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Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
13/7/2005 at 10:45am
Location: Zoetermeer Holland
Outfit: Chateau 430 Nice
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La Bourboule and Le Mont Dore, both situated across the pass are nice towns, actually thermal towns. La Bourboule still seems to be in the 19th century, very active, nice boulevard with many restaurants.
Restaurants are cheap in this region. The take account of children. If you order a dish for adults only, they often automatically will provide cuttlery for the kids as they assume the kids will have a bite from your dish.
The specific Local dishes are simple, as the region orginally is a poor region with a very long harsh winter.
The they have excellent beef, which was their main product. Many fruit products, excellent dried hams (Jambon d'Auvergne). Nice cheese (St Nectaire, whitish coat, nice soft taste, the farmers version more rich in taste of course, Cantal cheese is very fine too, especially the Salers (very old, farmers made Cantal). The younger cheese is softer, 'entre deux' (medium) often is very nice, but especially the old Salers cheese is very tasty.
St. Pourcain is the wine area (plus chese to) just south of teh Sancy area, arouns Clermont Ferrand. They produce light fruity wines, a bit like the Beaujolais.
Besse en Chandesse is a nice medieval town, just south of the Sancy.
You can take the Telephérique nearly to the top of the Sancy. See all the wind directions: the Alps and the Mint Blanc in the east, the Rhone valley, The Cantal in the South, The Corrèze and Dordogne in the West and the Chaine des Domes in the North.
Lac Pavin, south of you, positioned between Sancy and Cantal is a nice traditionally round volcanic lake (Crater), where you can rent 'pedalos/boats' and have a nice walk around. Easy if you wish, or the higher variant, if you want to walk a bit more, carrying the kids in a seat on your back.
Wild strawberries on many places, and "the" area for bilberries ('Myrtilles').
Drive direction of Besse, than turn right direction of Vallée du Chaudefour, where you could make a short or very long walk, or could go to the Source St. Anne, a volcanic water spring, kind of chimney in the river, yielding springwater with gaz. Nice restaurant (Buron du Chaudefour), but busy these days (I know it from the old days), drive on towards Le Mont Dore over the high pass. Very scenic route. On top park your car and descend by a small path to the waterfall (20 to 30 mtrs) overthere and let the kids play in the water.
If you walk under the rock wall on the left (standing facing the waterfall), you will find water flowing out of it under the 'overhang'. This is very pure drinkable water, very fresh taste, though very cold. Actually used as source in the old days by shepperds etc.
This waterfall is in the (tiny little) river Dore, which flows further down to le Mont Dore, there it joins another one, the Dogne and at this joining the both become: the Dordogne.
Le grottes de Jonas further to the east of your site. Those are caves from prehistoric ages, but still used during medieval periods, than adapted to a castle/defended positions against the rock wall.
The castle of Murol is very old (still basically round shaped). Once a week to be visited the simple way, but the other days 'animated', with shows/demonstrations. Mind you, it's all in French.
In St. Nectaire there is an old beautiful very distinctive church, of the very typical local romanesque style.
In the same village you could visit the caves with the petrification processes. The one most towards your campsite is the oldest and was used as bath house by the Romans already.
There is St nectair le haut and St Nectaire le Bas, the latter being the nearest to you. In le Haut there is a fountain in the centre, positioned in kind of a glass house. These are three public volcanic sources used for curing purposes. Terrible taste by the way, but funny if you pass there by chance, e.g. towards les grottes de Jonas.
Direction Le Moint Dore/La Bourboule over the main road and turn right on top you will find 'Les Rochers Tuilère and Sanadoire`. Those are two remaining cores of volcans. The magma solidified in the very distinctive cristal shapes, like 'the devils' staircase in the North of Ireland.
Exceptionally rich Flora.
Keep the hand of the kids away from the bottom of the many stone walls alongside the old paths.
Snakes tend to choose the bottom of stone walls, rock piles etc to look for a cool place when it is hot. After a few days of rain, the will do the opposite and lay down on top in the sun to warm up. Sometimes to in the middel of the grass fields, in the sun. I usually purposefull walk a bit heavier/more noisy at first sun after rain. Snakes are very sensitive and feel you coming, than will disappear. Once they are warm they are fast and you won't see them as they will vanish quickly. You can surpise them when warming up and that's where the risk is. Normally snakes are not dangerous at all, they avoid people. I even playee with one of them, letting it crawl over a stick (I wanted it out of my way and brought him a bit further down), it just kept going it's own way, even over that stick, I wasn't interesting at all!
Lac Chambon is nice for swimming. They do have boat rent overthere.
The Foundation Chamina issued books (in the bookshops) with beautiful walking routes, very well marked. One of them just passes your campsite.
Buy the booklet if you want to and choose the blue ones with the kids. Those are 1 or 2 hours at maximum, normally 1 to 1 1/2.
Differences in height and duration of the walk are well indicated in the book, very realistic. Athough with the kids I used to multiply the duration by 1 1/2, as with kids one walks slower. After all they have to look at little insects, butterflies, pick wild strawberries, bilberries, play in the little waterstreams crossing your path etc.
The area is mainly a beautiful nature area, not an area with huge numbers of childrens facilities like at the coast. Still there is plenty to do if you have an active attitude. My son (now 20), mainly wants to see mountains during holidays: he learnt that overthere.
You will be bored or hooked, there is no way in between.
Post last edited on 13/07/2005 11:01:04
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WL
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