Gorges du Tarn.

It’s one of the stage finishes of the Tour de France. It has a spectacular cathedral built for Pope Urbain V who was born nearby. One of its bells was the largest in the world until it was melted down for cannons in 16^th century.