Yesterday in light drizzle,  we headed off to Montluçon to swap our hire car. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we could only hire the car from E Leclerc (supermarket) for a month, and our stay here is over six weeks. Mick washed the car the day before, but the rain ruined his work. When the girl was checking the car for any damage, she was not too pleased at the dirt on the car (which I tried to explain had been splashed up during our drive in to Montluçon). We explained that we were returning the car and that we were hiring a second car and that perhaps we were going to get the same car, so she agreed to check if that was the case.

No, it would not be the same car, so we headed off to find a car wash before returning it and getting a car that looked identical to the previous one, except it was an older model, and Mick is sure the previous person who hired it had very smelly feet.

Anyway, as we are on the countdown somewhat to our stay in the Auvergne, we have decided to make the most of it and to visit somewhere new most days. And, today we chose to go to Ébreuil. Sadly, the rain was heavier today than yesterday, but we decided to make the most of it.

It was and amazing drive which followed the Sioule River for most of the way. I have borrowed this image of the Gorges de Sioule to the left as it was unsafe to stop and get this photo – and it is clearly not raining in this image. Some parts of the road reminded us of our favourite spot in France – near Caudiès.

This section of the road only went for a few kilometres – most of the road followed the river quite closely.

This part of France is obviously very popular in summer – and we saw evidence of lots of restaurants, camping areas and canoe hire places.

But, not today!

Ebreuil is classed as “a small city of character”, and it had a sign at its entrance claiming this fact. I am unsure what that really means, but I assume it means it’s quaint.  It is just outside the department we are staying in (Puy-de Dôme), and is located in the Allier department. Being located on the banks of the Sioule does make it look very attractive, but the town is most famous for its 11th Century Abbey – Saint-Léger – which was founded in 1080. Obviously it has received some maintenance as it looks amazing.

The three-storey bell tower, built in the 12th century, has blind arcades on the first level, which may suggest that it was designed as a defensive dungeon. The rest of the facade and the nave date from the 11th century. The abbey is one of the very few churches in France and the only one in Auvergne to have a nave of Carolingian style of the eleventh century. The remarkable framing and murals are unique.

Mick got excited when I told him that this area had once been a very successful wine growing region. He was eager to see what the local wine tasted like. I then told him that sadly the vines were destroyed in the 19th Century by the phylloxera virus. But, he got over his disappointment quite quickly.

Standing proudly in the town’s centre, near the Marie, was the statue honouring the dead.

Tomorrow, we are heading to the local restaurant in Teilhet where we have had lunch for the last few Fridays. It will be our last visit as the couple who runs the business is going on holidays. It is has been a highlight of our stay here, and hopefully I can share that in a later post.