la croix de gattigues

Near Florac in the Cévennes Causse region on the southwest flanc of Mount Lozère, one peak – the Puecheral – stands out from the others. On this day, the hike starts from Bedouès. In thick fog we set out for the summit at a modest 1000 m altitude. Fifteen kilometres in the fog can be very demotivating, but we hope for the best.

Ninety minutes out, the fog lifts, or rather the fog ceiling drops and we are suddenly in brilliant sunlight. Emerging from the gloom, we witness a spectacle of nature experienced only by those who take time to hike in the mountains. Valley floors of the Tarn, the Tarnon and tributaries covered in white fog, but peaks and plateaus in such intense light the eyes almost hurt. This is wintertime, so the low angle midday sun provides sidelit contrasts that are only visible a few months of the year. Continue reading “On the Puecheral”

Hiking in south central France

This site is about walking, mostly in south central France. South central France means the Cévennes mountains, the Grands Causses area with it’s plateaus and canyons, the departments of Gard with the garrigue landscapes, the Vaucluse, the Herault, sometimes the Ardèche, the Aveyron and the Drôme. There are descriptions of interesting walks. And a focus on technology – namely the hardware and software you might use while hiking. There are also references to cartography both in the field and on the computer screen back home.

Hiking in this region is about observing and understanding the landscapes, villages, farms and ancient ruins and the geological curiosities. Often the subject of interest is not the “what”, but the “why”. Why did people settle here hundreds of years ago ? Why did the ancient trade routes pass this spot ?

In this region, traces of human activity are everywhere – in the still occupied villages and farms, but also in the undergrowth, on the riverbanks and and on the abandoned hillsides. This site aims to explore these subjects, traveling on foot, at about 3.5 km per hour.

For every walk mentioned in an article, the site provides a downloadable gpx file suitable for use on a handheld gps device. The site provides additional access to a database of some 500 circuits also complete with downloadable gpx. It is worth noting however, that a gpx track is a perishable commodity. Over time waymarkings change, land owners block walking routes, obstacles appear. For this reason, when available, dates of the most recent passage on the circuits are also provided. Use with care.

Posts

Chabrolières

On the Puecheral