24-Oct-2011

The Surrounding area

We are in the southern Cevennes, an area characterised by an amazing diversity of landscapes and an unspoilt rural and wilderness environment.   Go east, west, north or south and you will find yourself in completely different surroundings, of which the common features are wild natural beauty combined with the human interest of tiny villages and remote farms.  We are on the edge of the Cevennes National Park, designated by UNESCO as a world heritage biosphere reserve http://les.cevennes.free.fr/en/national-park1.htm on account of this extraordinary diversity.  Despite the proximity to the Mediterranean coast, the Cevennes are relatively little known and visited.   You can walk mountain paths where you will meet no-one, cycle on a vast network of virtually traffic-free roads, take your pick of an infinity of splendid picnic sites, swim in pristine rivers.   All this you can enjoy from our base only 7km from the lively market town of Le Vigan, and an hour's drive from the buzzing metropolis of Montpellier.

View from Esparon (above)
Cevennes and distant Alps (above)
Vineyard and olive groves in Vallée de la Bueges

Highlights

Perhaps the best way to appreciate the Cevennes is just to wander the paths or cycle the back roads, discovering different villages, valleys, rivers and views.  Much of what is magical about this area is not particular sights, but in the fact that you can just roam and discover.  Whether you travel by car, bicycle, on foot, or any combination of the 3, you will find much to fascinate and wonder at, and endless peace, quiet and fresh air.  The following are just a few of the places we find particularly special.
 

Gorges de la Vis: A spectacle of geology, this gorge cuts through  limestone strata deposited over millions of years in the waters of the Tethys Sea, of which the Mediterranean is a remnant .  The river Vis does a disappearing act, going underground to re-emerge at the Source de la Fous, where you can walk to a historic mill deep in the gorge and see the clear water gushing out of the earth.  This can be done as an easy morning's walk (our daughter Hannah did it when she was only 3), or combined with the many paths that run through the gorge and along its rim to make an outing as long as you wish.  For cyclists there are several circular rides that cross the gorge, a fantastic contrast to the open savannah-like plateau on either side.

The Vultures of Le Rozier:  One of the great re-introduction success stories of the world, these magnificent birds, exterminated in the mid 20th century, now fly once more in this part of their natural range.  Griffon and black vultures were re-introduced from Spain, but the Egyptian vulture has appeared spontaneously.  At the visitors centre you can watch their nests on closed circuit TV, as well as seeing them wheel around the cliffs above.   http://www.vautours-lozere.com/ 

Mont Aiguoal:  The highest mountain, surrounded by rolling uplands of pine and beech forest, this is the place to go if you're finding things a bit too hot down below in summer.  There are several ways to walk up, or you can make take in the summit on a variety of circular bike rides.  Or you can drive up!  On a clear day you can see both the Alps and the Pyrenees from the summit.  You don't have to go right to the top to get a fantastic view though.  You can walk or cycle up part of the way starting from our place and enjoy and immense panorama out towards the Mediterranean, glinting in the distance. 

Gorges de l'Herault:  to the south, the Herault river flows through wild and empty garrigue country.  Roads run along part of its lower course, giving easy access to some delightful swimming spots, but for much of the way you can only get there on foot or by canoe (canoes can be hired from several places near Laroque).

Herault River swimming spot
Walking path near the Herault

St Guilhem-le-Desert:  a beautifully preserved medieval village built around a Romanesque church in a wild rocky valley.  A visit can be combined with a number of splendid walks and bike rides.  The surroundings are typically Mediterranean - a blaze of flowers in spring, drying out through the hot summer.  Just to a little further south the hills drop down to the wine country of the Herault plain near Gignac.

View of St Guilhem-le-Desert (above)
The main square in St Guilhem-le-Desert (above)

Markets: Le Vigan has a big Saturday market year-round, and a smaller producers' market on Tuesdays in the summer.  Ganges has a particularly lively market on Fridays and there are many more markets slightly further a field.  The Cevennes is home to a great number of small producers, many of whom farm organically, and these markets are the place to buy their wares.  Put together a picnic for the riverside or a mountain pass, or just to eat in the shade of the mulberry trees on our terrace. 

• Cevennes National Park
  • Tourism guide
     
• Vultures of Le Rozier
  • Vautours Lozere
     
• Montpellier
  • Tourism guide