WINTER WALKS (Languedoc)

The morning looked lovely; blue sky, sun shining, a great day for a good walk, admittedly very chilly outdoors - around freezing at 9a.m. So as a 'special treat' for the OH we would do his favourite walk, the circuit of Lac de Vesoles, it doesn't take much to make him happy. Off we set in the glorious sunshine, up, up, up the road, hitting the snow line and the trees were beautiful sitting in the snow with fat white fingers instead of light branches. The road was as clear as ?, well it was clear - until 15 minutes and 600metres higher we indicated to turn right and things changed drastically.

Voila

The man getting his cross country skis out of his car might have given us a clue! O.K. we were now enveloped in low cloud, o.k. is had got a bit breezy (o.k. biting wind) but once we get going it'll be fine. We went for the GR path which runs along a logging route starting close by, after struggling a bit we abandoned that idea, it really required snow shoes or at least moon boots. We will never know if the lake was frozen over, I was going to say we'll try again next year, hopefully the same weather conditions won't be coming back. France from Paris the Montpellier has experienced snowfall this past week, to the extent that Parisian commuters had to stay overnight in gymnasium dormitories and the like because roads were impassable, having been a very wet month it has become a very cold one too in the record books.

My new years resolution was to walk for a minimum of half an hour every day, I've failed twice when it has rained all day, heavily. Longer walks we have enjoyed this past month included; last week up above Labastide Rouairoux, a few kilometres west of us, with the happy combination of just a bit of snow and plenty of sunshine that day.

Going right

Going left

This walk dipped in and out of the GR7. I think it was the GR77 a bit further north (part of the route de St.Jacques de Compostle) I had planned to try and walk all of - as in all that was within a few hours drive to get to - in little chunks back and forth. I think I've now added the GR7 to that to do list too.

We did the walk at Mauroul, in search of snowdrops, they are very rare in the Herault, as the south of France is generally too hot and dry for them and they don't survive through a summer in hot parched earth. Can't say the display was spectacular, I guess I'm spoilt by Northern Irish super snowdrops.

In Mauroul hamlet, a free bike? seemed too good to be true.

We had the longer Malvies walk accompanied by no.1 son - as per usual about 300 metres ahead of his parents when it came to a hill. The walk from La Croisade with the walking group. And a wee dander along the Canal du Midi at Colombiers. And lots of other walks, not so interesting or not so sunny, so no photos.

 

So there were some lovely days - how soon you forget.