Peyre, France 🇫🇷 2023

Date: 14th September 2023

Travelled: 60 kms from La Cavalerie to Baraqueville  

Visited: La Cavalerie and Peyre  

Stayed: Baraqueville Aire CC, free, N44.27850, E02.43400  

Budget: 115 days @ €97 per day

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Last night’s rain has cleared this morning and by the time coffee is done the sky is blue. So our delayed exploration of La Cavalerie starts with a 500 metre walk to the old rampart that still circle the old town.

The village does not rate a mention in our guide books but we found it an interesting walk.

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We wander for 40 minutes exploring the old gates, ramparts and towers than are now part of someone’s house. We also find a lovely little boulangerie so it’s a baguette for lunch, quiche lorraine for dinner tonight with a lovely plum flan for desert.

Back at the Hymer we hit the services and make for the road.

Cavalerie to Millau is only 20 kms but we spend nearly 20 minutes at a stop go. The French only accept a stop go for about 10 minutes before agitation and the need to protest begins. Horns start honking, everyone moves up within an inch of the car in front. The stop go man with the sign remains oblivious he sits in a chair watching the French version of Tipping Point with paddle in hand.

Without warning he flicks the paddle to green and it’s like a Le Mans start, as half the drivers are out complaining to each other or urinating next to their cars (another French thing), to everyone’s disappointment as we are at the front there is no race as we proceed down the very steep hill in 3rd gear with 50 agitated French drivers behind us.

Around the next bend the Millau Viaduct come into view. I won’t go on you can read about it on the blue link above but it is considered one of France’s greatest engineering achievements.

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Also around the corner there are 3-4 guys on ropes at different positions on the face of the cutting with steel bars in hand obviously clearing any loose rock from the face. There’s a job for you. So that explains the stop go.

We do a quick stop at the Carrefour Supermarket in Millau to keep the fridge full and top up with diesel.

We follow the Tarn for some 8 kms to Peyre.

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From our guide book the Most Beautiful Villages of France you’ll find Peyre on page 230. Standing on the wide sweeping bend of the River Tarn, the river and the railway line, run just below road level.

Our guide book doesn’t refer to Templar Knights or War‘s of Religion, Peyre just developed on this bend on the Tarn and grew up the cliff face as it did.

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As we leave the Hymer to start up into the village a couple walk by, the man calls out you must be Michael and Pam, I respond that your obviously Australian. She says yes we are from Brisbane. I respond where from Sydney.

That was pretty well it, they just walked away. So thousand of miles from home in a tiny village in the middle of provincial France you meet two other Aussies not much younger than us and they just walk away, sorry that’s fucking odd.

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Peyre sets itself apart from the other villages we have visited in France this year, It has no commerce or tat. There is only a small cafe down at railway level below the village. Peyre seems happy to be what it is.

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Back in the Hymer we set the GPS for Baraqueville. The GPS first route is blocked by roadworks, its alternate states no caravans or motorhomes, so we drive back into Millau and try again this time finding a route without a drama.

Funny how things work out, our drive to Baraqueville along the N81 was one of the most enjoyable afternoons we have spent this year. The road was smooth and wide, virtually no traffic and wonderful rolling scenery of the plateau of Causse du Larzac to enjoy on our way.

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Michael + Pam