Stay and hikes in Lozere
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Stay and hikes in Lozere |
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And should we come back......
The warm welcome given by Philippe and Ana over a coffee on the shady terrace are our first images of when we arrived at "L'Etoile Guest-House" in La Bastide-Puylaurent, a small mid-mountain village straddling the Ardeche and Lozere between Langogne and Villefort.
The area is quiet, very quiet..., the murmur of the Allier, the wind in the leaves, the odd bark, even occasionally a train arrives... and that's about it; but that is what we were looking for as urbanites, peace and quiet. We chose this area of the Cevennes just by chance from many on the Internet ! We simply wanted to walk , hike and relax. And that is exactly what we have done throughout the week at L'Etoile.
An unforgettable trip along the ridges by the GR®72 & GR®7 overlooking Saint-Laurent-Les-Bains on the Ardeche
side: around 20 kilometres on trails overlooking the small spa town (we even tried to find a way through the broom......without much success !) with the reward of beautiful views of the Tanargue and in the distance even the Alps.
We have of course covered a part of the sacrosanct "Stevenson Trail" GR®70 which runs from Le Puy en Velay to Ales via the areas of Haute-Loire, Lozere, Ardeche and Gard (otherwise we might not be completely accepted into the brotherhood of true hikers...):namely over the Moure de la Gardille to Chasserades and the very pretty village of Mirandol; returning by train from Belvezet.
The fortified village of La Garde Guerin (not least climbing the tower), a tour of the lake of Villefort, a loop on the side of Mt Lozere from Mas de la Barque , were just some of the great variety of sites and landscapes that delighted us.
The recipe is simple: settle into L'Etoile, a former resort hotel , and ask Philippe for the book of walks possible in the area.
Many walkers are enthused and enriched by their discoveries, there is plenty to choose from and there is rarely disappointment. But what matters most in all of this is the return to the
Gite in the evening.
After a good day's walk, it is satisfying to find the terrace and the garden to drink a good Belgian beer in the company of Philippe Papadimitriou (who always found time to spend a moment to chat, even when waiting for thirty guests for dinner. It must be said that he does everything himself: reception, cooking, cleaning, transport on occasion...)
The conviviality at mealtimes is something all the hikers experience: conversation flows very quickly around the table, and is often very enjoyable. And at L'Etoile the food tastes good (delicious home-made bread), plenty to drink, and the space is remarkable(the large chimney in the diningroom in which Philippe lights a log each evening to warm theatmosphere).
And this year we had the chance to meet the lovely Ana, (originally from Brazil and a student in New York she was now assisting Philippe) whose smile, good humour and the music from Brazil all contributed greatly to the success of our stay in Lozere.
To be fair we will say that when Philippe gave us the honour to take his guitar and play Hotel California or tell us around the fireplace about his search for gold in the USA we were close to ecstasy ! Philippe has over recent years developed an exchange programme for innkeepers.
Oh, he also plays the piano ! In short , after a week at Gite L'Etoile one is back in good shape but with a little shock to the heart and already wanting to return.
Old romantic Hotel, L'Etoile Guest-House is a mountain retreat in the South of France. With a beautiful park along the Allier River, L'Etoile Guesthouse is located in La Bastide-Puylaurent between Lozere, Ardeche and Cevennes. Many hiking trails like GR®7, GR®70 Stevenson trail, GR®72, GR®700 Regordane way, Cevenol, GR®470 Allier river, Margeride. Many hiking loops. The right place to relax.
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