Le Mas Breton

4 points of interest

• Agriculture

  Terraced cropland

  Above the road, you can see ten or so crop terraces (bancels), built in a small valley between two rocky spurs. Until 1962, these sheltered terraces were still planted with potatoes and vegetables. In this area, it took human ingenuity to build small walls in the tiniest hollow so as to accumulate and retain soil in which to grow food to live on. Often, soil was brought up from the valley bottom in baskets to improve these terraces. In the valleys, it was retained by purpose-built dams, so-called tancats. (P. Grime)

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  Flora

  The forests

  It is worth noting the difference in exposure, and therefore in vegetation, of the two slopes. The side of Le Masaout faces north, is less steep and has been planted with sweet chestnuts, which prefer deep, well-drained soil. The slope climbed by the path is steep and south-facing, and up to a certain altitude is thus better suited to holm oak, a variety that likes dry environments and contents itself with poor soils. The oaks can be found growing quite high up this slope, while the chestnuts grow in the small valleys, where a less shallow layer of soil has accumulated. (P. Grime)

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  History

  The mills

  In 1809, there were 1,268 mills in Lozère, about one for every 100 inhabitants. These mills stopped work in the late 19th or early 20th century. There were wheat mills, but also oil mills. Nowadays, the ruined mills are very often partially hidden by lush vegetation, which includes alders (easy to identify by their red roots, which like to soak in the river). (P. Grime)

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  Architecture

  La Coste

  The architecture in La Coste is neat, with beautiful stone door frames and window frames and rounded corner stones. Renowned stone carvers and masons came from this Cévenol hamlet.

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