Travel in France – Correze to St Hippolyte du Fort

Day 11 of Travel in France was a long day on the road, with heavy rain, travelling from Corrèze to St Hippolyte du Fort – 365 km.

The mist was thick and low as we left Cayre and although it lifted as the road descended, wet weather was never far away. We climbed out of Aurillac on to higher, grassy hills, with the mist still low.

Mist at Cayre

Mist over the hills above Aurillac

The first stop was in Entraygues sur Truyère, a mediaeval town at the confluence of the Truyère and Lot rivers and a stop on a pilgrim route. The sun was shining, and it was good to walk after two hours in the car as the old town on the river had lots of interesting sights.

Aerial view of Entraygues (Tourist Office)

Mediaeval streets

The Mediaeval house used by Margaret of Anjou

The door with two knockers, for the horseman and the pedestrian

The castle in Entraygues was built in 1278-90 by Henri II, Count of Rodez, and stands on the banks of the rivers, at the head of the town, overlooking the wharf for loading boats, the gabarres. The boats traded goods such as wood and wine downriver and were themselves broken up and sold for their wood.

The castle in Entraygues

Entraygues

Gabarre used for trading on the rivers

Wharf at Entraygues

The Lot and the Truyeres at Entraygues

The morning coffee café now filling with people sitting down to lunch, at 12.00pm!

A square in Entraygues

We drove through the Lot Gorges, which I found rather disappointing, to find Estaing, one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, and it was beautiful. It was also an important stage on a pilgrim route.

The Lot river at Estaing

The 16C bridge at Estaing

The castle at Estaing

Lunching alongside the Lot river, Estaing

We set off towards a darkening sky, and soon had to stop. A little later, near Severac le Chateau, we were forced to stop again. The rain was simply too heavy to allow safe driving.