ON TOUR: Southern Aveyron
Wendy Long was for many years the Editor's secretary. She and her husband Peter have now retired to Saillac a tiny village 75 miles north east of Toulouse and 40 miles north of Albi with the delights of the Lot valley not far away. She has found time to tour France and with our mention in the news report above a feature on that delightful country seemed obvious.
”For many hurtling down the A75 through France to the Mediterranean, the new Millau viaduct over the River Tarn, opened on 16 December 2004, will be a welcome relief from the notorious bottleneck around Millau, gateway to the Gorges du Tarn. Far from being a blot on the landscape, the viaduct, designed by British architect Norman Foster, is as breathtaking as the scenery of the Massif Central which it spans. At a height of 270m with the tallest pillar 343m, it is the highest bridge in the world and with its seven slim, elegant pillars rising up from the river valley, the bridge itself appears as a mere thread stretching 2.5km between two plateaux. In the words of Lord Foster, ”The pillars had to look almost organic, like they had grown from the earth,” a concept which he has certainly achieved.
Taking just three years to construct, using the most advanced technology, the fine metal roadway is held in place by cable-stays from high performance concrete pillars. It is expected to carry up to 28,000 cars a day during the summer at a cost of ”6.5 (”4.6 out of season) which the French construction group Eiffage is contracted to collect over the next 75 years to recoup the $300m cost.
Certainly drive across it but to appreciate its grandeur, turn off at Millau and view it from vantage points south of the town or watch the constructor”s video in the Visitors Centre beneath it (on the D992) and then gaze upwards, truly awesome. http://www.viaducdemillaueiffage.com
A few kilometres south of the viaduct is the village of Roquefort. Legend has it that a shepherd boy saw a pretty girl and followed her, leaving his lunch in one of the caves. When he returned the bread was covered in mould and blue veins were running through the sheep milk”s curd. Hungry, he nevertheless ate it, thought it delicious and Roquefort was born. France is famous for its cheeses but none more so than the ”king of cheeses” exported to over 70 countries, providing employment for nearly 5000 people in southern Aveyron.
The process starts in surrounding dairies, but only the cheese matured in the caves stretching 2 kms x 300m and as many deep, can be called Roquefort and is awarded AOC and protected status. There are several producers in the village but visits are available all year round to the caves of Soci”t” and Papillon, with films and dramatic son et lumi”re presentations.
The fragrant milk, collected only from December to July, comes from the Lacaune ewes who graze on the herbal vegetation of the Grands Causses but the secret ingredient is the Penicillium Roqueforti, a mould which forms naturally in the caves due to the fleurines, fissures in the rocks allowing draughts to enter, thus keeping a constant temperature of around 8-10”C with 95% humidity. Each cave has its own microclimate realising variations in the cheeses produced.
The milk is seeded with spores, collected from the cellars and cultivated on loaves of rye bread and on arrival in Roquefort, the rounds of cheese are pierced with needles, allowing the air to penetrate and the blue-green veins to invade. The ripening process takes 14-25 days. The cheeses are then wrapped carefully by hand ensuring that the foil is flattened perfectly to the shape. A skilled worker can wrap 100 cheeses per hour. This maturing process takes a minimum of 3 to 4 months and is supervised by the master-ripeners who pass on their knowledge and secrets from generation to generation and preserve the unique flavour of Roquefort. http://www.roquefort.com
The easy access to Millau makes it an ideal starting point for the principal natural feature of the area, the three river gorges. As well as motorway links, Rodez, served by Ryanair flights from Stansted, often at crazy bargain prices, is only about 80 kms away by hired car. The town is well served with all classes of hotel and a wide variety of restaurants, as are the small towns and villages along the gorges, the Chateau de la Caze overlooking the Tarn, originally built in the 15th century, being the most luxurious of the hotels.
For centuries the leather industry and glove-making have been essential factors in the economic development of the town of Millau, but with its decline in the 1980s, some factories now specialise in very high quality products for designers such as Gucci and Dior. In the museum you can see all the stages of transforming the rough skins into soft, fine leather and appreciate the craftsmanship of the glove-makers; also many examples of pottery, weapons and ornaments as discovered in the workshops and kilns at La Graufesenque, a Gallo-roman settlement just south of the town.
No visit to the area would be complete without taking in the stunning natural beauty of the gorges, not only the Tarn but also the Dourbie and the Jonte, home to a colony of vultures. Dargilan and Aven Armand are two of the largest caverns in France, with a multitude of stalactites and stalagmites in impressive and imaginative shapes and colours. Roads wind alongside the rivers offering spectacular views of the huge rock formations, and picturesque villages, some perched on rock faces. One of the most imposing sights is Montpellier le Vieux, a city of rocks brought about by the dual action of rain and corrosion on the limestone, a haven for plant life including orchids and anemones. The region owes much of its history to the Knights Templar and Hospitallers with splendid examples of well-preserved mediaeval villages such as La Couvertoirade.
Young visitors will be entertained at Micropolis, a fascinating and educational insight into the behaviour of insects and Noria, housed in a restored XIIIth century mill, covering all issues related to the theme of water. A wide choice of outdoor pursuits includes hiking, biking and horse-riding as well as kayaking, rafting and canyoning, with ample instruction for the less experienced and Millau”s white water sports stadium in which to practice. For the most intrepid, the challenge of bungee jumping from the viaduct to the river below is definitely not an option but there are three internationally famous take-off sites for hang-gliding, again with professional assistance if required. http://www.ot-millau.fr
Will the viaduct eventually have a detrimental effect on the local shops and restaurants as people can now by-pass the area? Certainly not in the short term as more than 500,000 people have already come to Millau to view the work in progress and the numbers are not dropping. But if the congestion caused by those passing through does decrease, it will surely be appreciated by those visitors who have chosen to prolong their stay and enjoy the region”s outstanding natural beauty, historic interest and leisure activities. top