BRIAN REID PHOTOGRAPHER
France 2024 Day 11 Catching up with one I missed in the past, the Gorge du Tarn
Tuesday, 16 April 2024 19:56
The early part of the day could have been any place as I rolled along main roads, bypassing all of the interesting places with a stop for electricity at a Supercharger near Rodez, serenaded by the sound of frogs on a nearby pond. I was able to do my civic duty helping a local Peugeot e208 driver get his car charged. He was looking for a way to use a bank card and when he asked me how the system worked I was able to explain in French that he needed the Tesla App, assuming this charger was open to non-Teslas. After a walk over to the pond to hear but not see the frogs, I got back and he was set up and charging and came over to thank me. A job well done. The reason for this uninteresting drive was to give me the afternoon in the Gorge du Tarn. I have passed it twice in the past but never entered so it was time to put things right. I have not included many photos as they all look pretty much the same, but I hope they give a sense of place. Sometimes you may need to look for a car or a person to help with scale. They will also give a false impression of the weather. Sunny and with broken clouds sounds nice but 9ºC and blow-you-off-your-feet winds made sure it was hat and gloves weather. It was wonderful to see this gorge and to ascend its 600m (almost 2000ft) side to get a panoramic view. There were occasional 3 point turns along the way. As with many places there were very few other visitors. I descended the gorge to Millau for the night in the shadow of the famous viaduct or as Kevin would call it a canny bridge. I had time for an early evening wander before dinner so have included a few snaps from around town. The headline shot is at Saint-Chely and its cascade an impressive sight.
This is at La Malene home of the boatmen
On top, 2000ft above the valley floor this is the view from Roc Des Hourtous with its little shack of a restaurant serving excellent coffee.
The water was so clear with a hint of green all along the stretch I followed. This is at Les Vignes
Here are a few shots in Millau on the river with the 12th century mill and the distant viaduct
I’ll finish with historic bell tower