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AUVERGNE
The sweeping curves of the Auvergne landscape lend a stark beauty to this undiscovered region of France.
From the prairie-like uplands with their Alpine flora, there are magnificent vistas of long-dead volcanoes, their distinctive cones invite you to explore. This is a classic walking country, where the clanking cowbells are music to the ear of those who tread the wellsigned routes. Spa towns flourished here in the Edwardian era and claims made for the healing powers of their waters still draw the French today. From the fashionable resort of Vichy in the north, to smaller centres like La Bourboule and Le Mont Dore in the heart of the Auvergne, they offer respite in the fresh mountain air. Lively Clermont-Ferrand, home of the Michelin tyre company, is located on the edge of the Auvergne regional park. West of here lie the Monts Domes volcanoes with the famous Puy de Dome at their centre. The villages of Orcival, St Saturnin and St Nectaire famous for its cheese lie between this range and the Monts Dores, dominated by the Puy de Sancy whose dizzying peak can be reached by cable car. This hiking country is transformed in winter into a skiing area. South of the Monts Dores lie the Monts du Cantal, once a single, vast volcano. Again, great walking country, there are breathtaking views from the top of the Plomb du Cantal and Puy Mary. Cantal cheese is produced from the milk of the distinctive red cattle which graze the meadows here, taking their name from picturesque Salers. To the east, in its dramatic crater setting, lies Le-Puy-en-Velay, once a launch pad for pilgrims on the route to Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.
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