To hike around Millau, hire a great guide and learn to read the landscape

August 29, 11:16 AMFrench Culture and Travel ExaminerChristina Rebuffet-Broadus

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See the Larzac in a different light with a guide

Norman Foster's famous viaduct may be the biggest man-made marvel in Millau, but the natural environment merits exploring too. The mid-sized southwest French city bills itself as the "Capital of Outdoor Sports" and for pretty good reason.

I had an appointment with Loran, a guide from the Maison des Accompagnateurs, a local agency specialized in Millau's great outdoors. The northern Larzac plateau, "the most beautiful place on earth," according to Loran waited to be explored.

On the plateau, a boxwood tunnel provided the transition from roadside to bare field. "Farmers landscaped the buissières for their sheep. The animals just followed the tunnel, leading themselves into the fields to graze." I silently thanked the farmers for giving us protection from the bleaching summer sun. The sheep surely did the same when they trotted through here.

The Maison des Accompagnateurs also takes the trail for mountain biking excursions. Its gentle slope makes it accessible for neophytes while the rocky terrain offers just enough of a challenge to make it feel adventurous. It's also a pleasant place to start an easy hike.

Hiking on the Larzac

Loran interpreted the landscape, from the abandoned flagstone quarry that helped build nearby farmsteads to the drying cardabelle flowers spreading over the ground. "They're called shepherd's barometers. The petals close with the humidity and open with dry weather. Maybe you saw them on some of the doors around the area." All over the region, especially in the plus beaux villages de France, these sunflower-like blossoms hung on doors; part local color, part protection superstition, but I never saw a single closed cardabelle.

From straw-colored plains the landscape transforms into a sea bed-like wonderland. A few rabbits had already hopped through the sand underfoot. Pushing upwards, calcium creations reach just high enough to make trekkers feel like fish swimming through coral. In fact, millions of years ago, fish did swim through these parts. The evocative rock formations weren't put there for whimsical charm. Today, the fish have long disappeared, leaving rock climbers to crawl up the porous stones, perfect for cordless climbing.

Danger on the horizon...not quite

On the horizon, a dozen vultures circle overhead, but Loran reassures that they've either spotted their next meal or are gradually gaining altitude to travel farther. Spotted their next meal, as in waiting for something to collapse from the heat? That's what Warner Bros. cartoons taught us, but no. If there's food on the ground, it's been dead for some time already. Maybe a farmer laid out a sheep that he lost, recreating the natural food chain. After all, special placettes have been built for such a purpose.

The trek into the empty landscape continues, feeling a bit like the explorations of Lewis and Clark in France's own Far West. Our native guide shows us the juniper berries that can be eaten and how to lay a trap with 4 sticks and a flat stone. A bit like the box-and-stick squirrel trap from childhood, but hunters in neighboring departments still use these tindelles to hunt birds, with a hunting license, of course. If there's one thing that's universal in France, it's bureaucracy. Loran sets a demonstration trap then pokes one of the short sticks. "You set the trap with bait, then when a bird moves in and touches one of the sticks, clack!" The stone effectively pancakes whatever was beneath. Pulling a string to trap the unsuspecting animal, that's for city folk.

Was the Larzac the most beautiful place on earth? I haven't seen enough of the earth to say, but being able to read the landscape thanks to a knowledgeable guide made it feel like an environment worthy of one of France's man-made marvels.

For more information on outdoor activities in the area surrounding Millau, contact the Maison des Accompagnateurs. Their guides speak fluent English.

Also, the Comité départemental du tourisme de l'Aveyron will be delighted to help you organize your stay. Contact them for more information.

More about: Boating down the Tarn gorges : Millau viaduct : Roquefort cellars : Gabriel Coulet Roquefort : Papillon Roquefort : Société Roquefort : Horseback riding in the Alps : French culture and travel : Christina Rebuffet-Broadus