Well the story of the hotel and it’s wan mistress was that she was from the Philippines, married to a Frenchman from the area. They bought the hotel in 2019 and refurbished it, opened in Jan 2020, Lockdown started in April.
They survived on government support for businesses, things improved in the summer when lockdown eased off, but then the second wave came and passing tourists dried up for 2021.
So now they are selling the place and planning to start again in Greece. Well, good luck to them. You have to keep believing.
Neussuargues is back on the GTMC trail and where I have booked accommodation for the night. It is about 40k away, fairly flat by the easy route, but why take that, I’d be there too early, so I ask Google maps to take me to a pass near the highest peak in the area, Puy de Mary. I’m at 700m, the Col de Serre is at 1,364 m. so some climbing to do, first straight up the side of the steep valley made by the Grand Rhue river that runs through Condat. Way up onto the high pastureland that I left last night, but further south. There is a high wide valley up here, vallee de Cheylade. Beautiful day, green pastures, flowers in hedgerows.
It has taken the morning to getup here to 1,000 m roughly. Along the valley for 10k or so and the hills close in on three sides, the only way out is up.
Inevitably the next ascent begins.
Now a long descent, but then Google has chosen a little-used road that ascends again, back up nearly as high as I was before, and the road becomes a track, bumpy and muddy for a couple of kilometers, I thought I had escaped that today.
Then what should have been an easy descent, but for the last 5k Google took me down another track, unrideable in places, very steep, emerging in a farm’s back yard. As I emerged from the bushes pushing the bike there was the rotund farmer speaking on his mobile phone, I just smiled and walked quickly past, jumping on and riding fast as soon as I saw the driveway leading to the road.
So here I am at last, basic hotel, simple meal, good cheeseboard.