Day 1 : SAINT-ARCONS-D'ALLIER - LA CHAISE-DIEU (99 on 293 km)
From the Saint-Arçons castle you will overlook the gorges of the river Allier. In a verdant setting the split hotel of the Deux Abbesses combines a XIIth century lordly home and restored houses.
A few miles away on a promontory, at the confluent of the rivers Desges and Allier, the roman church of Chanteuges stands out with its dimensions and its warm shades. When crossing Langeac you will notice old houses, salt lofts rebuilt in the XVIIIth century and Saint-Gal collegiate church.
At the bend in a twist of the river you will discover Lavoûte-Chilhac nestled in a bend of the river with its Gothic church.
Further upstream, the valley of Haut-Allier is towered by the ruins of the former citadel of Saint-Ilpize, its surrounding walls harbour a XIVth century chapel.
From villages to helmets you will reach the town of Brioude by following the stream where the salmons from the Atlantic come back to spawn after 800 kilometres of freshwater upstream. In the town the old houses which stand alongside the network of the narrow streets will lead you towards the basilica Saint-Julien, a masterpiece of the Roman art.
Before leaving the Allier river do not miss to distinguish Auzon village and its fortified church on its promontory. The natural conservation area will tell you the story of the men who lived this country during the XIXth century, they shared their work between the mine and the vines.
You will reach la Chaise-Dieu the end of this first journey by travelling along the hills of the Livradois Mounts and by crossing vast forests.
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