- General
-
The Cévennes are the rugged foothills of the Massif Central, bordered
on the north by the 1699m high Mt.Lozère and in the south-west by the
1569m high Mt.Aigoual. The west of the Cévennes are formed by the
Causses, the gigantic mosaic of a limestone plateau. This high ground is
separated by the Tarn, Dourbie, Jonte, Vis and Traévezel rivers that
over millions of years have carved their imposing ravines.
The tourist traveller or biker is offered fantastic highways and byways such
as around La Malene, Les Vignes or Florac where the roads have to make their
way over the steep, 500m high hills. But to really discover the charm of this
landscape one has to leave the main roads. On our tours we always left the
main routes to use the side roads such as the D28 just north of St.Croix in
Vallé Francaise to travel up in the mountains. In this backwater one
can almost touch the stillness as described in Jean Carrière's novel
"The Sparrow Hawk from Maheaux". Although we were travelling in the main
holiday season of August, we also left the main 'panorama' roads like the
Corniche des Cévennes so that we did not have to overtake all the
mobile campers and caravans. We only had this problem in the Tarn Gorge but
then one has a better view from the peace and quiet of a canoe. It is possible
to hire boats all along the river. By keeping one's eyes open, one soon sees
from the roadside posters that almost every village stages a summer festival.
Whenever possible, one should not miss one of these - then one can get closer
to the people and French culture.
- History
-
The Cévennes has a tradition of resistance. After Louis XIV withdrew
the Edict of Nantes in 1685, which had half given religious freedom, there was
a great wave of Huguenot refugees throughout France. This was not the case in
the Cévennes. The Huguenots (the name comes from the French term for
'confederates') stayed and resisted him.
In 1702, the government exorcist Abbé du Chayla was killed by the
families of those he had murdered in the prison he kept at his mission in Le
Pont-de-Montvert and the Camisard War started. The Protestant rebels, known as
"Camisards" on account of their wide shirts, caused unexpected trouble for the
dragoons. They forced the royal troops into a new kind of warfare: guerrilla
war.
The Camisards fought in small autonomous groups in familiar country and always
managed to inflict resounding defeats against the royal guard. Nevertheless,
the rebels could never gain the upper hand but the war came to an end in 1787
when Louis XVI safeguarded the Protestant's longed-for religious freedom.
Just how the memories of this time had stayed alive was clearly shown during
the last war. The Cévennes was a refuge for very many who could not be
allowed to fall into the hands of the Nazis or the Vichy militia. Irrespective
of origin or religion, anti-fascists and Jews were taken in. Those who were
especially endangered were taken over old sheep tracks high in the mountains
and hidden in wood-cutters huts or sheep stalls. As shown in the time of the
Camisards, the Cévennes proved itself an ideal country for partisan
operations. The area around Mt.Aigoual was a natural fortification from where
bitter resistance was carried out. The resistance today is mostly against the
property speculators and over exploitation of natural resources. Also, the
mistrust of everything that comes from Paris has stayed.
- Getting There
-
It's a long haul by road from the Channel ports, over 1000km from Calais even
using the autoroutes via Paris and Lyon, so best to take it easy and spend a
few days to get there and see other parts of eastern or central France along
the way.
- Time to Travel
-
Whereas the southern foothills of the Cévennes lie under the influence
of the Mediterranean and give hot, dry summers and mild winters with low
rainfall, the north is dominated by more extreme weather. Although the summers
are also hot and dry here, the late autumn brings heavy rainfall which in a
cold winter readily turns to deep snow that can stay until the following
April. The best time is autumn when the weather is at its most comfortable. In
spring (May) one must be prepared for rain and cold winds.
- Eating and Drinking
-
Alongside the climate border runs a culinary demarcation line too, where the
Cévennes is divided into an 'oil half' and a 'butter half'. Olive-oil
predominates in the south and cooking is commonly with 'herbs de Provence',
basil, rosemary and thyme but in the northern mountains one finds more basic
and solid food such as bacon and sausages of all types.
Almost all restaurants offer good value lunch menus which regularly consist of
three-courses and are cheaper than the evening meals. Those catering for
themselves will find enough variety in the markets all over the region. One
should not be without a French 'menu translator', available from several
publishers.
- Accommodation
-
There is no lack of camping-sites in the Cévennes - the best placed
sites are found all along the river sides. There is not the same concentration
of hotels here as in the coastal region but outside of the high season there
should be no trouble to find a room. In the peak times of July and August it
is better to book well in advance. Hotel directories can be found in many
books on France or from the
French Tourist Office
179 Piccadilly, London, W1V 0AL
Tel: 0891-244123 (premium rate line) or 0171-493-6594 (FAX)
- Maps
-
Michelin No.80 (Albi-Rodez-Nimes, 1:200,000) is recommended for most purposes
but for walking or just for more detail, the 'Série bleue' maps to a
scale of 1:25,000 are to be recommended (which cover the same area as the
Michelin map but on six sheets).
- Literatur
-
Two books with useful chapters on the Cévennes are:
- "The Nature Parks of France",
by Patrick Delaforce pub. by Windrush Press 1995 at $10.99
- "Auvergne and the Massif Central",
by Rex Grizell - a French Regional Guide pub. 1989 at $9.95
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