Gorges du Tarn in the Central Massif

Last Friday we rented a car so that we could wander a little further afield and get a better sense of our surroundings.  On Sunday we drove up into the Central Massif in order to go along the Gorges du Tarn. 

About an hour from our home base in Marseillan we arrived at Clermont-l'Herault where the road climbs steeply up one of the hills that forms the south side of the Massif.  (My post excursion google let me know that the Massif is a bunch of mountain ranges that cover 15% of the country and are largely comprised of extinct volcanos).  After reaching the peak and driving along the plateau, we descended into a valley in which sat the city of Millau.  After pausing to check out the view, we drove down the switch backs and started along the Tarn river.


Looking down on the town of Millau

In many spots, the road goes along the Tarn down near the water, and you get views of clusters of stone houses that comprise the villages along the river.  In other spots, however, the road follows the river way up high and you get views down into the gorge.  My fear of heights combined with the minimalist nature of French roads made this a scary adventure, but well worth it on account of the views. 



One of many lovely towns along the Gorge

 

That said, at the town of La Malene, I'd had enough, Georgia was sleeping away her car sickness, and Emily was bored in the way only Emily can be, so we headed back into the massif to find our way home. 



A town where buildings seem to grow out of the rock

This part of the drive was remarkable for the number of changes in scenery and I'm sorry I don't have photos of each distinct region.  On some of the very high plateaus the land is pretty dry and just dotted with scrubby trees.  Then there were sections that looked like any pine forest at home, and other sections were comprised of rolling fields. 




It was all very beautiful until we came to the world's tallest bridge (check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millau_Viaduct) which was an experience I'd rather not talk about.   

Sadly, on a Sunday in February very little was going in the villages we drove through.  The one exception was the market in Bessan which we stumbled upon due to a missed turn off.  This town is only 15 km from Marseillan and the road, though narrow, doesn't seem to be used much so I hope to be able to check it out by bicycle.