After wishing everyone a fond farewell, off we went on our day trip, by now it was 11.45am! We had made no definite plans and those we had made kept changing depending on the weather, time and new information on available activities. It was a public holiday weekend in Montpellier (both Thursday & Monday were public holidays) so it meant Montpellier itself would be pretty quiet, hence we had booked a car for the whole weekend, only to find out afterwards that there was a big bull fighting weekend on in Nimes at the ancient Roman arena. There was also a smaller but local bull fighting carnival happening in a village on the outskirts of Montpellier. (think Geelong vs Doveton) We therefore announced to our friends that we were off to the bullfight at Nimes! However plans do change!
We decided that it was silly to have paid for a car only to park it on the outskirts of a large town - a wasteful expense. It would be far more comfortable to take the train to Nimes and not worry about parking hassles and lots of traffic, so once again we changed our minds and headed off to find the mountain that you can see clearly from Place Peyrou near our place and the only mountain really visible from Montpellier. Alan had been wanting to go there for weeks. We felt that if we found it quickly enough, we could go on to the evening bullfight events in the village St Aunes, near Montpellier. I always set ambitious plans!
Well we looked in our very detailed Michelin Road Atlas of France and decided that the mountain must be called Pic St Loup and we had seen signs and brochures about Pic St Loup in town. So off we went. The sky was quite overcast, but it was not as cool as it looked. Traffic was light and we found the road out of town quite easily, and we reached our destination at approx 12.45pm. All was going well. Heaps of cars in a very big car park, with picnic tables and the lot. It is obviously a popular spot for the locals to have a Sunday picnic.
Alan and I decided to have a little walk and look around, so followed another couple on the main track leading out of the picnic ground. As we were only planning a short walk, we did not take much. In fact I only took my camera (what a surprise!) but no pack at all and no water, nibbles, pack or anything else (many of you will be surprised at that!!!). We thought it would be a little stroll, then we would go back to a nearby village for lunch, before heading off somewhere else. How wrong can you be!!!!
The track soon began to climb quite noticeably and also became very rocky. I noticed that almost all the French were wearing proper hiking boots (I brought mine to France but they were back at the house, as I hadn't planned on a bush walking expedition!). Still my sturdy walking sandals seemed to be coping and Alan was happy to climb a bit further and enjoy the views which were quite stunning.
However, as we climbed higher, the sky cleared and it became quite hot and after about 45 minutes of walking uphill, Alan decided it was enough for him and that he really needed lunch, a cup of tea and a rest, so he headed back down. Of course I had the bit between my teeth by now and estimated the climb to the top to be about 30 - 40 minutes away, and was quite determined to get there. So I continued on. My estimate was pretty accurate - it took 35 minutes. Shortly after I left Alan, the climb became a bit steeper and basically zig zagged up the face of the mountain over rocks and on a sort of track. My sandals were coping, so I kept on. And it was worth it. One minute you were in amongst the trees and the next you were on top of the rocks with the most amazing view and a sheer drop down the other side!
The views were spectacular as you can see from these photos and it was a good clear day to see things. There was a small chapel and a big metal cross at the top and also a few good panoramic maps with the geology and geography of the site explained. There was also a steady stream of people coming up and going down!
The nearest I can liken it to in Australia is the Flinders Ranges, possibly more the Wilpena Pound end than Arkaroola. I spent a bit of time up there taking photos and enjoying the view and the satisfaction in reaching the top. I think it was about 693 metres and you start fairly low.
So far , so good. Off I headed back down the mountain, looking forward to a drink and a light lunch (remember I had taken nothing with me!). And things began to go wrong, of course!
I was being very careful to look where I was going, so that I didn't trip, esp given I was wearing the wrong shoes and I was carrying my camera. So at the first sign of an intersection in the path, I didn't take a lot of notice, as the track I stayed on seemed to be going in the right direction and I hadn't really remembered a major junction going up! All my bushwalking experience and knowledge seemed to have disappeared in the heat and adventure.
The further I went along this path, the more I started having doubts. Firstly the track seemed less rocky than I remembered going up, then there suddenly seemed to be a lot less people and lastly the views disappeared. Going up, we always had a view out over the valley to our right, but going down there was no view to the left or right, just trees. Then I seemed to be heading towards a large rocky outcrop that definitely had not been on the track going up. Because the track had appeared to be going in the right direction, I thought at first I had just taken one of the many short cut tracks that I had passed along the way. But when the rocky outcrop appeared and the views disappeared, I knew I was wrong, so I turned around and began the long 40 minute climb back uphill along this path to find out where I had gone wrong.
Fortunately at this point I met a couple going back down and said to them I thought I was lost. When we clarified where our car was parked (le grand parking or le petite parking, because I didn't know the name of the car park did I!!), they looked horrified, shook their heads and said what I thought - I had been going the wrong way and I had a 30 - 40 minute climb to get back to the junction to turn on to the correct path. They were right - it was a long, hot, steep climb, but I had no choice! Fortunately, they gave me very good directions in French, which I understood, on how to identify the junction.
Eventually I reached the junction and found the right path, and I realised how I had made the mistake, because it is quite a sharp turn on the track and it doesn't actually look like a path when looked at from some positions. Because I had been so careful to keep my eyes on the ground so I wouldn't trip, I had not taken the bigger perspective and recognised the spot from the way up. Oh well, at least it was nothing more than an hours lost time and a very dry mouth!
Heading back down the correct path was easy as I was more relaxed - I was back on track, the steady stream of people resumed and the views were once again spectacular! I just had to be careful not to trip because I was now in a hurry (Alan would be getting anxious) and I was very hot, tired and thirsty!
I returned to the car at 5.15pm. When we parted on the way up, I had told Alan that if I was not back by 5.00pm he could start to worry, so I thought 5.15 was pretty good given the hour I spent getting lost and retracing my steps! Alan greeted me with a small bottle of drink and a baguette. I wasn't in the mood for food by then and the drink disappeared in a single gulp, so off we went to get me some liquid and resume our plan of finding the local village bullfight or what remained of it! Alan also revealed that he had no idea what he was going to do if I hadn't returned, as he could not explain much in French! Fortunately he didn't need to.
And I had a 4 hour bushwalk that involved a good climb, spectacular views and some good reminder lessons for walking on my own!
One of the nicest things about the day was the smell of wild thyme and sage, which grew in profusion on the valley floor and lower slopes. Tou could walk on the thyme and crush it under your feet and the smell was lovely!
The other really good thing to come out of this little walk, was that we discovered the red wines from Pic St Loup. The valley below the hill in all directions is covered with what else but grapevines! Pic St Loup has its own Apellation Controllee and deservedly so. It is also produces some of the more expensive wines of the region, but having climbed the peak, we have been actively seeking out wines from the area and we can highly recommend them!
The trip to "bullfight" was somewhat of an anticlimax, and I have to say NOT spectacular!
To make short work of it, French signposting, while usually very good, let us down significantly as the small village of St Aunes did not feature on any sign post until we had actually reached the town itslef, after several repetitive circles around the north west edges of Montpellier. There are several roundabouts that we can now recognise in our sleep! St Aunes is an outer suburb of Montpellier, although classed as a separate village and it is just modern housing some very light industry and the major freeway heading north to Paris on its doorstep. The bullfight had taken place in a tiny arena they had set up in the village square, but by the time we got there, the bulls were being loaded into the trucks and the partying was in full swing, with local jazz band, lots of drink, food and fun fair rides for the kids. Very much like a school fete at the end of the day when all those involved are celebrating and outsiders like us are watching from the sidelines!
A bull fight is now on the agenda for another day.
Approaching Pic St Loup from the road:
The Path Up:
Views from the top:
The village at the bottom of the hill:
The flora of the area:
Many of the flowers are actually very similar to those I have seen at home on various walks.
When people say that a lot of Victoria has a Mediterranean climate, it is very obvious when looking at the flora and vegetation!
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