Where to go in the Massif Central

Leg 3 – Sancerre, Volvic and Puy de Dôme

Leaving the Loire valley after Chambord Castle, we headed towards a town called Sancerre, a beautiful little place perched on top of a mountain and home to some pretty nice, and very expensive wines.

It is situated in the department of Cher, like the name of the river on which Chenonceau castle sits. We specifically chose this route because we had planned to visit an acquaintance who has moved to Charitê-Sur-Loire, a medieval town on the Loire river. 

What does “sur” mean in French.

Anytime you see the word “sur” in a name, it means “on”, so this town is on the Loire river. Ta da!

Anyway, the plan was to see a friend, maybe spend a night and cook a meal together etc. However, it was not to be because said friend was under the weather and not up for a visit. Suffice it to say I was pretty disappointed.

How do you handle disappointment when travelling in a van?

It happens all the time. You want to see someone and they cancel at the last minute. The place you absolutely had to see is closed the day you arrive. The store you wanted to visit closed down. The restaurant you just had to eat at is full. Your van breaks down. You don’t have time. It’s raining. You feel sick. It reminds me of My Cousin Vinny when the lawyer shows up in a band outfit to court because everything was closed.

Stuff happens and sure, it sucks when plans don’t work out, but that’s life. There will also always be things you want to do that your travelling companion doesn’t want to do and vice versa. I often have to force myself to say “yes” to things because my natural tendency is to be physically lazy. I usually end up having a good time and feeling great about getting some exercise.

Next time you fall into a pattern of complaining try the following:

1. Say yes. Sometimes you will feel surprised at what you discover. Sometimes saying yes also means saying yes to yourself, to your needs for rest and just some precious solitude.
2. Don’t complain about what you didn’t do and focus on where you are. It’s ok to feel disappointment, but if you focus only on that, you will never enjoy where you are.
3. In the same light, make a list of the things you didn’t do and tuck it away to help plan for your next trip.
4. Think about how your moods affect the people around you and learn to deal with your moods in healthier ways. Do you behave the same way when other people are around? If not, then at some level you choose to rein it in when others are looking.

And finally, most of the time you forget what you missed along the way anyway.

Where to visit if you’re in the Sancerre region

Test out some wines in Sancerre, visit Charitê-sur-Loire and definitely go to a town called Les Moulins. I wanted to stop because of the amazing medieval architecture and quaint feel of it but we’d decided to press on and head down into the department of Auvergne to visit a famous “source,” which is a natural spring from which a famous bottled water comes from.

What is there to see in Volvic?

My husband always laughs at the fact that when he came to Vancouver for the first time, he saw French bottled water in the stores. He holds up a bottle of Volvic and with a shake of his head declared “ That’s crazy! Don’t you have water in Canada? Why do you need to import water from France?” And yes, Volvic is the iconic water you see in squared-off bottles with a green label.

We arrived late in the afternoon and found a parking spot right outside of a paid campground and could even use the campgrounds toilets and showers for free. Yay! We settled in and then set off for a little walk up the hill to see what all the fuss was about.

What to do in Volvic

We trudged straight up the hill to the very top, saw a fountain, looked through the window of the pumping station (hint: there’s water in it) and then wandered around the grounds.

There are big trees there too and apparently there are some kick-ass hiking trails to explore. You can visit some type of grotto too but it was closed. We then walked back down and around the town. The art gallery was closed.

The creepy black church was also closed. In fact, all the buildings are black because this is volcano country and the local stone is black. While I know that black can be rather chic when paired with a snazzy colourful accessory, apparently the town didn’t feel the need for any colour.

It had an austere feeling like the whole town was peeking out through shuttered windows hoping you’d just go away already. Maybe it was the season or just the time of day or my mood. In any case, it was getting dark and the sky looked like it was about to crack open above our heads at any moment. We hustled back to the van just as the rain started and tucked up cozy and warm for the night with a warm plate of pasta.

Where to go in Clermont Ferrand

The next morning, I set up my computer and prepped for an online class. I teach two sisters, one after another and they’re smart, attentive and a total pleasure to teach. It was pouring rain, too, and fortunately I had a good internet connection with my phone’s hotspot. 

After teaching, we drove to Clermont Ferrand and wandered around looking at more black architecture. The cathedral is immense and the black volcanic walls would make anyone pray for forgiveness. Still, it’s an interesting town with some cool shops and lots of amazing art deco and art nouveau architecture. 

I also got us lost using my stupid telephone and that wasn’t the best end to the day. We finally headed back to the same place in Volvic and collapsed into bed after the ridiculously long route back to where our van was parked. My fault.

Oh, and if industrial museums are your gig, there is a Michelin tire museum that’s supposed to be rather interesting. I’m sure there is other stuff to do in this town but frankly, we were there for a quick look around and that’s it.

Puy de Dôme

The following morning we packed up and headed to the volcano. The region has a chain of extinct volcanos and they’re gorgeous. The soil is rich and fertile and we had the great idea of hiking up to the top of the mountain.

We parked in a big lot next to a cool little train that pulls up the mountain on what looks like a big bicycle chain. We thought we’d hike instead, but had to walk the 2.8km from the parking lot to the start of the steep switchback trail called the “ mule trail.” You can see the trail in the photo on the right. If you want to do that trail, then I’d suggest parking at the bottom of the trail head.

The difficult trail is not for the faint of heart and I suck at steep climbs at the best of times. My husband, who recently had knee surgery, practically skipped up ahead of me and I pretty much suffered all the way to the top. Lots of people passed me and they were wearing sneakers and didn’t have walking poles. I felt old, fat and really out of shape. Whatever. I still managed.

Alas, I have to haul my big body up the hill and it makes me realize how much weight I really should lose. By the time we arrived at the top, I was huffing and puffing and drenched in sweat. It took us several hours to go from the parking lot to the top of the mountain and it was really cold up there!

Fortunately, just as we arrived, the clouds parted and we were treated to a magnificent 360 degree view. What I hadn’t realized is that way back in the day, the Romans thought it was a nifty idea to build a temple to Mercury right on top of the mountain. Archaeologists discovered the ruins and they’re now rebuilding a groovy new temple in its place. 

We had a coffee and croissant in the café, wandered through the free museum that is really interesting and after hearing that the train cost over 13€/person just to take it back down, we ended up hiking all the way down and back to the van. I think we did a little over 28,000 steps or something equally ridiculous.

Suffice it to say, neither one of us wanted to walk much for a few days after. I was done with this region and looking forward to visiting friends in the small town of Allègre a couple of days later.

PS. They have good cheese there. and wild mushrooms. and salami. oh my.

Bisous à tous et à bientôt,

Dana