The Cévennes

The mountains and valleys of the Cévennes were inaccessible for centuries. Today, they offer wild, moody landscapes and a sense of discovery.

Natural Languedoc Roussillon, South of France

The Cévennes - Natural France

The Cévennes are remarkably diverse. It’s a land of rocks and forest, rushing waters and dry valleys, bleak in places, and lush in others. In the north are jagged crests between mountain-tops, ancient mountain paths, and the peaceful Méjean plateau giving way to fertile grassland and valleys. In the south, the landscape becomes more Mediterranean, with forests giving way to terraces green with vineyards, olive groves and mulberry bushes.

The region is an important conservation area. The Cévennes National Park was classified as a ‘World Biosphere Reserve’ by UNESCO in 1985. More than 200 species of flora have been found here. Wild boar, stags and roe deer stalk the forests; wild vultures fly above the dramatic landscapes. The soil is fertile and unpolluted. For centuries, chestnut groves have provided food for the locals. The mulberry tree became the ‘tree of gold’ in the Cévennes: silk was spun here from the 13th century, until at the end of the 19th century Saint-Jean-du-Gard was the major centre with its 23 spinning mills. Almost all of the hamlets in the three main valleys shared in the prosperity.

Throughout the region’s towns and villages, traces of the past are clear to see. A rich mixture of influences - from French Protestant to the French Résistance - have contributed to the colourful history of the Cévennes. There are some fascinating museums which offer a genuine insight into this region, such as the museum of the Cévennes valleys at Saint-Jean-du-Gard, and the Museum of the Desert at Mialet, which chronicles Protestantism in the region, and is named after the so-called ‘desert’ period for the Protestant faith (1685-1787), between the Edict of Nantes and the Edict of Tolerance.

The Causses and the Cévennes, have been added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in 2011 as Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape. The drailles or drove roads are representative of agro-pastoral systems. Mont Lozère, inside the property, is one of the last places where summer transhumance is still practiced.

Mont Aigoual France : listening to the skies

In the Cévennes, at an altitude of 1567m, is the Mont Aigoual Observatory. This high weather station has a stunning mountain setting where meteorologists and their machines monitor and predict the weather 24 hours a day. The station also offers stunning views, from Mont-Ventoux to Mont-Blanc, from the Canigou to the Pic du Midi, from the Chaîne du Puy to the Mediterranean.

Mont Aigoual Observatory Tel: + 33 (0)4 67 82 60 01 Website

The Cévennes with a donkey

Riding through the Gard, Herault and Lozére, you’ll find the Cévennes, a country of vastly contrasting landscapes. A donkey is the ideal companion for an excursion of one or more days to explore the heart of the Camisarde, on the trail of the celebrated Scottish writer and hiker RL Stevenson.

"Stevensons Way" Association: Website 

INFORMATION - Tourist Office - Tel: + 33 (0)4 67 82 64 67 Esperou/Camprieu Website
- Tourist Office Tel: + 33 (0)4 67 82 25 10 Valleraugue Website
- Tourist Office - Tel: + 33 (0)4 67 81 01 72 Le Vigan - Website