I recently read somewhere that no landscape inspires quite like the mountains. Certainly I love being in the mountains, and really do feel very uplifted when I reach that point where I can savour all that is around me. I love the freedom and the peace, not to mention the views. The mountaineer John Muir said “The mountains are calling and I must go” and who am I to argue with that? The mountain that was calling me was the Puy de Sancy, here in the Massif Central. At 1886 metres it is the highest mountain in the Dore mountain range and is a very popular destination. Fortunately there were few people about due to the pandemic, but also because of the weather. Either they had misread la météo or had just decided that the early morning cloud wasn’t going to clear! What a bonus for me because it turned out to be a glorious day.

Not being up to a major hike, and having Maggie with me, I opted for the cablecar. It was a first for Maggie and I really did wonder how she was going to be getting into the cablecar. I had visions of her being carried inside and then cuddling her on the floor to make her feel safe. I needn’t have worried cos she just strolled in, wagged her tail at the few intrepid explorers, looked for food (as always) and was amply rewarded by a few doggie treats. (That’s what deep pockets are for).

With the clouds being swept aside by a gentle breeze, we arrived and waited a while to let the few tourists get ahead. To reach the summt there is a small path and 860 steps. Fairly easy when you pace yourself and even easier having Maggie as keen as mustard to get ahead. But it wasn’t a race and I wanted to embrace every bit of the scenery.

As you can see, the weather couldn’t have been better. The air was fresh and clean and the only sound was that of Maggie panting, possibly my heart pounding, the wind rustling the grasses and some unidentified birds screeching and calling as they rode the currents and dive-bombed over the ridges. Just glorious.

The large distant peak is the Puy de Dome

But that summit is still there with those 860 steps, so let’s go climb a mountain!

The photo is rather deceptive because some stretches of the path were really very steep….as i said before, all very manageable as long as you took your time and didn’t get dragged along by a very determined dog. And you can guess it was all worth it and with the weather and views playing their part it was a perfect trip. As John Muir didn’t say “The Mountains were calling, so I went”

A Bientot!