St Lary – The Village – alt. 675 m
St Lary is a compact cluster of old houses; pale walls and decorative slate roofs nestle into the lush greens of the surrounding woods and meadows at the meeting of two mountain rivers near the head of the Vallée de la Bellongue. To the north are the forested slopes of the Cornudère ridge, culminating in a grassy crest at 1500 metres. To the south twin tributary valleys, dotted with tiny hamlets and isolated barns, lead to the wide expanse of high summer pasture beneath the pyramidal Pic de la Calabasse (2210 metres). As well as the Auberge de L’Isard, with its café-bar and restaurant – which is also the local newsagent! - St Lary is lucky to have a small ‘épicerie’ where Françoise Pages sells all the essentials – including the best local cheese – some of which is made in the village itself. Like all mountain communities, the village population has shrunk in recent years, as it becomes harder to make a living from the animals that have always supported the traditional pastoral lifestyle – but there are now seventeen children who call St Lary home, so the future is looking promising.
