Family Holidays in Auvergne: A Visit to Port- Sainte-Marie

There’s really no defence against a merciless summer sun. Mortals though we are, we’ve learned how to find refuge in oases, places where tree canopies or rushing water have a mitigating and bewitching power, shielding us from the worst of the elements and offering — in the right moments — a glimpse of paradise. Since at least Roman times, Auvergne has been seen as one such oasis. Yet there are oases within oases, and in the Combrailles, a lush and sylvan micro-region within Auvergne’s Puy-de-Dôme department, the exasperated traveller, hounded by the oppressive heat, can find lesser-known “Edens”.

One of these off-the-beaten-path escapes, the ruins of the Charterhouse of Port-Sainte-Marie, is located about 45 minutes west of Clermont-Ferrand, just outside Les Ancizes-Comps. Formerly a Carthusian monastery, Port-Sainte-Marie was founded in 1219 and thrived for over 500 years before shutting its doors during the French Revolution. 

Its timeworn remains, picturesquely overgrown with wildflowers, moss, and ivy, have since gained a new life as a family-friendly visitor attraction. The cells, storerooms, halls, and kitchens where the monks once laboured and prayed are now populated with a dozen whimsical installations, including wooden games and life-size sculptures depicting characters from the Brothers’ Grimm and other classic fairytales. Young children will appreciate the overall magical feeling of the place, which is easy to navigate, and full of flat, grassy spaces for picnics.

Families who visit Porte-Sainte-Marie should also explore the path that winds around the western side of the monastery. This trail runs along the Sioule River, eventually leading to the 385-hectare (953 acres) Lac des Fades, the largest body of water in the Combrailles. Easy-going hikers need not walk all the way to the lake, though, as there’s plenty to see along the way. 

For instance, about 10 minutes into the route, a narrow trail forks off from the main path, leading to a secluded, sandy beach: the kind that brings to mind the fictional riverside adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Here the sunlight, filtered through the leaves and tempered by the riverbank breeze, smiles rather than scorches, and sparkles as it passes through the shallows. Then the magic of this oasis within an oasis, the same spirit that doubtless enthused the Port-Sainte-Marie Carthusians in their solitude hundreds of years ago, shows its power. As the minutes quickly turn into hours, the half-wild beauty of the Sioule and its surroundings trigger a blissful but temporary forgetfulness, not just of the city and its heat, but of society and its sorrows.