Aubrac, a plateau like nowhere else in Aveyron
As you drive up from the cottage, you gradually leave behind the deep valleys and stone-slab roofs of the Rouergue and suddenly come out onto a wide open horizon: vast rolling pastures, almost treeless, dotted with granite boulders and the odd stone buron. The first time, it is hard to believe you are still in Aveyron: some of our guests talk about Scotland or Mongolia, and we can see why. This sense of being somewhere else comes from the geology: the plateau sits on an ancient granite base, covered several million years ago by large basalt flows from long-extinct volcanoes. This mix of granite and volcanic rock explains both the overall height of the plateau (around 1,200 metres on average, with a highest point of nearly 1,470 metres at the Signal de Mailhebiau) and its surprisingly flat top, almost like a table set on the Massif Central.
We particularly like stopping there in spring, when the pastures are covered with wild narcissi and daffodils, or in autumn, when the bracken turns a russet colour that stands out against the green meadows. Always bring a windproof jacket, even in midsummer: nothing on the plateau stops the wind, and the temperature can drop several degrees in a few minutes, especially late in the day.
What strikes us every time is the contrast with the landscapes we leave behind at the cottage: down in our valley the relief is steep, the rivers deeply cut and the hamlets cling to the slopes. On the Aubrac everything flattens out and opens up. You can drive for miles without passing a village, with only fences, stone crosses at crossroads and, now and then, a herd calmly crossing the road. In practical terms, this mostly flat plateau is made for extensive grazing and for long walks without much climbing, ideal for families walking with young children.
Aubrac cattle, emblems of the plateau
You cannot talk about the Aubrac without mentioning its breed of cattle, which shares the plateau's name. You can spot them from afar by their fawn coats, lighter or darker depending on the animal, their black muzzles ringed with a white halo that gives them an almost made-up look, and above all their lyre-shaped curved horns. It is a hardy breed, known for its mothering qualities and its ability to spend the summer outdoors, in sometimes harsh conditions, without losing condition. Historically, it was the milk of these cows, turned into fresh tome cheese in the burons, that was used to make aligot, the dish now almost automatically associated with the region.
Our tip when we take friends up to the plateau: keep your distance from the herds, even if the cows look placid. They live in semi-freedom over large areas, and some will defend their calves closely. Watch, take photos from a distance, and always close any gates and fences you open to get through.
For a long time the Aubrac cow was a triple-purpose breed: it pulled the plough, gave milk for cheese and provided meat. This versatility led to the breed being exported far beyond Aveyron, to many countries looking for animals able to adapt to hardy farming conditions. But it is here, on its home ground, that you really see it in its element, in large herds dotting the green and brown horizon of the plateau.
The transhumance, an event not to be missed
Every year, around 25 May (Saint Urban's day, which long marked the traditional start of the summer grazing), the herds go up to the plateau for the whole summer, before coming back down in mid-October. On the nearest weekend, the farmers hold a big transhumance festival: cows decked with flowers and bells, a parade through the streets, a producers' market and traditional music. If your stay with us falls at that time, we really encourage you to go: it is one of the liveliest moments of the year on the plateau, and a great way to understand how much farming still shapes this landscape.
What we like to tell our guests is that this journey up the mountain is no re-enacted folklore: Aubrac farmers still genuinely move their animals every year, on foot or by cattle truck depending on the farm, to make the most of the rich summer grass while the valley meadows grow back. The festival is a way of sharing a very real farming practice with visitors, not just a show put on for them. If you miss the exact date, don't worry: all summer long you can watch the herds grazing on the plateau, and the pastoral atmosphere stays the same until they come down in October.
The burons, memories of the summer pastures
Walking or driving across the plateau, you regularly come across these squat little stone buildings, roofed with stone slabs or tiles, often half dug into the slope to better withstand the wind: these are the burons. They housed the buronniers, the cheesemakers, throughout the summer grazing season, from spring to autumn. The ground floor was used for making cheese (this is where the milk was turned into tome, the basis of aligot), while the upper floor served as a dormitory and hay loft, and a north-facing cellar was used to mature and store the cheeses. Most burons have now lost their original cheesemaking role; some have been converted, others simply left as they were, like stone sentinels scattered across the vast pastures. We like to stop near one of them, picnic out of the bag, and try to imagine the life people led there in summer, far from everything.
The Aubrac, a stage on the Way of St James
The plateau is not just farming country: it is also one of the most memorable sections of the Via Podiensis, the route from Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Spain. The crossing via the village of Aubrac and then Nasbinals, with its fine Romanesque church of Sainte-Marie, is often described by pilgrims as one of the most beautiful days' walking on the whole route: long ridges as far as the eye can see, without a single tree, where you quickly understand why this stage long had a reputation for being gruelling in bad weather. It is also on this stretch that the route reaches one of its highest points between Le Puy and the Pyrenees. You regularly meet these walkers, scallop shell hanging from their packs, on the roads across the plateau, just as around Conques, another stage of the same route that we are particularly fond of.
The plateau also has several small glacial lakes, nestled in hollows and fringed with wetlands: the best known is near Marchastel, in Lozère, formed by glacial over-deepening and held back by a moraine. They are not for swimming, but they make peaceful stops, popular for birdwatching and for the silence that reigns there, far from any bustle.
How we get to the Aubrac from the cottage
From Gîte de la Viguerie, allow about an hour's drive to reach the heart of the plateau, heading for Espalion and then Laguiole. Our advice: set off early in the morning, while the light is still skimming the pastures and mist sometimes lingers in the hollows, before the heat sends the herds into the shade of the few copses. Bring good shoes to walk a little off the roads, water and a windproof jacket even in summer, and save room for an aligot somewhere on the plateau: it is hard to resist once you have seen the cows it comes from. Allow a good half day, or a full day if you plan to go on to the village of Aubrac or to Nasbinals.