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Wise Pilgrim APPSaint-Chely sits in the Boralde valley at the foot of the Aubrac plateau, and the contrast with the high pastures above is immediate. You've dropped from open grassland into a green, wooded valley with a village of stone houses along a stream.
The village has gites, a hotel or two, restaurants, and basic supplies. The 16th-century Pont des Pelerins (Pilgrims' Bridge) over the Boralde is a single elegant arch that has carried pilgrims across this stream for 500 years. It's a small bridge, but it's a genuine medieval pilgrim structure and worth pausing on.
The Romanesque church has been modified over the centuries but retains its original proportions. In the village you may notice carved scallop shells on door lintels, a reminder that this has been pilgrim country for a very long time.
The village's name derives from Saint Eligius (Saint Eloi in French, "Chely" in local dialect), the 7th-century bishop and goldsmith. The Pont des Pelerins dates from the early 16th century and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.
From Saint-Chely the path follows the Boralde valley south, gradually descending through woodland and farmland toward the Lot valley. The terrain is gentle and shaded after the exposed Aubrac. You'll pass through several small hamlets before reaching Saint-Come-d'Olt on the banks of the Lot.
