Sleeping on yet another Volcano – Puy de Dôme, France
Zagan the motorhome is spending the night on his first volcano, his predecessor Dave slept on Vesuvius and Etna – so he’s got a little way to go to catch him up. He’s parked up in the car park of the Puy de Dôme (N45.76934, E2.98439) part of the Chaine des Puy, the youngest string of volcanoes in France.
We cruised up the motorway for three hours in thick fog, not expecting to be able to see the volcano when we got here, but as we entered Clermont-Ferrand the skies cleared and our target came into view.
No chance of seeing the viewpoint today!
A bit of wiggling around the edges of the town and we made it to the car park. Our plan was to stay here and climb it tomorrow, but as the weather was so good we grabbed a quick spot of lunch then set off.
Having not done much reading up on this place we assumed the walk to the top would take around 40 mins – which it did, from the car park that was on the other side of the volcano! We’d parked in the one that the train goes from, so 6 kilometres and a breathless couple of hours later we submitted and vowed to get the train back down.
Not enjoying the climb up
Pooch cools off during the climb!
Train tickets bought (Charlie’s was €3.30, Jay and I were €6 each, but it was worth every cent) and we could relax and wander around the broad summit area. Information boards told of the history; an ancient temple, the first radio transmissions, the first flight to here from Paris as part of a competition. But it was the views out across the other craters in the chain (there are 80 in total spanning just under 20 miles) and Clermont-Ferrand at our feet that took our attention. That and the non-stop stream of para-punters leaping off the top (see below for all the photos!).
The train back down at sunset was perfect. We got talking to an English lady, her French husband and their American friend. They recommended places to visit when we reach Norway next year as they love travelling around there. Kindly the husband waited until we were getting off the train to tell us the story about its inaugural trip up the volcano. It rained so much that there was a mud slide into the base train station meaning all the dignitaries had to be helped out with a ladder some half a kilometre up the track – not the best start. That said it was a fantastic place to visit, so big thanks to our friends Jamie and Rosie for the recommendation
We climbed a volcano today, so we’re all shattered which is why this is a short post. Lots of photos to make up for it.
Ju x
Made it to the top!!
Para punt frenzy
So adventurous! And great pics! Thanks. Already looking forward to your next adventure! All the best.
Top man, thanks Chris. We didn’t feel very adventurous wide awake at 3am wondering what was scrabbling about on the roof of the van! Either some kind of local Vulcan hill dragon, or an early bird after a warm spot to stand for a bit. Ju tells me I woke up, listened for a bit then zonked out again. She on the other hand got to listen to the animal’s entire nocturnal wanderings…!
Cheers, Jay
Hi, Please take care around Clermont-Ferrand. We stopped in an Aire on the motorway in Aug 15. We have a 1991 fiat Ducato 6 berth and were travelling as a family of 2 adults and 3 children. We were returning from Barcelona and had stopped for the night. Mega Tired. No room with all the campers so parked in the normal car park near to the petrol station. There were a few other campers dotted around us. We pile everything on the front seats at bed time (Satelite Dish Coats TV Microwave) so we can have all the beds down. I checked the doors ALL Locked before bed. When we awoke at around 07:00am, I was checking at the front when I noted the drivers door wasn’t shut properly (just pushed to). I closed this thinking I was going a bit bonkers. When I checked the passenger door I found the same (the door was also just resting against the latch, not engaged). SOMEONE HAD BEEN IN THE CAB WHILE WE WERE ASLEEP!!! Luckily nothing was missing, the cab light is extremely dim and I don’t think they could see much or get access. All our valuables are locked in a safe at night. I didn’t tell the family…They still don’t know. We have done easily 20,000 miles in France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy and Spain. Lot’s of wild camping and Aires and Stellplatz and this is the 1st time we have had this occur. I never believed the internet hype. I was so frightened by what I found. It really upset me but I couldn’t show it because my wife would just stop motorhoming. I’ve modified the internal doors so they have bolts on the inside now. I spoke with a French Camping Car owner and he said it was very common at the service areas. Often they force the rear garage door locks he said. He showed me where he had put extra locks on his external doors. Hope you get on OK but just be a bit cautious. It’s easy to get into the mindset that you have done this for many years and know how to keep safe. Best of luck with your tour. Craig.
Thanks Craig, appreciated, sounds like a grim experience.
When we first started we (Ju) won copies of All the Aires guides, and they practically had a skull and crossbones on the motorway aires, stating no-one should sleep in the, due to frequent thefts. We’ve always avoided them, so can’t speak from personal experience.
Zagan only has one door (no cab doors) which has the standard lock and a deadlock only accessible from inside. A pro thief could, I’m sure, quietly bypass it all, but we are (I think) always vigilant. Having said that, I accidentally left the van keys in an open locker all night the other day, so your message is well timed!
Cheers, keep on truckin’ Jay
Puy looks great. Did you try their lentils which are to die for? Have you caught the news about Etna? Mega eruption.
Ah, missed out on those lentils as we just burned off north. Missed the city and although we’ve had word Etna has erupted we’ve missed all the detail. Might need to find somewhere with wifi and find out what the hell is happening around us! :-) cheers, Jay
Interesting seeing Puy de dome. We were there early October parked Suzy up on the aire and went up on the train. No snow and although the temperature was said to be 8 degrees up top it was sunny and half of the French army were up there doing something or other. Fantastic views and a wonderful day out. Wish we were there now We stopped off at Sully on the way back another fantastic aire although not sure what the local lads were up to . It looked very odd and possibly against the law :) Also went to Guedelon to see the castle being built . Think it is closed now for the season sadly. We are back again for a month going to Italy and Croatia cannot wait . This being at home lark isnt much fun .
Sounds cracking Jennifer! What were those lads up to? Tell all! :-)
We’re just sorting a route out. Fastest is wes of Paris but we’ve been that way a few times so are thinking we’ll go east and stick our noses into the champagne region.
Italy and Croatia. Hmmmm, nice. I’m kind of looking forwards to a spell back in Blighty to catch up with folks, get some writing done, sink a real ale or two and wash Zagan (he’s about 5% filth at the moment). Need to plan out next year a bit too, and unload some of the stuff in here we’ve not used to lighten us up a bit!
Cheers, Jay
Message to Craig, there are some great security tips on this site, I would also have a look at things like :-Barking Dog Burglar Alarm Motion Detector Home Security Deterrence??
Hi Marcus, Thanks for the info. I’ll have a good look around.
I’ve also set up an alarm on all external doors which can be activated whilst in the vehicle at night. At least it should scare off the thieving swine…
Cheers,
Craig.