Day 3 Chasteuil to Point Sublime

Recounting our 2002 journey, a 6 day walk from Saint-André-les-Alpes to Riez in Southern France...


Day 3
Sept 20, 2002

In the morning after a breakfast of bread and assorted jams we were saying goodbye to our hosts, Nancy and Pascal when they announced that they were going on a short 3 day holiday and would be stopping by Rougon for lunch at the creperie and if we wanted they would transfer our packs there and lighten our load.  Our friends took them up on the offer, but Cheryl and I, being purists I suppose, felt the need to carry our packs for the whole way, and so we kept our packs and the four of us hit the trail. 

Along the way we ran into a group of Americans walking in the opposite direction who told us about the wonderful meals that they had been getting in La Palud at the Panoramic Hotel, which was good news to hear, because that is where we would be staying the next night.

Crossroads on the GR4

This was the hottest day so far with a brilliant blue sky, and more beautiful scenery and open spaces, as we walked past the occasional crumbling ruins of former habitations.  We had climbed from 2900 ft in Chasteuil to a highpoint of 4100 ft, before descending to Rougon, but for us the real high point of the day would be the creperie in Rougon!  We had heard tales of the mouth watering crepes from this tiny village  that were famous in the region . 

Our first view of the Verdon Gorge

Arriving at the overlook above Rougon we had our first glimpse of the majesty of the Verdon Canyon and were duly impressed!







Rougon sits huddled below a rocky promontory above the Verdon Canyon. 

Rougon sits huddled below a rocky promontory above the Verdon Canyon

Enjoying the best crepes in Rougon

The creperie in Rougon, the Creperie Le Mur D’Abeilles did not disappoint!  We sat on the patio, with a magnificent view of the gorge and gorged ourselves on these culinary delights.  I had the apple and cinnamon, and Cheryl had the raspberry crepes...and they were so good that she had to have a second one!

While enjoying our crepes Nancy and Pascal came in wearing our friend's packs and we chatted to them for a bit before saying goodbye once again.

 Our appetites sated we descended from Rougon to Point Sublime and checked into our hotel, the Auberge du Point Sublime, then went out to check the view from the point.  Before dinner we enjoyed a glass of wine on the terrace and chatted with a man from Manchester who would be hiking the gorge the next day.

All in all it had been a pretty relaxing type of day.  At dinner we chatted with a French couple who planned to bus down to La Maline the next day and hike back to Point Sublime.  So we would probably be running into them on the trail.