Motorcycle road-trip in the legendary villages of Haute-Loire.
Winding roads that caress an atypical topography, quality surfaces for a change of scenery in the mid-mountains. How good it is to drive on the roads of Haute-Loire… Any idea of a road-trip to take advantage of the diversity of these panoramas? Connect 11 charming villages classified among the " Most beautiful villages in France » or labeled « Small towns of character ". We reveal legends and traditions to make you want to get on your bike.
On days with high winds from the south, you would still hear howling the memory of a poor sergeant... In one of the many taverns that made the reputation ofblithe , the latter had boasted of making pay his many debts to the cruel lord who then occupied the castle. "That wicked baron, were he the devil himself, I will bite him until he pays what he owes!" ". The master of the place invited him the next day to his table. But no sooner had he opened his mouth than all his teeth were pulled out, leaving him bleeding under the laughter of the baron and his retinue. By visiting the village, we still find his toothless face frozen in stone...
Polignac and the deception of Apollo
Just before the pilgrims begin their ascent to the fortress, a priest inquired about their vows. Via a cavity dug in the rock, the priest then communicated the wishes of the pilgrims to other monks hidden in the well of the Oracle under the mask of Apollo. Even before the pilgrims had time to pose their questions to Apollo, they heard the answers in a cavernous voice. Visitors thus left with the illusion that the mask had answered their secret questions and did not forget to deposit their many offerings...
Saint-Paulien and the golden coffin
In the third century, St. Paulien is at its peak: it becomes the "Civitas Vellavorum", the capital of the Vellavian people. It pays homage to the emperors of Rome through two dedications. One is dedicated to the Empress Etruscilla who fell in love with Saint-Paulien. But many locals still think (wrongly!) that it's an epitaph and that a golden tomb is hidden below. Some have even come to dig inside their kitchens to find it… A reproduction of this “dedicated” stone can be seen at Village Archaeological Museum.
Allègre and the "biting-devil"
On days with high winds from the south, you would still hear howling the memory of a poor sergeant... In one of the many taverns that made the reputation ofblithe, the latter had boasted of making pay his many debts to the cruel lord who then occupied the castle. "That wicked baron, were he the devil himself, I will bite him until he pays what he owes!" ". The master of the place invited him the next day to his table. But no sooner had he opened his mouth than all his teeth were pulled out, leaving him bleeding under the laughter of the baron and his retinue. By visiting the village, we still find his toothless face frozen in stone...
When the priest in Saint-Pal-de-Chalencon…
If no marriage had been celebrated between Advent and Mardi Gras, the young Saint-Palous, equipped with various utensils borrowed from the baker, would go to the presbytery and threaten the priest with baking it in the oven! A ritual that was above all an opportunity to feast with the priest!
Auzon saved by a pig
During the Hundred Years War, the English had besieged Auzon counting on starvation for the villagers to surrender. When there was only a pig and a sack of wheat left in the village, the townspeople had a clever idea. They force-fed the pig and released it outside the perimeter walls. When the assailants saw the pig so well fed, they immediately lifted the siege thinking that the granaries of Auzon were overflowing with provisions.
Lavaudieu and the wine revolution
When some took La Bastille, others took the abbey of Lavaudieu and its beautiful Romanesque cloister. And what could be better when you make the Revolution than to requisition the barrels of wine intended for the throats of the monks of La Chair-God ? We still celebrate this revolutionary "taking the initiative" in this former wine-growing village by sharing a barrel each year on the village square under the amused gaze of the bell tower, which has since been crowned with a Phrygian cap.
Chilhac the tropical
Rhinos and saber-toothed tigers in Haute-Loire? It is hard to imagine it today. And yet, this is what paleontological excavations around Chilhac. This fauna lived around the basalt organs in a hot and humid climate. The savannah in short! Their fossils await you at Paleontology Museum from the village. Among the remains of mammoths also found not far from the village, you can even try your hand at the art of excavation.
The Porte de la Verdette in Pradelles
It takes its name from a resident of Pradelles who distinguished himself by his courage in 1588 during an episode of the Wars of Religion. She threw a rock at Captain Huguenot from the top of the doorway, ending the attack.
Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille and Stevenson
At the end of the XNUMXth century, the famous author of Treasure Island or Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde, who had not yet known success, hoped to provoke it with his story “Voyage avec un âne dans les Cévennes”. He wanted to know more about the camisards of the Cévennes and surely to pass a heartache with the one who will become his wife years later. This quest for the Camisard soul ends in a solitary trip in the middle of the Cévennes with her faithful donkey Modestine, whose memory is revived today by the thousands of hikers who take the Stevenson Trail GR®70 to Saint-Jean-du-Gard.
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