The Truyère furtively meanders through the precipitous landscape and hides behind steep cliffs. The only way to get to know this river and its lakes, is to navigate its waters and walk along its banks.
The Viaduct of Garabit, a magnificent red iron giant, is the work of Léon
Boyer, an engineer, and Gustave Eiffel. On this huge building site which lasted
four years, few believed that such an intricate lace-like structure would
withstand the passage of fully loaded freight trains. And yet, more than 120
years later, they still cross the 565 m long viaduct.
From this point, the Truyère river opens up into a real lake, an ideal
playground for water sports and swimming.
The Cirque of Mallet offers the finest views of distant shores. Beneath the
waters lies the former village of Mallet. It was submerged in 1962 when the
impressive Grandval dam was built. The road follows the banks of the river
and the water is within reach.
On the way to Saint-Flour, you will discover villages perched on hill tops : first
Faverolles and its XVII century medieval Castle of Chassan, Fridefont,
doorway to the Aubrac, and Alleuze, with its castle and its medieval
legends.
Saint-Flour, city of Art and History, emerges in the distance with its lower
town nestled on the banks of the Ander, and the upper town sitting proudly
on its volcanic rock.
