Of coloured clays and green lentils / En terre d’argiles colorées et de lentilles vertes
The acorns and I went back to the extraordinary ravins de Corbœuf, deep in Haute-Loire’s Puy lentil country, which we first discovered last winter on our previous visit back home in France.
This time my parents, my sister and her two sons came along, and they all were wowed by this geological anomaly called badlands. Even in the bright summer light, and with the tree leaves somewhat blocking the views, the multicoloured clay layers of this alien looking landscape were clearly visible.
Les graines de chêne et moi sommes retournés aux fabuleux ravins de Corbœuf, près de Rosières en Haute-Loire, que nous avions découvert l’hiver dernier lors de notre séjour précédent en France.
Cette fois, mes parents, ma sœur et ses deux fils nous ont accompagnés. Tous en sont revenus estomaqués par cette anomalie géologique baptisée “badlands” et située à deux pas de chez nous. Malgré la forte luminosité estivale et la verdure qui obstruait quelque peu la vue, les couches d’argiles multicolores de ce paysage extraterrestre restaient clairement visibles.
Arriving at the ancient hamlet of Chastel, which sits near the rim of the ravins, our walk took another direction, literally. Instead of taking a left onto the road, we continued straight through the village, and our family outing turned into a tour of the local heritage, both built and natural.
In Chastel, the acorns and their cousins discovered the old wash-house, now dry, beside the long drinking trough once used by cattle, and now alive with frog and toad tadpoles. Water slowly dripped from the rusty pipe, from which hung long threads of green slime, but Pebbles still checked for a chance of water play.
Across the road the children stepped into the bread oven. Something started flying around the small, dark building, which my mum assumed to be a bird. Jedi soon realised it was actually a small bat. Another one was still hanging upside down above the doorway, visibly unsettled by the disturbance. I took one quick photo before ushering everybody out to leave it in peace. What luck to spot this shy animal at such close range!
Arrivant au hameau assoupi de Chastel, qui se trouve près du rebord des ravins, notre balade a pris un tour différent. Au lieu de tourner immédiatement à gauche sur la route, nous avons poursuivi tout droit dans le village, et notre sortie familiale se changea en sentier découverte du patrimoine local, à la fois bâti et naturel.
A Chastel, les graines de chêne et leurs cousins découvrirent le vieux lavoir, maintenant à sec, à côté du long bacha (abreuvoir) à bestiaux, qui abrite désormais des dizaines de tétards de grenouille et de crapaud. L’eau tombait goutte-à-goutte du vieux tuyau rouillé, d’où pendaient deux longs filets de vase verte. Cela n’empêcha pas Caillou de vérifier longuement s’il n’y avait pas moyen de jouer avec l’eau !
Traversant la route, les enfants entrèrent dans le four à pain du village. Un animal effrayé s’envola dans le petit bâtiment sombre, que Mamie prit pour un oiseau. Jedi réalisa bientôt que c’était une chauve-souris. Une autre, visiblement dérangée par notre irruption bruyante, était restée pendue la tête en bas juste au-dessus de la porte. J’en pris une photo rapide avant d’entraîner tout le monde dehors. Quelle chance d’avoir vu de près cet animal nocturne si discret !
Retracing our steps through the village, we continued our loop around the ravins. My parents were easily convinced to follow me down the steep cul-de-sac which overlooks the site like a balcony.
Puy lentils
Only a few metres down the trail we came across a recently harvested field of Puy lentils. This was another unexpected foray into the local heritage. I had never seen a lentil plant before, and neither had my parents, despite living in the area their whole lives. For Puy lentils (Lens esculenta puyensis) are named after the Haute-Loire county town, Le Puy-en-Velay.
My sister Laure showed us what the foot-tall plant looks like, with its thin stem and small round leaves. It bears purple flowers, which turn into tiny brown pods containing two lentils.
The field was harvested in late July, yet there were plenty enough plants left for Mermaid and Jedi to gather a few lentils.
Their dark green skin, marbled with streaks of blue, reminded me of the coloured clay layers of the nearby ravins.
Rebroussant chemin dans le village, nous avons repris notre boucle autour des ravins. Papi et Mamie furent aisément persuadés de me suivre au bout de la sente étroite qui surplombe le site comme un balcon.
Lentilles vertes du Puy
Quelques centaines de mètres plus loin, nous sommes tombés sur un champ de lentilles moissonné depuis peu. Ce fut une autre leçon imprévue sur le patrimoine local. Jamais je n’avais vu de plant de lentille. Mes parents, qui ont vécu en Haute-Loire toutes leurs vies, ne savaient pas non plus à quoi la “perle du Velay” ressemblait.
Ma sœur Laure nous montra une plante de trente centimètres de haut environ, à la tige fine et aux petites feuilles rondes. Ses fleurs violettes mûrissent en minuscules cosses marron, qui renferment une ou deux lentilles.
Le champ avait été moissonné à la fin juillet, pourtant il restait bien assez de plantes pour que Sirène et Jedi recueillent quelques lentilles au creux de leurs mains.
Leur couleur vert sombre, marbré de bleu, n’était pas sans rappeler les argiles multicolores des ravins de Corbœuf tout proches.
Jersey Tiger moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria) on the purple flower of a Puy lentil plant / Papillon Ecaille chinée (Euplagia quadripunctaria) sur la fleur violette d’un plant de lentille.
Puy lentil plant / Plant de lentille verte du Puy.
Getting there
From the centre of Rosières, take the D7 road to Yssingeaux. Just before getting out of town, turn right towards the police station (gendarmerie), following the signpost Circuit des Paysages. There is ample, free parking behind the Respirando shelter.
Starting from the Respirando information display in Rosières, near the police station (gendarmerie), the PR634 route is a 3.5km loop. The trail head is at the start of the Via Fluvia greenway, past the bike hire cabin. You will then walk up to Chastel, where you will walk on the road for a few hundred metres. The trail then cuts through fields and woodland again, following the upper edge of the ravin, with many stunning viewpoints along the way. The route back towards Rosières then follows a wide farm track, and a minor road, all the way to the starting point.
Additional information
In 1996, the Puy green lentil became the first vegetable protected by an AOC (Appellation d’origine contrôlée). In 2008 the AOP (Appellation d’origine protégée, or DOP in English) granted the so-called ‘vegetable caviar’ a European-wide protection.
Lentils belong to the pulse family of vegetables. In Haute-Loire producers grow the Lens esculenta puyensis cultivar, named by Russian botanist Helena Barulinda after the city of Le Puy-en-Velay, famed since Roman times for its lentil production.
S’y rendre
Du centre de Rosières, empruntez la D7 en direction d’Yssingeaux. Avant la sortie du village, tournez à droite pour la gendarmerie au panneau Circuit des Paysages. Stationnement gratuit derrière le point d’information Respirando.
C’est en feuilletant l’excellent guide de randonnée Haute-Loire – Les 30 plus beaux sentiers (Chamina Edition) que j’ai repéré cette balade méconnue aux ravins de Corbœuf.
Au départ du point d’information Respirando de Rosières, près de la gendarmerie, l’itinéraire PR634 fait une boucle de 3,5 km. Le début emprunte une section de la voie verte Via Fluvia, au-delà du chalet de location de vélos. Puis le sentier rallie le hameau de Chastel, où il rejoint la route pour quelques centaines de mètres. Il coupe ensuite à travers bois et champs, avec de nombreux points de vue stupéfiants au fil du chemin comme il contourne le haut du ravin. Le retour au point de départ à Rosières se fait par un large sentier, puis par la route.
A défaut de guide, le topo détaillé de cette randonnée est disponible sur AltitudeRando, et auprès des offices de tourisme locaux : Entre Loire et Volcans, Tourisme en Haute-Loire, ou encore Auvergne Tourisme
En savoir plus
En 1996, la Lentille Verte du Puy fut le premier légume à obtenir une Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC). En 2008, elle obtient l’Appellation d’Origine Protégée européenne, qui offre à ce “caviar végétal” une protection dans toute l’Europe.
La lentille est une espèce végétale appartenant à la famille des légumineuses. En Haute-Loire, on cultive la variété Lens Esculenta Puyensis, ainsi nommée par la botaniste russe Helena Barulinda en référence à la ville du Puy-en-Velay, réputée depuis l’Antiquité pour la culture de lentille.
Related / Similaire
- Exploring a river of rocks / A la découverte de la Coulée de lave de Bourianne
- Pic du Lizieux – A petrified knight and sleeping volcanoes / Un chevalier pétrifié et des volcans endormis
- Ravins de Corbœuf – Walking through the Earth’s strata / Balade au cœur des strates terrestres
- The easy way up the Mont de la Madeleine / La Madeleine par le sentier d’accès
- A summer of wild swimming / Un été de baignades sauvages
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J’adore ! Le mélange des paysages magnifiques et du côté culturel, le tout totalement gratuit et à portée de main… Belles photos (comme d’hab) pour une belle sortie.
Mes amitiés à tes parents et gros bisous à ta tribu.
Merci beaucoup Linda ! Comme à chaque fois, ton commentaire me fait super plaisir. Effectivement, ç’a été une belle sortie, étonnamment éducative.
Je passe le message à mes parents 😉
Bonne rentrée et bises à toi et ta tribu 🙂
Wow this is superb – amazing sights and photography I’d love to visit some day. Sarah #ExplorerKids
Thank you for the kind comment Sarah, and for hosting this new travel linky!
Stunning landscape, surprise discoveries (we love old wash-houses too!), culture, heritage and learning something new… I honestly can’t imagine a more perfect day out with the kids. Gorgeous photography (as always) and genuinely interesting. Thanks! #ExplorerKids
Thank you Jonny for your nice words. Much appreciated! 🙂
What a stunning view! This is so lovely going for a walk in a big group of friends and family. That old wash-house is fascinating. I wondered what it would like when it is in actual used in the old days. I am well impressed that you have spotted the puy lentil plant. I am hopeless at spotting any kind of plants at all. lol! I like that extra information of the about the plant. Very interesting indeed.
Thank you so much for linking up with us on #ExplorerKids Linky.
This is a very special place indeed, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of visiting it. I have my sister to thank for spotting a lentil plant – I would never have known! It is quite small and really looks like any other type of grass.
Thank you for hosting this lovely new travel linky! x
You photos are surreal! What a beautiful day.
#triumphanttuesday
Thank you Kristin 🙂
oh wow, this place is truly breathtaking!! it sounds like you had an amazing day out!
Thank you so much for sharing this with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back next week.
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of visiting this place! Thanks for hosting #TriumphantTales x
What amazing rocks! Only today I was wondering what a lentil plant looked like, thank you for answering that query. # FarawayFiles
My pleasure Catherine! Thank you for your comment 🙂
I really like this area. What a beautiful adventure! I got scared when I saw the photo of all the kids. I was like: does she has so any kids? The I read your sister took her kids to the walk.
Lol! ‘Only’ 4 of those children are mine, the other two are my nephews. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I remember you visiting here in winter, I have to say it looks every bit as wonderful in summer. Nature there is perfect for discoveries, I love all your wildlife and plant photos not to mention the excitement of poking round the old wash room and discovering the puy lentils. A great outing and a lovely way for the cousins to enjoy a day out together.
Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids
This looks absolutely amazing! I love the whiteness of the rocks (?), reminds me a bit of Dover. Love walks like this one. Looks like the perfect day out with the kids 🙂 #countrykids
Those mountains really are so extraordinary, Annette! I well remember your post from last year – I was struck by the colours then and still determined to visit. I’ve never seen a lentil plant either so that would fascinate me too. As ever, your photos are just stunning. Thanks for sharing on #FarawayFiles
I too remember your post from here because it reminded me of the painted hills in Oregon. The colors are almost more stunning in summer against the green lush landscape. How fun to see the bat! We had one that lived in the space between our storm windows in Philadelphia so the kids could see it safely from inside our house through the glass while it slept during the day. We were the hit of the neighborhood for a few weeks! Thanks for sharing this beautiful post with #FarawayFiles, Erin
You know I have never seen a puy lentil plant either – I wouldn’t even know if I passed one, well not until now that is. The colours on those really are impressive on the rocks, I bet they were great to see. Sounds like another adventure field family day out – thank you for sharing it wth us at #familyfun
I remember your photos from your winter visit, and these are just as lovely. I had no idea what a lentil plant looked like, it would seem to be very laborious to harvest with only 2 lentils per pod. Thanks for linking up to #AllAboutFrance, I always enjoy your posts.