Aumont-Aubrac
The Vía Podiensis
Aumont-Aubrac sits on the N9 highway at the northern edge of the Aubrac plateau and marks the transition between the Margeride granite country you've been crossing and the volcanic Aubrac that lies ahead. It's a small but well-serviced town with everything you need: supermarket, bakeries, butcher, restaurants, pharmacy, ATM, and a post office.
The town's most notable building is the Eglise Saint-Etienne, a fortified church with a robust bell tower that reflects the region's history of conflict. There's also a pleasant town square where pilgrims gather in the evenings.
Several gites and hotels cater to the steady flow of pilgrims passing through. Aumont-Aubrac is the last town with full services before the Aubrac crossing, so this is the place to resupply. Buy food for the next stretch, check the weather forecast, and make sure your gear is in order.
If you arrive on a Wednesday, you'll catch the weekly market.
This is your last chance for full services before the Aubrac plateau. The next town with shops is Nasbinals, roughly 27 km south. Between here and there, services are sparse to nonexistent. Check the weather before setting out: the Aubrac is exposed and conditions can change rapidly.
Market day is Wednesday morning. The town hosts occasional agricultural fairs tied to the pastoral calendar of the Aubrac.
Aumont was historically a staging post on the old Roman road that crossed the Aubrac. The Penitents had a chapel here, and the fortified church reflects centuries of insecurity in this borderland between the Gevaudan and the Rouergue. The town took the suffix "Aubrac" in 1962 to capitalize on the growing reputation of the plateau for tourism and gastronomy.
From Aumont-Aubrac the path heads south, climbing gently onto the Aubrac plateau. The landscape opens dramatically as you leave the town. You're entering a high volcanic plateau that averages about 1,200 m in elevation, characterized by vast open pastures, scattered granite boulders, dry stone walls, and the long transhumance paths called drailles that have been used to move cattle for centuries.
The terrain is gently rolling but exposed. There's minimal tree cover and the wind can be fierce. In good weather, the views are enormous: green pastures stretching to every horizon, dotted with the rust-colored Aubrac cattle that are as much a part of the landscape as the stone walls. In bad weather, it's a different story entirely.
Accommodation in Aumont-Aubrac.
| Gîte d´étape Les Sentiers Fleuris 25+€ 20 |
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| Gîte d´étape Chemin Faisant 17€ 14 |
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| Gîte La Ferme de l'Aubrac-Aubrac Hôtel 12€ 14 Booking.com |
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| Gîte d´étape Ferme du Barry 15+€ 36 |
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| Gîte d´étape Route d'Aubrac 12+€ |
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