Walking in the Cevennes. Janette Norton
and shut according to the humidity, are the huge Carline thistles which grow on the upland steppes; unfortunately they are so often picked that they are becoming rare. The only bushes that survive the onslaught of the herds of sheep are the prickly blackthorn (sloe bushes), which tend to circle the shallow water-filled depressions called lavagnes.
If you want to discover orchids then walk up the rocky Gorges du Tarn (Walks 21 and 22) in May when it has just rained – the author saw more species in one day than ever before, including red and white helleborines, purple broomrape, birdsnest orchid and the rare spiky lizard orchid.
Suggested books: Mediterranean Wild Flowers by Marjorie Blaney and Christopher Grey-Wilson (Harper Collins). This is a complete guide with over 2000 illustrations. It includes illustrations of the different pines and deciduous trees to be found in the southern area.
Flore du Parc National des Cévennes – obtainable at the park shop in Florac (French only). Lots of photos of the flora to be found in the national park and on the Causses.
Wildlife
The Cevenese people have always been great hunters and probably needed to be in order to survive. The new ecology movement has been slow to get off the ground amongst the older farmers, though an awareness of the need for conservation is growing amongst the younger generation.
With the setting up of the Cevennes National Park in 1970, certain species have been reintroduced to the area, such as the Grand Tetras (capercaillie) (see Mont Lozère walk), the mouflon (a type of sheep originating from Corsica), black woodpecker and the bald-headed vultures on the edge of the Causse. As all the animals are protected the numbers of deer, mountain hares, badgers, foxes, squirrels, pine martens and wild boar have increased, as have birds such as owls, thrushes (once trapped) and woodpecker.
Wolves have, as yet, not been reintroduced, probably because of the flocks of sheep, but in the 17th century a certain wolf became a legend. The Beast of Gévaudan, as it was called, took a liking for the tender flesh of young girls and killed over 50 people, striking terror to the whole region before being shot by a local hunter.
Weathervane in Pompidou village(Walk 28)
On the windswept Causses I have seen hares, weasels, stoats and small deer, though there seems precious little for them to eat and very little cover. There is a wide variety of bird life; you can hear the larks and the cries of the pipits and see the hawks hovering overhead. On the cliffs surrounding the gorges are birds of prey such as buzzards, eagles and the bald-headed vultures, the latter recently introduced – it is a moving experience to watch these enormous birds with a tremendous wingspan floating, seemingly effortlessly, round and round in the thermal currents like a crowd of paragliders! There are also swifts, swallows and crows; by the river banks are kingfishers, dippers, wagtail and inoffensive grass snakes which live off the fish.
On the lower slopes on the Mediterranean side of the Cevennes, where it is hotter and drier, one is frequently alerted to rustling in the undergrowth. This could be attributed to the thousands of tiny lizards, which abound everywhere, a grass snake or a viper, which are rarely seen, or one of the huge iridescent green lizards which at 60cm long are the largest in Europe. The air is alive with the rasping noise of the crickets and other insects. One of the more fascinating is the preying mantis, which does look as though it is praying but has the reputation of eating its mate!
But the most curious creature I have seen in the Cevennes was when I was walking round the Mont Lozère in the pouring rain; suddenly at my feet slithering across the path were four lizard-like creatures, black with big bright yellow spots. These are called spotted salamanders, and they only come out when it is raining hard, normally preferring to rest in swamps and ponds.
SOUTHERN CEVENNES
WALK 1
Circuit de L’arre
| Start point | Central square – Le Vigan |
| Height gain | None |
| Difficulty | Easy short walk with no height gain |
| Time | 1hr 45mins (plus time to look round the museum) |
| Maps | Cartes IGN 2641 ET Top 25 Mont Aigoual/Le Vigan |
| How to get there (from Le Vigan) | The walk is from the town itself. Park behind the town hall (Mairie) where there is a lot of space and make your way to the main square. |
| Signposting | Yellow splashes on the first half but not very obvious Red/white splashes of the GR after the bridge at Alvèze |
This is a very pleasant, easy walk along the Arre river and could be combined with a visit to the interesting Cevenole Museum installed in a former silk-weaving factory. It enables the visitor to see what life used to be like in the Cevennes region. One of the rooms is dedicated to traditional crafts, such as basket- and barrel-making, gold prospecting in the rivers, pottery and ironwork. There are informative displays concerning the chestnut industry, silk making, sheep raising and bee keeping, which were the sources of income until the end of the 19th century. Also shown are models of the different styles of architecture – the farms in the Causses area being quite different from those in the mountainous regions.
The Arre river rises in the St-Guiral area of the Mont Aigoual and flows down the mountainside through the town of Le Vigan. It is joined by numerous other mountain streams before itself joining the Herault after 25km. Like other rivers in the area the water level can suddenly rise dangerously high if there has been a lot of rain. For information concerning the town of Le Vigan see Introduction, ‘Southern Cevennes’.
(1) From the western end of the square with the church up on the right, go down the Rue Pierre Gorlier, where there is signpost indicating‘Musée Cevenol’(with a bookshop on the corner). Follow this narrow street over a bridge, then cross the road to the right signed‘Musée et Vieux Pont’(still the Rue Pierre Gorlier). Go along here and turn left on the Rue des Calquires, passing the museum on the right.
Musée Cévenol, Rue des Calquières, Le Vigan. Tel. 067 81 06 86. Open times: November to April – Wednesdays only, 10.00–12.00 and 14.00–18.00; May to October – every day except Tuesdays, 10.00–12.00 and 14.00–18.00
(2) Turn left on the Rue du Pont just before going under the bridge and then take an obvious hairpin back onto the bridge. There is a lovely view to the right of willow trees and the river Arre rushing over rocks when the water level is low enough; there is a weir on the left, but a new bridge further on mars the view. On the other side of the bridge take the first turning right on the Rue Cap du Pont ignoring a yellow cross (10mins).
(3) The narrow road passes a large rock and continues with houses up left and open fields with the river beyond on the right. At a pillar (where is the other one?) keep on the road and then straight ahead at a crossroads – you are now going through woodland. Go past gates on the right and then you can see La Fabrèque, a big run-down, ugly-looking house which used to belong to the Count of Sporta of the nearby village of Montdardier. There are no yellow splashes here (20mins).
(4) Turn right on a narrow paved drive, which goes to the left of the building and then continues down over a dry riverbed by an aqueduct covered with vegetation. On the left are dilapidated gates and sinister tall pines surround the whole area. There is a partially hidden blue splash on the aqueduct wall (25mins).
(5) Do not continue up the overgrown jeep track but go right and then immediately left on a narrow path through the pines with a moss-covered wall to the left. Continue upwards (the wall goes off to the left) through mixed woodland and then chestnut trees, going up man-made log steps. The path