Le Puech du Loup

A hike in the region Midi-Pyrénées

A stroll around the village of Laguiole, situated on the mountain of Aubrac, famous for its cutlery industry, for its cheese and its bull. A discovery of the plateau of Aubrac, crossroads of three departments; Aveyron, Cantal and Lozère.

Information

General points

• Geographic situation. District : Laguiole (department Aveyron)
                                     Road map with
• Starting point : Foirail place.
• The length of the stroll is estimated at 3,7 Km and the walk duration is about 1 h .
• The stroll is not marked out or only partially
• Stroll form : loop
• Stroll relief : hilly (alt. mini = 990 m ; alt. maxi = 1050 m)
• Maintenance : regular (right brushwood clearing)
• Exposure : varied (both covered and uncovered areas)

Noteworthy places

Taureau de Laguiole. Georges Lucien Guyot's bronze sculpture, built in 1947 on the place of Foirail in remembrance of the fairs of the race of Aubrac. It symbolizes the value and the symbolic image of the municipality of Laguiole.

Le village de Laguiole. Etymologically, Laguiole derives from "La Gleisola", small secondary church which dominates the town and which became the main church in XVIth century. The first syllable of "Laguiole" is only the article placed in forehead of the name: La Guiole or La Guiolle as it can get be seen on the dial of the old clocks. The pronunciation "Laïole" comes to us of the dialect of our forefathers. Laguiole is a Village anchored in its environment, in tradition of cattle breeding, recognized for its fairs. Wellknown for his craft cutler since the XIXth century which was exceeded by the industrial production.

Le Fort. Even if archives testify of the bad state in which was the Fort of Laguiole in the XIVth century, after the capture and after the fire of it by the English in the neighborhood of 1350s, notarial acts of 1620 stipulate that he stood always in this time. But in 1735 he did not exist any more. Today, in its place a panoramic sight allows us to admire: Le Plomb du Cantal, Le Puy Mary, hills of Quercy, Levézou …

L'Hospice. Perfect illustration of toldness of certain buildings in"the old Laguiole": L'Hospice (the Orphanage). Situated halfway between the faubourg street and the church, this former seminar is a remembrance of the soul of the XVth century through its portal, through its two windows of the floor, its turret in corbelled construction and its dated cross. The walls consist of materials of the country, granite and basalt.

L'Eglise. Built on the site of former Fort, the church is of mountain type: collected, massive, with the little raised vaults, as to challenge the harshness of the wintry climate. The asymmetric bell tower is directed eastward. There are few vestiges from the ancient church (XVIth century) : the portal inside the hall representing the mystery of the Annunciation. Ogivales vaults and the windows of Romanesque type date from the XVIIth century. One can admire the recent Stations of the Cross, inspired of primitive Flemish and what we owe to the painter Charles Sahuguet (native of Espalion). Your attention will be retained by the stained glass of the bottom of the church. Realized by the Mister-glassworker André Pierre, it represents the Virgin and uses the symbols used in Middle-Age: the Faith in the Eternal Life is illustrated by the blue sky filled with stars; the Charity appears to us through the purple colour of the dress; the Hope is in green; the Glory of Marie is represented by the golden yellow mandorla. We can also linger over the Holy Table, the Tabernacle, the wrought iron as well as on the ape-like figure sculptures of capitals.

Pont Romain. Other remarkable monument of Laguiole, the bridge of Pigasse (pronounce Piasse) called "Roman Bridge", constituted by piled and crossed basalt columns without any mortar. It steps over La Selves river along a Roman way. This bridge, however, seems to be Roman only by its name.

Le Couteau. The knife forged in the past by the edge-tool makers of Laguiole, with the blade quenched in the water of the fountain of Layolette (today disappeared), was pushed in a piece of beechwood more or less decorated and adorned by a brass circle. In the years 1827-28, the young person Pierre-Jean CALMELS found out the famous Spanish knife: Navaja. He modified the former model so that it became a closing knife. He created: the Knife of Laguiole in 1829. The knife closing in forced notch was born.

L'Aubrac. Immense basalt plateau of low mountain range, 2 500 km2 (250 000 ha) with 6 inhabitants per km2 between 1 000 and 1 500 metres height. Geographical, geological, sociological entity: a "country" spread on 3 departments and 3 regions (Aveyron: Midi-Pyrenées; Cantal: Auvergne; Lozère: Languedoc-Roussillon).

Maps

IGN 2437E, Carto Exploreur 12 Nord.

Bibliography

L'Aubrac. (2000 - Coll. Les Belles Balades de l'Aveyron. CDRP12) : 53 p.