France: Massif Central

I went to the Massif Central in 2024 and walked part of the ancient ‘Camino de Saint Iago’ from Saint Flour to Clermont-Ferrand.

The Region

The Massif Central is a highland in the Auvergne in south-central France, and the region has historically been a barrier. It was formed by ancient volcanic activity over many ages and was raised by the Alpine and Pyrenean uplifts. The rock is granite and metamorphic, and the region contains hundreds of extinct volcanoes or Puys.

I was unfamiliar with the region and had never considered visiting it until recently, perhaps because it wasn’t high or spiky enough in my youth, or because it was too agricultural. But the more I read about it, the more interesting it seemed. It is a great cheese-producing area where they still practice transhumance, taking the cattle up to the high pastures in late spring.

The Trip

I started in Saint Flour and went north following the GR4, one of the ancient pilgrimage trails from northern France to Santiago de Compostela. Unlike some of my previous multi-day trips, I stayed in relative luxury in gîtes and hotels. I was also much less purist, accepting lifts from various hosts and hitchhiking a couple of times when I was tired, or the next bit looked tedious.

Reflections

I met a lot of interesting people who introduced me to the country ways of the region, which in some ways is similar to the Peak District, although bigger and less popular with day trippers. The interest for me was in the long ridges linking chains of Puys, or volcanic hills. But this is not an area for those wanting the high adventure of the Alps or Pyrenees. The walking is relatively moderate, and there are no steep ascents or scrambling. Nevertheless, it’s always rewarding to visit a new place.

Published 19 Nov 2024, 64 pages, ISBN 9781912460687.