From Clermont-Ferrand To Bézier
La Meridienne Must Be One Of The Great Drives Of The World
Jul 31, 2008
The viaduct soars for two and a half Kilometres at a height of 240 meters over the river Tarn. This is high enough to be above the clouds in the early morning. The tallest tower is a staggering 340 meters high and the Englishman Norman Foster’s design used five times the weight of the steel in the Eiffel tower.
la Meridienne has not finished with you yet as you climb higher and higher to reach the plateau of the Auvergne and drive for kilometre after kilometre at over 1000 meters above sea level. The mountains ring your vision and the twin strips of road snake and curve ahead as you pass herds of cows and small plateau covered with wheat.
The snaking descent down towards Clermont Ferrand returns you to a more normal France. The A74 has allowed you to effortlessly explore country which previously was only accessible by tortuous mountain roads or on foot. The A74 is also the E11, one of the Euro routes aiming to link the edges of the EU together. The A74 is free because of European money was used to build it, apart from the section of the Millau viaduct. At around six euros this has to be the best value toll anywhere in the world.
Those who drove this route before motorways will remember the four hour queues into Millau and then out again on the other side. Out of pure nostalgia as you journey south exit the autoroute two junctions before Millau. The descent into the valley down the old Route National is as inspiring and testing as ever. The difference now is there is virtually no traffic so you are able either to enjoy the view or test your driving skills.
Lodève is one of the towns which the new Autoroute has bypassed. You can see the town’s former importance by the large number of hotels which line the old narrow roads which wind through the town and over the river. Now it makes a pleasant place to stay and walk in the cool of the evening. Be sure to visit the war memorial which was sculpted by Paul Darted. The war memorials of France are poignant and painful reminders of the losses the country suffered during two World Wars. The memorial at Lodève is movingly beautiful.
Another very worth while side trip is to visit the Wolves at Gévaudan. Take exit 37 and follow the signs to the park where wolves are roaming in virtual freedom. Although the guided tours are only in French the information boards are in English. By keeping just ahead of the guides you will see the Wolves come out of the trees to receive their snacks from the guides. This is an opportunity to see these wonderful animals close-up in their native habitat. The park is open for most of the year apart from an annual closure in January February.
la Meridienne has much to show you and is more than a simple way to cross French mountains to the sea.
