Nom de l'itinéraire The Causse Méjean circuit, GR de Pays

Meyrueis

Nom de l'itinéraire The Causse Méjean circuit, GR de Pays

Agriculture and livestock farming

Embed this item to access it offline

This circuit will awaken all your senses with its steppe-like landscape resembling Mongolia, its fantastically shaped dolomite rock, its flora that is at once Mediterranean and montane, and its reintroduced vultures.

Here is scenery to leave a lasting impression. The austere-seeming plateau will surprise you by its human, scenic and natural diversity! Be prepared to listen; take the time to contemplate. You will be re-energised. Here, the horizon is far off.

10 points of interest

Agriculture

Terrace

Throughout the climb, you will see abandoned former crop terraces. A few grapevines have persisted since local wine-growing came to an end. They bear witness to the fact that the slopes around these hamlets and villages were once cultivated and planted with fruit trees and vines. Terraces like these were the only way for the valley's inhabitants to have flat areas with deep soil suitable for growing.

History

Hyelzas

In the hamlet of Hyelzas, a typical Causse plateau farm has been recreated down to the last detail. It consists of several buildings made from the local material: limestone. Visitors will learn how the traditional life of inhabitants of the Causse Méjean was organised in the 19th century. Their activities followed the rhythm of the seasons.

Fauna

Vultures

You are close to the historic site where the griffon vulture was reintroduced from 1982 onwards. Since then, the cinereous vulture (1992) and the bearded vulture (2012) have also been reintroduced. The Egyptian vulture returned of its own accord in 1986. It nested locally in 1997, but it remains rare and very localised in this region. In the Mediterranean basin, the presence of vultures is associated with sheep farming and herd mortality.

Landscape

Balcon du vertige (vertigo balcony)

This site, almost 400m above the bed of the Jonte, deserves it name. It is the only spot on the walk from which you have such breathtaking views over the gorge. Opposite you is the Causse Noir, with a heavily fissured rock in the foreground, the Ranc del Pater, on which remain some wall sections of Saint Michael’s hermitage (former château of Montorsier). The tall rectangular cliff on its right is known as Roc Fabié. If you lean forwards, you can see, from upstream to downstream, La Caze and Le Truel hamlets, and below you the Maison des Vautours (vulture belvedere), which was opened in 1998 and traces the local history of vultures.

Agriculture

Capluc and its terraces

As you leave Capluc, you become aware of how the site, which at first sight seems barren, has in fact been shaped by humans. All of this south-facing slope, which is protected by the tall dolomite cliffs, was farmed using terraces (grains, fruit trees, grapevines). Temperatures are so favourable that the most southern Mediterranean vegetation of the region grows here (narrow-leaved ash, jasmine, Montpellier maple, holm oak, etc.).

History

Capluc

Capluc was once a defensive and surveillance site, with a castle that (like many of the village’s houses) no longer exists. Some of the houses were renovated once a track suitable for motor vehicles was opened to the hamlet. The name Capluc is believed to come from cap and luz, meaning head and light, thus symbolising the place illuminated by the first rays of the rising sun.

Architecture

Rieisse

"On the square in the hamlet of Rieisse, you'll be able to admire a communal oven. The gable of the house right next to it has gutters which lead into a former cistern inside. All the rainwater from the roof converged on this tank, inside the kitchen, via gutters that were made first of wood and later of zinc. The cistern has a depth of 2 to 5 m and a capacity of 10,000 to 30,000 litres. When the foundations of the sheepfold were dug, Roman pottery for keeping resin was found. Indeed, whenever pine trees were felled, the resin was extracted and sent to the coast, where it was used to caulk boats. (M.P Leroy-Delmer)

Archaeology

The White Lady of Anilhac

The valley of Carnac is one of the most fertile on the Causse. The relatively deep soils and numerous wells (17 in Caussignac) have attracted over a third of the plateau’s population. Its tumuli (individual tombs) have been excavated; one is believed to date from the Iron Age. Next to some carbonised bones, a large quantity of jewels was found here, which proved both the gender and the social status of the buried person. She has been nicknamed the White Lady of Anilhac.

History

Le Buffre cross

This is one of the oldest and most handsome crosses in Lozère. On its cylindrical pedestal (12th c.), which is set on three steps, two persons face each other on either side of a holy water basin representing a human face. The basin is carved into the pedestal and also projects from it. The more recent actual cross is believed to date from the 18th century. Le Buffre cross is one of many that dot the Saint Guilhem route, to both guide and encourage pilgrims.

Architecture

The church of Hures

The church was founded in the 11th century by the Benedictine monks of Sainte-Enimie to expand their arable land. It was built in four stages:
- The choir in the early and the nave in the late 12th century,
- the right-hand chapel in the 14th century,
- the left-hand chapel in the 18th century.
Each enlargement of the building corresponded to an increase in the Causse population. The nave has a beautiful window. To the right of the entrance is a funereal recess, which probably belonged to a local dignitary and in which were deposited a number of bones removed from the buried body.

Description

This GR® [long-distance hiking path] offers 5 days of hiking departing from Meyrueis:

1) Meyrueis - Hyelzas: 13.8 km
2) Hyelzas - Le Rozier:17.4 km
3) Le Rozier - Les Vignes: 11.5 km
4) Les Vignes - Mas St Chély: 15.5 km
5) Mas St Chély - Meyrueis: 5 ½ hrs / 21 km

As a variant, you can also pass through Rieïsses to reach La Viale.

All information on this itinerary in its totality can be found on the site monGR.fr of the French hikers’ federation, the Fédération française de la randonnée pédestre. Map ref. IGN 2640 OT

Departure : Meyrueis

Arrival : Meyrueis

Towns crossed : Meyrueis, Hures-la-Parade, Saint-Pierre-des-Tripiers, Le Rozier, Massegros Causses Gorges, La Malène, Mas-Saint-Chély

Altimetric profile

Recommandations

NB: The section along the edge of the Causses between Cassagnes and Le Rozier is vertiginous.

For various reasons, the waymarked path may differ from that shown in the topographic guidebook: please follow the waymarks on the trail. Make sure your equipment is appropriate for several days of hiking as well as the day’s weather conditions. Remember that the weather changes quickly in the mountains. Take enough water, wear sturdy shoes and put on a hat. Please close all gates and barriers behind you. Bivouacking in the National Park’s central zone is regulated and, on some stretches, prohibited.

Is in the midst of the park

The national park is an unrestricted natural area but subjected to regulations which must be known by all visitors.

Information desks

Tourism'house and national Parc at Florac

Place de l'ancienne gare, N106, 48400 Florac-trois-rivières

https://www.cevennes-gorges-du-tarn.com

info@cevennes-parcnational.fr

04 66 45 01 14

This office is part of the National Park's associated tourist-information network, whose mission is to provide information on, and raise awareness of, the sites and events as well as the rules that must be observed in the National Park's central zone.

On site: exhibitions, video projections, events and shop Open year-round

Find out more

Transport

Accès en bus : ligne Millau-Le Rozier-Meyrueis Ligne quotidienne toute l'année. Horaires différents en fonction des périodes scolaires et non scolaires
Ligne 215 Autocars Causse + 33 (0)6 65 61 24 16
Navette en été Millau-Le Rozier-Meyrueis Ligne 257 : https://fr.calameo.com

Access and parking

Parking :

Meyrueis

Source

Comité départemental de la randonnée pédestre 48http://lozere.ffrandonnee.fr/

Fédération française de la randonnée pédestrehttps://www.ffrandonnee.fr/

Report a problem or an error

If you have found an error on this page or if you have noticed any problems during your hike, please report them to us here:

Boutique