Out and about

Today was an 'explore the area' day with no daft frantic activity included in the agenda . And very pleasant it was too. We headed down towards Murat and the ski centre of Super Lioran, the area in which the old volcanic activity first kicked off, not all that many years ago - 'not all that many' in the Grand Scheme of Things, of course, although we are still talking 9-11 million years.

We had a brief picnic stop en route at the Col d'Entremontfollowed by a mooch with the pooch. The rocky pastures were covered with these beautiful flowers which I have yet to identify - stunning, aren't they;We ended up at a little tarn where the wild daffodils once again provided a wonderful splash of yellowOn the way back, the views down to the village of Dienne with Puy Mary in the distance were, naturally, fantastic We passed several little picturesue villages on the way down to Murat, including Segur les Villas with its pretty church spire.Murat was all very nice with its oldey worldy 'vieille ville' and quaintsy little shops and the coffee (for him) and shandy (for me) hit the spot, before we headed up to Super Lioran which is not only the largest ski resort in the Massif Central but is also a summer playground with several marked mountain bike circuits and some fantastic walking circuits. But we are currently in between seasons so it very much resembled a ghost village, but was very picturesque all the sameFor those who may be interested (anybody?!), the resort will be the base for the Merrell Oxygen Challenge adventure race which takes place in mid May.

So yes, all in all, a very pleasant day out in wonderful weather, exploring new places. But tomorrow, a run is on the cards whilst the weather holds. I have heard a vicious rumour that snow may be making a reappearance back at home above 1600m this coming weekend! Great (not).