Quiet walks
The big blue sky inspires us this morning to hit the road, for an exploration of the nuggets of my area. A hike in the heart of the Hérault under the Pic Saint-Loup.
Born in a small medieval village near the Pic Saint-Loup, I want to help my friend from Paris discover the joy of living here...
A treat for the taste buds... and for the eyes
We first stop in Saint Mathieu-de-Tréviers to buy breakfast: nothing better than a sweet note with honey madeleines, a regional award.
To savour them in front of a beautiful panorama, I decide to take him not far from there to the Fambetou pass. The road we take is a spectacle in its own right: my passenger keeps leaning out of the window on the right, then on the left, then on the right again to admire the landscape that surrounds us. The D1 is indeed a marvel: we ride at the foot of the Pic Saint Loup and the Hortus.
A short 50m walk through the shrubs takes us to the promontory between dirt and exposed rocks. We choose to sit down, and slightly sheltered from the wind, we leave room for silence to increase tenfold the sensations that awaken our 5 senses.
Between the smells and sounds of a living scrubland
We continue our day by surveying the quietness of the roads of the Val de Londres: this space is astonishing, because we change the scenery, with softer reliefs.
I opt for the direction of Ferrières-les-Verreries, to find the rocky ground and the shade of the holm oaks typical of the garrigue. A stopover is required to explore the asphodel trail, in bloom at this time of year.
The delicate scent of these flowers fills the path, mingling with the damp smell of the earth we are walking on.
At a bend in the road, the sound of leaves startles us: we have just enough time to see the apple-green tail of an ocellated lizard. This reptile is not dangerous, but we are not brave and do not particularly like these animals: we finish this walk with a dynamic step!
When we get back in the car, the long straight line of the Pompignan plateau leads us to the village of Valflaunès (Hérault). On this Sunday morning, we have the opportunity to stop at the local produce market and buy goat's cheese, honey, sausage, tapenade and bread for our brunch.
Once again, I'm all about pleasing our taste buds in a charming place!
History mixed with the flavours of my land
I wanted to show him a magical place, hidden from view: the Chapelle d'Aleyrac (Valflaunès) is surrounded by the surrounding vineyards, but after a few minutes by car, we see it nestled in the greenery.
Our journey will end here: we decide to stay for a picnic on the grass and enjoy the mildness of the place during the afternoon. Curiosity leads my friend to wander along the avenue of plane trees which runs alongside the parish, and which ends haphazardly at the end of the field... It is once she arrives between the last two trees that she raises her head and sees, just in front of it, the Pic Saint-Loup which rises and the Hortus which faces it.
