valley of Bes | Rosemary's Blog

Hiking in France 2: Andy Goldsworthy Sentinels

May 27, 2013

Andy Goldsworthy sentinel near Authon

Andy Goldsworthy built three sentinels in this part of France, and we hiked to two of them — the Authon sentinel on Day 2 and the sentinel in the valley of Bes on Day 4. All are accessible by road, but Jean-Pierre felt that hiking to them would give us a better feel for the land elements that inspired Goldsworthy. The sentinels stand like guardians in the landscape. Although there is no mortar in the stacked stones, they are solidly built — sturdy and steadfast.

Day 2 was perhaps the most challenging day of hiking for me. We were on the trail from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Jean-Pierre had to make last-minute changes to our planned itinerary. We were to have sheltered for the night in one of the Refuges d’Art (huts that housed a Goldsworthy sculpture), but the mountain road was too muddy, and it was impossible to get a vehicle up there with our heavy bags and camping supplies. The adapted itinerary kept us hiking, sometimes off trail, and through more difficult terrain, for a longer-than-normal day. At times I felt like a mountain goat! My worst moment was slipping on a rock and stepping one foot into slimy, smelly swamp sludge. There was also a scary traverse across scree, short, but Jean-Pierre escorted us safely across one by one. I had a terrific workout, and the reward for the day’s efforts was seeing the first of Andy Goldsworthy’s sentinels.

Terrain Day 2

The Vancon Valley

I found this shell fossil in a rock along the trail. This part of France has many fossil sites.

Cherry blossoms near our lunchtime picnic spot

Guide, Jean-Pierre

First glimpse of the sentinel near Authon

This sentinel is situated in an open space at a curve in the road.

The shape of the sentinel mimics a distant mountain peak.

That’s me with the sentinel!

Sunset at the sentinel

On Day 4, after another day of hiking, we saw a second Goldsworthy sentinel in the valley of Bes. This one was situated in a natural alcove in the looming rock. It felt like a tiny beacon in a dominating landscape, and yet it felt protected, sheltered and cocooned.