La Roche de Solutré

Climbing la Roche de Solutré and then enjoying lunch at La Courtille de Solutré has become a traditional part of each visit to Lyon.  

La Roche de Solutré - 

taken from the trail to the parking lot

The Roche is a limestone escarpment in the middle of vineyards about 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Mâcon in southern Burgundy.  People have been hanging around the rock for 55,000 years or so.  Back in the early days, people in animal skins hunted small horses and other animals.  Archeologists began excavations at the foot of the rock in 1866.  They have found remains from prehistoric times that are some of the richest in Europe in bones and stone artifacts. Following their discovery, the Rock gave its name to a culture of the Upper Paleolithic, the Solutrean. Today there is an excellent museum and interpretive garden at the base of the Rock to give visitors a glimpse of their findings and of life many, many years ago.  

And, of course, there is a well-maintained trail climbing up to the top of the rock. The Rock and climbing the Rock has attracted media coverage since the 1980s when French President François Mitterrand started to make ritual ascents of the peak once per year.  We have been climbing the Rock since 2011.  The two previous times we followed the trail up the rock, Anna wore a brace on her right knee (one was pre-surgery and one just post-surgery).  This year she was very happy to make the climb without hardware (although she did use an elastic wrap just to be safe).

Anna at the top of The Rock

David at the top of The Rock

The spring was colder and wetter than usual, and the wildflowers were pretty impressive this year.

The view from the top is spectacular and well-worth the hike:

We accidently “discovered” La Courtille de Solutré on our first trip up the Rock.  

Picture of La Courtille de Solutré taken from their website

Solutré-Pouilly is the village closest to the base of the Rock.  It is a little village and La Courtille de Solutré, a country auberge, is pretty much the only place in the village to get a meal.  We just walked up and got a table on our first trip; since then we have been careful to get reservations.  This little restaurant in this very little village is Michelin rated!  And, the food is fantastic.

The menu of the day

David's entrée (first course) a delicious pâté 

Anna's entrée - mussels ("absolutely delicious!")

Our wine - perfect accompaniment!

David enjoying his plat (main dish)

Anna enjoying coffee after another amazing meal

Needless to say, a trip up la Roche de Solutré followed by another delicious lunch at La Courtille de Solutré is already on the agenda for our next visit to Lyon.