Bliss in Bruel

Saint Jean de Bruel, that is, not Patrick the singer. We came across another delightful location this weekend thanks to the book of walks we bought on our last trip. Not only did we open it, but we chose an itinerary to walk! We drove up to Causse Bégon which is a tiny spot in the middle of nowhere that has a 5km walk on the causse. Causses are limestone plateaux which have a particular arid terrain made up of stubby trees, dolomite outcrops and cropped grass. You see one when you take the A75 from Lodève to Millau which crosses the plateau de Larzac.

Our walk was pleasant enough. It was cool up there when the wind blew and had some nice views although nothing spectacular. One bit must have been eroded by water at some point in its past. It had lots of holes in the rock which I couldn't resist poking with my finger. My DB hoped the one I poked wouldn't be inhabited by snakes. As it was less than 5 cm deep, I thought I'd probably see them coming.

Water erosion and no snakes 800m up on walk around Causse Bégon

At some point, we had to climb steeply for what the signpost said was 80metres but felt like more, to see the dolmen called the Giant's Tomb.

Dolmen tomb for a small-sized giant

Just big enough for me lengthwise

Proof that my DB is not a country bumpkin happened when we were walking back towards the car from the dolmen on a different path to the original one, having decided not to slide back down the steep track. We suddenly found ourselves on the wrong side of a fence. On observing this, he asked me how we would get back to the right side. I spied some string bits floating in the breeze some way off and said that it was probably some sort of gate. He was doubtful. Then he wondered if the fence was electric. No, I said, they don't look like that. He was doubtful. It has barbed wire, he said. No, I said, it doesn't. Hmmm... We got to the fence and, as it was low, I could just lift me leg over it. No barbed wire, no electricity, AND the gate was a gate. I'm not that much of a country bumpkin, but it's easy to appear informed and clued up in the countryside compared to my DB!

We got back to the car and drove down to St Jean de Bruel where we hoped to find somewhere to sleep. We had not booked and discovered, of course, that both hotels were full. Our only option was a chambre d'hote. We are not keen on chambre d'hote (as you may remember), but the alternative was an hour's drive to cover 35km to Meyreuis (up and down and up and down), similar to get to Montpellier or stay in a scabby place half an hour away. The woman in the tourist office assured us that the chambre d'hote, Les Cardabelles, was quite like a hotel, so we decided to give it a try.

Good thing we did too as it was LOVELY and pretty much like a hotel only better because it had AIR CONDITIONING which 2-star hotels do not.

Unassuming exterior to Les Cardabelles chambres d'hote

Room

Bathroom, shower on right

View from room

There are three rooms at the top of the building and they have a separate staircase from the rest of the house. You could really believe yourself to be in a hotel. Our room had two extra beds so you could really get value for money from the cost of the room including breakfast (€66). We were the only guests, surprisingly, so had the breakfast table to ourselves the next morning, with delicious coffee (a rarity), and excellent home-made jams and bread as well as croissants, etc. It was a bijoux place! M Vidal, who owns it, also makes potted pâtés. His little factory is next door and I suppose he supplements his income with the chambres d'hote. We found him warm and friendly, and he didn't hang around or try to impose himself. Really, the perfect place.

That evening we were fortunate with dinner too! Recommended by M Vidal, we booked at l'Oustal just down the road and chose the €14.50 menu. We sat outside on the terrace and started with a mixed salad which was followed by one of the most delicious rascasse rouge I've ever had. It seemed to have been just fried, in butter but it was so tasty I could have eaten it all night. It came with quinoa and courgette, and the whole meal was simply delicious. We had cheese for dessert, and pichets of rosé to wash it down.

After breakfast, we mooched into the village to visit the little market. There we saw a local organic veg producer who, coincidentally, sells his produce with a small number of others in their shop in the next village to me! They take it in turns to keep shop, so costs are kept reasonable because they employ no extra staff. I am definitely going to take a look this week because I like the idea of these farmers getting together and doing some sensible, and the veggies looked excellent. What an amazing coincidence finding him there in the middle of nowhere!

We had a leaflet from the tourist office on a nice walk up to the village sentinelle. It was 5km so we decided we could cope with that if it meant admiring 360° views from the top. The walk was delightful. It took us through shady sweet chestnut tree woods up a gentle incline for much of it.

Shady path through the chataigners

Part of the view from the top, with sentinelle. The village is St Jean de Bruel.

The view from the top was definitely worth it, enhanced by the fact that my DB's Free mobile phone found a network whilst there was none in the valley, so he could listen to his messages!

We came back down and it was only just gone midday. Despite our delicious and copious breakfast, we went to the village picnic spot that I had noticed just down the road from where we stayed, and next to Noria, the water museum.

Picnic spot

The canal was built to secure access to running water for the mill even when the river on the other side of the picnic spot was low.

Old mill, now Water Museum, Noria.

After lunch, we went to visit the museum. We walked round the balcony to get to the entrance and admired the old thirteenth century bridge across the river Dourbie. I also admired the vegetable plot and gazed longingly at its lusciously fertile soil. For information, a one-bedroom flat in this village (in the middle of nowhere) is a measly €20,000!

View of XIII century bridge from museum

The mill has been put to different uses in its history. One of the main ones was cleaning woollen cloth. The cloth was wrapped around a type of bobbin and fixed to a box. Water came down via a channel to wash it and protect it from damage, and the bobbin turned every so often to work the whole cloth. It was a very clever system. Although the mill was closed for business 1985, it was restored and open to the public as a functioning piece of history. 

Water arrives

Huge hammers that bash the woollen cloth

Woollen cloth on the right getting a bashing

The museum also contains a functioning hydro-electric station (mini), a large model of a river modified to produce hydro-electricity where if you press a button, you get a commentary and demonstration of water management. There are several rooms containing interesting information about water - how to manage and treat it, and its place in the cosmos. There is even a "Bistr'eau" of four different waters to show you how water tastes different depending on how mineralised it is. Low mineralised water tastes 'hard' while a high mineral count gives a 'soft' taste. Did you know that?

Finally, there's a spot for kids to let off steam in a playroom shooting water and other games, a little bar and a shop. We greatly enjoyed our visit and learned a lot from the excellent displays. The shop was lacking in books in my opinion. They had loads of useless mini figures of dogs, owls, cows all dressed up. Someone needs to take the shop in hand and get in some more appropriate, interesting products.

A lovely weekend, and just an hour from Montpellier. It felt so different, and so did us so much good. I didn't want to come home!