The Region

The town and the surrounding region

People come to the Auvergne for its vast spaces, its beautiful nature and authentic culture. Whether you want to put on your walking boots, canoe down a wild river or just hole up in a country auberge you’ll feel good in the Auvergne. The history of France is round every street corner here and, comfortably ensconced in our CELTA centre, we certainly feel its presence.

In Puy you can stroll down to the local market for your shopping and you’ll probably bump into some pilgrims en route as it also happens to be the crossroads for those coming from Switzerland and northern Europe en route to St Jacques of Compostela. After teaching practice it’s nice to huddle round a table in one of the many taverns and restaurants in the town and with the help of some really excellent red wines from the region mull over the events of the day.

Did you know that Robert Louis Stevenson trekked through Auvergne on a donkey?

A bit about Robert Louis Stevenson: He was born in Edinburgh into a wealthy family, his father was a famous engineer. In fragile health, his parents regularly took him on trips to the sea but also to the mountains.

An avid reader, he discovered the Auvergne trilogy written by George Sand, who had travelled several times through the Vellaves lands that it describes so well. These novels, and in particular “Le Marquis de Villemer”, the plot of which was played out in the Puy-en-Velay region, reminded him of the Highlands of Scotland but also the story of the “Highland Covenanters” whose exploits had rocked his childhood.

Very early on he was attracted to literature, he abandoned his law studies and went to live in France where he fell in love with Fanny Osbourne, an American painter, but she had to return to the United States…

Disappointed, even if he did not want to admit it and breaking with his family and friends, he left in 1878 to isolate himself in Monastier sur Gazeille where he explored the place, took notes and observed… After a month, he decided to go on a roaming trip south. To solve the problem of carrying his equipment and provisions, he chose to be accompanied by a donkey that he named “Modestine”… And off he went for a 12-day trip that has become a mythical book under the title “Journey in the Cévennes with a donkey”.

A year later, he will leave for California to join his great love!
Unforgettable author of “Treasure Island” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, he died in 1894 in the Samoan Islands.

In 1978, a hiking route was set up under the name “Stevenson’s Trail”. This GR 70, which bears the colours of Scotland (blue and white), has become a hiking trail known throughout the world.