Cantal - the juiciest grass of France
The Monts du Cantal are the mountainous heart of the French département with the same name. Here, 13 million years ago, a huge volcano formed. With a diameter of 65 km it was as large as the Kilimanjaro in Africa, twice the size of Mount Etna and therefore the largest volcano in Europe. Later, during the Ice Ages, glaciers carved valleys into its slopes. And because the volcano was a perfect circle, nowadays they radiate from the centre like the spokes in a wheel. There are 20 spokes and all have their own character, which makes a visit the Cantal very varied. With 26 inhabitants per km2 the Cantal is above all green. A paradise for hikers. And for cheese lovers, because the Cantal has the juiciest grass of France.
Cow decorated with ribbons in Allanche.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28877] At Allanche, in the northeastern Cantal, Salers cows are decorated with ribbons in preparation of their festive march to the summer pastures in the mountains. This transhumance normally takes place in the second half of May. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Horses in the Vallée de Cheylade.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28874] In the Vallée de Cheylade near Le Claux horses roam freely in and around the Étang (lake) de Lascourt. In the background rises the Puy Mary, the most prominent mountain of the Cantal. It is the leftover of one of the central lava chimneys of the Cantal volcano, once the largest stratovolcano of Europe. Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28918] The 15th century Château d'Anjony near the village of Tournemire (Cantal.) The castle was built by one of the battle comrades of Jeanne d'Arc and has since been owned by the same family. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Cow decorated with broom in Allanche.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28876] At Allanche, in the northeastern Cantal, Salers cows are decorated with branches of flowering broom in preparation of their festive march to the summer pastures in the mountains. This transhumance normally takes place in the second half of May. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Farmhands preparing for transhumance in Allanche.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28879] At Allanche, in the northeastern Cantal, farmhands are decorating Salers cows with branches of flowering broom in preparation of their festive march to the summer pastures in the mountains. This transhumance normally takes place in the second half of May. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28882] During the transhumance festivities at Allanche a farmhand is dressed in his Sunday-best. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28884] During the transhumance festivities at Allanche a farmhand is dressed in his Sunday-best. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28885] South of Murat, in the eastern Cantal, the fortified church of Albepierre-Bredons emerges from the morning fog. The building, which dates from the 11th century, is the only remnant of a Benedictine priory. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28887] Murat, in the eastern Cantal, has a grey appearance with its slate roofs and basalt rock walls. The hill behind it (topped by a white statue of Mary) also consists of basalt and on the steepest slopes hexagonal basalt columns can be recognized. We are looking at a socalled volcanic plug here: lava coagulated in the duct of an active volcano after which the cone eroded away and the more resistant lava plug remained. Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28889] Cattle are grazing the slopes of the Plomp du Cantal, which is visible in the background. With a height of 1855 meter, it is the heighest summit of the departement and number two in Auvergne. Being the westernmost mountain of France, it faces the wet air masses from the ocean head on and consequently receives 2 meters of precipitation yearly. The result is that it still has a snow cover in june, that the surrounding meadows are so green and the local cheeses are so tasty. Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28891] The Monts du Cantal are the remnants of one single giant volcano. Although glaciers have later eroded a radial pattern of valleys into its slopes, the old surface of the volcanic cone has survived in between these valleys. They are gently sloping planes with a basaltic underground. Here seen northwest of Pierrefort in the southern Cantal. Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28893] Salers cows are very well adapted to the rough conditions in the mountains of the Cantal. They are well protected against the cold by their thick brown pelt and calve without complications. Their milk is the raw material for the famous Cantal cheeses. Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28895] Roses cover a barn in la Rouquette, a hamlet near Cassaniouze in the southwest corner of the Cantal. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28881] During the transhumance festivities at Allanche a farmhand is dressed in his Sunday-best. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28939] A farmer in the northern Cantal holds two Saint Nectaire cheeses, while Salers cows, the suppliers of the milk from which the cheese is made, are looking on curiously. In the background there is a "buron", a barn were once the cheeses were made and laid to ripen. Photo Paul Smit.
Horses in the Vallée de Cheylade.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28875] In the Vallée de Cheylade near Le Claux horses roam freely in and around the Étang (lake) de Lascourt. In the background rises the Puy Mary, the most prominent mountain of the Cantal. It is the leftover of one of the central lava chimneys of the Cantal volcano, once the largest stratovolcano of Europe. Photo Paul Smit.
Farmhands preparing for transhumance in Allanche.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28878] At Allanche, in the northeastern Cantal, farmhands are decorating Salers cows with branches of flowering broom in preparation of their festive march to the summer pastures in the mountains. This transhumance normally takes place in the second half of May. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Farmhands preparing for transhumance in Allanche.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28880] At Allanche, in the northeastern Cantal, farmhands are decorating Salers cows with branches of flowering broom in preparation of their festive march to the summer pastures in the mountains. This transhumance normally takes place in the second half of May. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Farmhands preparing for transhumance in Allanche.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28883] At Allanche, in the northeastern Cantal, farmhands are decorating Salers cows with ribbons in preparation of their festive march to the summer pastures in the mountains. This transhumance normally takes place in the second half of May. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 31120] During the transhumance festivities at Allanche a farmhand and his son are dressed in their Sunday-best. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28886] The 12th century St. Antoine Chapel sits atop a basaltic hill near the village of Chastel-sur-Murat in the eastern Cantal. From its overgrown cemetery there is a fine view of the Plomp du Cantal, the highest mountain of the region. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28888] The valley of the Alagnon river east of Murat. On the horizon the Plomp du Cantal, the highest mountain of the region. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28890] The Monts du Cantal are the remnants of one single giant volcano. Although glaciers have later eroded a radial pattern of valleys into its slopes, the old surface of the volcanic cone has survived in between these valleys. They are gently sloping planes with a basaltic underground. Here seen northwest of Pierrefort in the southern Cantal. Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28892] A pasture covered with broom in the southern Cantal is the result of selective grazing. Cows avoid the plant because it is poisonous. . Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.AUVERGNE 28894] The balconies of the farms in Le Murgat near Cassaniouze have been designed for drying chestnuts. The village is located in La Châtaigneraie, a densely forested region in the southwest corner of the Cantal which derives its name from the production of chestnuts (FR: châtaignes). Photo Mick Palarczyk.
