Highways and byways

Day 11 - Saturday, 5 October 2024 - Conques to Livinhac-le-Haut. ~25.2 klms, total ~ 239.4 klms.

Well actually, no highways at all, but lots of pretty byways. Perfect walking day today. Temperature around 16/18 degrees, sunshine, the occasional whisper of a cooling breeze. Really, as good as it gets. (25 klms is a bit of a challenge on the old legs, especially since this is 11 days straight without a rest day.)

The climb out of Conques was tough. I know that memory plays weird tricks, but with that disclaimer I'd say that the steep path ex-Conques was as challenging as any I've experienced in the Himalayas. Except that it's at ~400 MASL, as opposed to 4,000. Toughness aside, the view from the top was stunning:

Most of the day was just spent wandering along small country roads. Barely wide enough for 1 car.

As a group we have established a little routine. Trish and Helen leave before us, and as Trish prefers to walk alone she takes the lead. Helen is naturally a little slower, so sometime in the morning Janet and I catch her up. Janet and I generally just wander along in comfortable silence for most of the time, usually not far from each other, as it has nearly always been. It works well.

We're so used to stunning scenery that something different deserves mention. Not long out of Conques we heard what sounded like a gunshot. Soon after a car appeared on our byway, containing these beasts:

Not the clearest photo; there were 5 hounds inside. We spoke (well sort of) to the driver who explained he was a hunter, chasing "weeld boar". We think that perhaps the boars attack chevre, but we may have that completely wrong. He then showed us the boar scratchings on the fence line we were standing next to:

The day was bookmarked by another steep hill climb at the end, this time out of the big industrial town of Decazeville (see the cover photo to this post for an inspirational message up this hill). We were walking on the road and therefore not as tough as the rough path at the start, but steep all the same and a test for the legs, lungs and heart at 4:30 in the afternoon after 8 hours on the road:

Interesting story from tonight's end point, Livinhac-le-Haut. Across the road from where we are staying is what appears to be the remains of an old bridge. A couple of photos below:

And then at the gite is the following photos on the wall accompanied by an intriguing explanation:

Construction began in 1833, suspension bridge 94.5 m long with one track, with 6 cables, the deck was 9 m above the low water level. The Bordeaux DUPOUY Company held the concession for 52 years by charging a toll. It was the opening of a communication route with the 3 departments, LOT, CANTAL, AVEYRON.

Construction was completed and inaugurated in 1836. Purchased by the municipality in 1888, it then became free. From 1931 to 1932, work was undertaken to reinforce the cables, iron and tar replaced the wooden structure of the deck and the guardrails. A Parisian specialist from Maison ARNAUDIN was responsible for the work.

During the war in 1944, orders were given to blow up all the bridges. The local resistance guarded the structure and saved it. Over the years, the traffic increases (only one lane) and the bridge no longer meets the needs. The project to build a new bridge begins. Work begins in 1982, it is put into service in 1984. From this date on, cars and trucks are prohibited from driving on the old bridge. In 1988, all motor vehicles are prohibited, so only pedestrians are allowed.

After a detailed inspection in 2000, the structure was deemed fragile and dismantling was considered.

A conservation association and elected officials are opposed to this, proposing to replace the existing deck with wood to preserve a footbridge.

The verdict is final, in 2004 the deconstruction began, only the two piers were preserved with a belvedere.

The new bridge.

Today's photos, sometimes with annotations, follow:

Leaving Conques

Forest apparition.

Yet another Chapelle San Roch

Decazeville from afar. You can see a highway 😀.

And one more San Roch

Approaching Livinhac-le-Haut.

Tonight's dinner. Salade de fromage. Our hostess advised it was cheese from this region. C'est magnifique.

Fabulous bit of fun technology at dinner. At the till the order is written out, from memory, onto a postit note. It's then added up on an ancient adding machine (as well as a calculator, which in this case got it wrong the first time). What a hoot.

Another 25klm day tomorrow. The guide book suggests this is an uninspiring walk; a reason to get from A to B. We'll see.