Puy de Dome (borrowed without approval from https://tinyurl.com/tripadvisorpuydedome)
Final Thoughts in the lounge
I had hoped to visit Puy de Dome, an extinct volcano near Clermont-Ferrand. Online it was unclear if the bus service from the station was running hourly or every two hours – the last check I undertook prior to leaving home only showed the two-hourly timetable. This would have meant a very tight connection into the train to Beziers (the hourly service would have made it easy). I therefore abandoned the idea without checking in Clermont-Ferrand as I wanted to avoid the related stress.
The entire trip including hotels and meals cost around £1050 for the hotels, rail travel, meals and the final flight back to the UK (although that was not the full cost of the air flight as Jackie let me use a voucher).
In terms of main line rail travel the costs were the Eurail ticket £130.17 and the extortion (to my mind) fees for the seat reservations between Paris and Clermont-Ferrand (both ways) and between Beziers and Nimes which cost £50.03. In total £180.20.
In terms of distance it was around 811 miles. This works out at around 22.2p per mile – which means that it is slightly more than I spend on most of my single day outings in the UK. However on none of the four days was I travelling by train all the time – so it is not an entirely similar comparison. Had I wished more mileage might easily have been added.
Metro and tram trips were additional mileage and cost. They were an absolute bargain in my opinion.
Travelling with a heavy case was not helpful on the metro and lifting it above my ahead (and down again) received some welcome assistance a couple of times. On the return to Paris it was in the vestibule out of direct sight which also worries me.
Overall I thought it went well. I did everything planned and had some surprises along the way. And it was something I have not done for a very long time. I may do it again when the opportunity present itself.
An earlier start today as I want to be in the station in plenty of time for my train to Paris. I bring my case down to breakfast so that I can depart immediately.
The train back to Paris Bercy is pretty busy and we run more or less to time. As we are retracing our steps from Friday I half watch the countryside passing by whilst continuing to catch up with the soaps – largely listening rather than watching on a small screen.
Lamb Gare de Lyon 4.8.25
I have a lot of spare time and walk up to Gare du Lyon for lunch. Some very nice lamb. Like in Beziers I have great difficulty getting a second glass of wine. There appears to be something wrong in France as getting alcohol seems far more difficult. In both cases when I order I have some of the first glass left – which they try to remove – I paid for it, I want to drink it! Then the second glass turns up long after I have consumed the accompanying food. Have the French started disapproving of alcohol consumption or has the liver specialist a direct line to these people!
I then retrace my steps to Bercy Metro station and once again take Ligne 6. Prior to starting the holiday I researched our various metro trips and discovered that being August both main routes to Orly airport are closed for enhancement and so this is not a simple journey. At Place d’Italie I have to transfer to Ligne 7 and head to Villejuif Louis Aragon where at the end of the line I follow the signs to Tram 7 which can take me the airport.
From Villejuif Louis Aragon it takes about half an hour to reach Orly and the tram deposits me at T4 which is not helpful so I now have to follow a trail of signs for T1 which is where the flight departs. The signs eventually lead me to Orlyval which is providing only a shuttle between the T4 building and the T1-3 building as Ligne B at Antony is unavailable being one of those closed for works routes! It takes a few minutes and I am eventually in the right place – and a good three hours before the plane leaves.
The Vueling (allegedly BA but not – just code share) bag drop is at one end of T1. The plane will depart from D gates. Nowhere is it made clear that D gates are actually in T3. It is far from clear that there are really three terminals within the building and it is not clear to me why the nomenclature of three terminals is used as the signs imply you are “leaving” terminal 1 which I find disconcerting – it does not assist the casual traveller.
We load the plane and actually take off a couple of minutes early, arriving into Gatwick very early after a particularly short flight, much less than advertised. We are however at the gates in South Terminal which are as far away from immigration as it is possible to be. Ending up at these gates seems to be an ongoing experience down the years. The immigration hall is completely empty and I walk straight up to the passport scanning machine – which does not work and I have to go and see a man.
No luggage has been delivered in the baggage hall so I have to wait. Then down to catch the first Reading train which is not the one on my ticket but the very kind guard lets me travel home – as luckily it is the right half hour and will stop at Sandhurst.
A taxi takes me back to the station and here I have a real problem with SNCF. If you close the toilets because you are seeking to make station improvements then at least advertise the existence and location of the replacements. I understand that they might not have the same capacity but some travellers need those facilities. Not a single sign that I could see explaining where the temporary toilets might be. Luckily a member of staff was able to direct me – and she was only there looking for a passenger in need of assistance whom she could not find.
When planning the trip I paid little interest in the first trip today as I just needed to get from one branch line to the other branch line which commences at Nimes. So a TGV is great and I had no idea that the line runs almost along the edge of the Mediterranean between Adge and Sete with the Med on one side and the Etang de Thau on the other. In bright sunshine. A lovely trip. At one station we wait for a long time – but we are on time so it is built into the timetable, presumably for connections. At one station our departure has been announced after about 5 minutes and two people opposite realise they should have got off the train and make a rush for the door – they did not return so I assume disembarked.
Nimes Arena 3.8.25
In Nimes I have time to kill and therefore walk up Avenue Fuecheres which is tree lined and leads towards the older part of the town – dragging my case however makes it a relatively slow journey. At the top of the Avenue I find a Roman Arena – which I am advised is the most complete one in existence – I merely look at the outside . I return to close to the station and have lunch as I know getting a meal later in Clermont-Ferrand could well be difficult. The highlight is a proper steak tartare – which was excellent.
Steak Tartare Nimes 3.8.25
Then the cool of the station before the train appears on the display boards, picking up some food for dinner before we depart. Now I have to admit that I have a sneaking suspicion that I covered this line, southbound, on a night sleeper in 1976 on my Interrail – but as it was in the dark I did not see the scenery and so I will consider it a first traverse.
Scenery 3.8.25
This is known as la Ligne des Cevennes and it snakes north joining the line out of Clermont-Ferrand I used yesterday at Arvant. The unit is bi-mode but runs in diesel at all times (there is a short distance at each end which is electrified). The distance is around 148 miles and takes 4 and a half hours so around 33 mph today. Based on what I saw I thought the gorges and similar were more attractive than yesterday. But perhaps some of the time I was on the right side of the train today!
Interesting ticket check on this journey – and implies a potential problem. Obviously we are eventually in a remote area but we have not gone that far when the tickets are checked. I now find that the barcode is NOT on the phone itself. I go through the menu items (there should be a single link to the current ticket in the app) and it will not display. The guard is understanding and eventually enough of a signal becomes available and the ticket displays. It strikes me that the app creators have not thought this through. Tickets in the UK are delivered as similar barcodes in pdf format and can be held on the phone locally without the need to access a remote server – travelling across Europe I would have expected something similar as being recognised as essential given how remote some lines must be.
84699 Clermont-Ferrand 3.8.25
Motive power between Nimes and Clermont-Ferrand was 84699 which is a dual mode unit but ran entirely under diesel power – even when overhead power was available throughout the journey. Alstom Coradia family with 242 units in service starting in 2013. They are widespread across France providing a decent ride – although today we did not experience much in the way of high speed – as the line has a lot of gradients and curves.
Arriving in Clermont-Ferrand there was an ancient diesel at an adjacent platform which was photographed – but precisely what it was doing I am unsure. I then retreated to my hotel, booked in with a cup of coffee and I find that Jackie has been watching the soaps since she returned. I now have great difficulty getting the Synology Drive to sync – the phone seems to work but the ipad – which is what I would like to use for the larger screen simply will not sync properly. So annoying.
After the induced panic of yesterday morning today was expected to be a relative oasis of calm – and in hindsight in most respects it was. However I had forgotten that SNCF have a devilish trick up their sleeves. They might call it a through train with a single reporting number and no connections but (and we have experienced this before in Corsica) it means nothing of the sort.
However before we get into that I have a continental breakfast and then have about three hours to kill so I go and sit on Voie H of Clermont-Ferrand station. I swear that at a station which has 9 platforms not a single train moved for at least 45 minutes at one stage during my wait – proving that there is huge capacity which simply does not exist on our railways. I cannot think of a 9 platform station in the UK which would see no movement for nearly an hour. I eat some lunch before my train is announced.
I know the line over the Central Massif (la ligne de l’Aubrac) is electrified so I am a little bemused when a diesel is the nominated train this morning at Clermont-Ferrand. It is heavily loaded (more or less full – partly due to it being the holiday season I suppose) and we proceed to Neussargues. Where we are all dumped out of the train onto the platform to await a train. Our train changes its destination from Beziers to Aurillac (another line which deserves a visit). Then a diesel pootles in from Aurillac, presumably heading for Clermont-Ferrand.
27895 Neussargues 2.8.25
Finally just in time our electric train trundles up the platform and there is a mad rush to the few doors. We scramble onboard, after just about everyone else gets off (because they do not want to make a return journey). Our nice electric surges off up-hill and I assume that the two diesel trains then head off to their destinations. Oddly the guard we had from Clermont-Ferrand remains with us for a large part of the journey. After checking my ticket earlier she and another passenger ensured I understood the need to change train at Neussargues – although of course it is theoretically a “through” train.
This line is known as either La Ligne d’Aubrac or La Ligne des Causses and the point of this trip is the scenic outlook. From Clermont-Ferrand to Neussargues it is mainly heavily wooded with river crossings passed far too rapidly to capture. Climbing to Neussargues my ears might have popped once but leaving the latter I think they then popped twice in rapid succession. The only seat I could find is facing backwards on the right side of the train and certainly for the hour after the change of train the wonderful landscapes are on the other side of the train. So I might have to go this way again. There are a couple of branch lines which deserve a visit in my view.
There are a number of highlights on the trip. Viaduc de Garabit was designed by Eiffel – but is not really visible from the train and not from the seat I had. A little later we pass close to Roquefort but bringing cheese back from France is not allowed at present. Finally we pass under the Millau viaduct which is an architectural wonder. Millau is also notable as a point where many of my fellow travellers leave the train – including the guard. Thereafter the train is largely empty. I suspect that the subsequent stations can be reached more speedily by the less direct routes. I am not sure anyone manages the entire trip with me.
Scenic route 2.8.25
By road it is 165 miles and I assume similar by rail. However it is 6 and a half hours – which is about 24 miles per hour. So it is a long slog. Of course there are numerous stops – but speeds are limited by curvature and gradients. However given that at least 2/3 of it from Clermont-Ferrand to Millau was largely full I am surprised that it is felt one train a day is adequate.
Viaduc de Millau 2.8.25
Some years ago we stayed in Carcassone and drove over the Viaduc de Millau as well as going across countryside to look at it. Today I managed to travel underneath it – the railway was here first. The service then passes through Roquefort although with only a single train a day it is not possible to leave the train and buy some.
Beziers is the end of the line for me and I had already decided that as the hotel is not immediately adjacent to the station that a taxi would be a good idea. As it turns out the town has something of a very large hill. No comments on the hotel as that was clearly a mistake.
Sunset Beziers 2.8.25
I did however get some lovely shots of the sunset after dinner.
Having spent a week on a Seine cruise (covered on the main holiday blog) this is an add-on excursion which is intended to visit some of the scenic French lines. I have about a 20 minute walk first – because the adjacent Ligne C station is closed for summer engineering works. On my walk I note a small siding where a freight is loading or unloading by crane – almost in the centre of Paris – it is a different world!
First panic of the day comes when I have to grapple with Navigo (the ticket system) at Balard, the next nearest Metro station, which is at one end of Ligne 8. With a case in front of me to push through I miss the green go signal and cannot then get through the gates as it believes I am already the other side of the gate at this station. I eventually cheat by following a family through a wider gate I should have used in the first place. At La Motte Picquet Grenelle station I change trains and lignes and at this point I do wonder if I am trying to do too much. If they have lifts or escalators in France they cannot be bothered to tell travellers and getting up to Ligne 6 proves a challenge with a heavy case. Once there I deliberately choose to travel in the wrong direction as this line crosses the Seine adjacent to the Eiffel Tower. Much of Ligne 6 is above ground allowing views of parts of Paris from above.
26034 Paris Bercy 1.8.25
Changing platforms and reversing direction at Trocadero proves to be another weightlifting challenge. I had dressed for the initial damp weather seen outside the boat earlier. However the sun is now out and the temperature is rising, particularly under a lightweight rain proof coat! In this direction Ligne 6 crosses the Seine twice before I alight at Bercy. Emerging from the Metro the main station is invisible – although it should be in front of me – pavement works completely block my view of the station entrance. Once in the station I have an hour to wait and I eventually find a seat and buy lunch before the train is announced. Judging by the descending horde it will run full.
Loco hauled we wind through the Paris suburbs initially alongside the TGV lines from Gare de Lyon and soon we are progressing at a decent speed. I get the iPad and phone connected to the on board wifi. Accepting the defaults on the iPad gives me a map of our route and when updated shows the current train location. Our train runs quite a bit of the journey at 120mph according to the speedometer on my phone.
A ticket check is satisfied by my seat reservation as at this point I have not worked out how to get the barcode of the ticket to appear on the phone within the Interrail app. Later I do find out how to do it and I am a little surprised it was not requested. However it should be a single tap (current journey or similar) and should be stored on the phone (see Sunday).
It is around 215 miles to Clermont-Ferrand taking 3.5 hours implying an average of just over 60mph. We pass towns and farms – primarily a lot of dairy farming country – plus the odd sunflower field. There is not that much wine growing along this route – nor that much grain – there has been some but it does appear that most of the local harvest has been completed.
I keep an eye on Jackie’s progress homeward and she is about 30 minutes late into St Pancras. Apparently she had some helpful guidance to platform A where her Thameslink arrived late coinciding with her arrival on the platform. I could see the train recovering time as it heads towards Redhill where she finds the lift doors open in front of her. It is a tight connection and as the lift arrives at the departure platform so does the train and she gets home as planned.
We run slightly late at one point (about 5 minutes) but we are marginally early when we reach Clermont-Ferrand. A lift down to the station subway is welcome – although there is a huge queue and it takes at most three people and cases at once! That takes me down to the underpass and there is an escalator up to road level (I later find that there is also a lift).
Steak frites 1.8.25
My hotel is across the road. Soon booked in and in my room with dinner booked for 7:30 downstairs – a nice steak and chips and a carafe of wine which goes down very well after the busy day.
