The two farms of the Causse Noir
Meyrueis
Yellow waymarksNetwork
The two farms of the Causse Noir
Medium
Difficulty3h30
Duration10,4km
Distance+413m
Positive Elevation-413m
Negative ElevationLoop
Course typeYellow waymarksEmbed this item to access it offline
4 points of interest
History
Castle rock
According to a non-verifiable claim from the 17th century, the Roman general Caius Marius had a castrum built on the rock overlooking the village, in 101 BC. However, the first written sources to mention the village date from the 11th c. and refer to the castle, home to the Bermont family. The castle then passed successively into the hands of the Anduze, Roquefeuil and Armagnac families, before falling to Jeanne d’Albret, Queen of Navarre.
Agriculture
Sérigas, Marjoab
Here, local farms breed goats to produce milk for making Roquefort cheese. In the 17th and 18th century, farmers used their milk to make cheese for themselves. In 1842, following the collapse of wool rates, the “Société des Caves et Producteurs Réunis” was formed to centralise cheese-ripening in Roquefort. A large number of dairies were opened in Causse hamlets. It was not until 1929 that the “Confédération des Eleveurs de Brebis et des Industriels de Roquefort” was created to once again jointly manage Roquefort production.
Architecture
The King’s Road
On the other side of the road, you are on the Causse Noir limestone plateau. The vegetation changes; box trees grow all around. In front of you lies the King’s Road. This track is visibly different from others: it is wide, and where it crosses the stream, its importance is shown by the former tancat (a wall built across a waterway to retain washed-off soil and provide a cultivatable surface during drought). Throughout the descent, one can imagine the King’s dragoons and other military convoys that came to impress and convert the Protestants resisting Catholics encountering the coubles, the long lines of mules heavily laden with all the products bought and sold at the Meyrueis fairs.
Architecture
The village of Meyrueis
The geographical location of Meyrueis is remarkable, nestled between the Aigoual massif, the causse Noir and the causse Méjean. Here the Camin Ferrat crosses the Jonte river. Pilgrims and transhumant flocks of sheep stopped in the village before continuing their journey. Many merchants came to its large fairs. Stroll through the lanes and relive the flourishing past of the belle époque. From the prosperous bourgeois residences to the marketplaces, everything still speaks of the past! Sheep’s wool from the plateaux was woven here, silk was spun. There was intense economic activity. In the 17th century, Meyrueis became a centre for hat-making. By 1860, 17 milliners were busy making hats for Languedoc and Provence, beautiful and exceptionally high-quality hats made from felted wool and silk bourette. Discontinued as of about 1920, this activity left room for tourism, which today animates the village.
Description
From Jean-Séquier Square (in the village), take "chemin de la Vinade", a lane going uphill to the right of the Hôtel de l’Europe.
1) Then follow "Sérigas" on the GR® 62a hiking trail. The trail crosses the D39 twice.
2) In Sérigas, walk past the farm building, then turn left to reach the D39 once again. Turn right onto the road, walk for 200m and, having ignored two paths on the left, leave the road for a wide track on the left beyond a group of houses, towards "Le Marjoab".
3) Cross the hamlet of Le Marjoab and 150 m further on take the track on the left.
4) At the intersection of tracks, turn right towards "Meyrueis 4,6 km".
NB! Take a path on the left that goes downhill and around a field to join up with the old Meyrueis-Le Vigan road in a bend.
5) Turn left onto it and walk downhill to Meyrueis. Cross the D 986 and enter the forest opposite. At the crossroads, turn left towards Meyrueis, join up with the road and turn left onto it. Then turn left onto Rue de l’Airette to return to Meyrueis.
1) Then follow "Sérigas" on the GR® 62a hiking trail. The trail crosses the D39 twice.
2) In Sérigas, walk past the farm building, then turn left to reach the D39 once again. Turn right onto the road, walk for 200m and, having ignored two paths on the left, leave the road for a wide track on the left beyond a group of houses, towards "Le Marjoab".
3) Cross the hamlet of Le Marjoab and 150 m further on take the track on the left.
4) At the intersection of tracks, turn right towards "Meyrueis 4,6 km".
NB! Take a path on the left that goes downhill and around a field to join up with the old Meyrueis-Le Vigan road in a bend.
5) Turn left onto it and walk downhill to Meyrueis. Cross the D 986 and enter the forest opposite. At the crossroads, turn left towards Meyrueis, join up with the road and turn left onto it. Then turn left onto Rue de l’Airette to return to Meyrueis.
Departure : Meyrueis: Place Jean-Séquier
Arrival : Meyrueis: Place Jean-Séquier
Towns crossed : Meyrueis
Altimetric profile
Recommandations
Make sure your equipment is appropriate for 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.
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
Transport
Bus stop: Office de tourisme, place Sully
- Bus line 259 Mende - Sainte Enimie - Meyrueis
- Bus line 215 « Millau – Peyreleau - Meyrueis »
Access and parking
From Florac or Le Rozier on the D 996.
Parking :
Meyrueis
Source
CC Gorges Causses Cévenneshttps://www.gorgescaussescevennes.fr/
Parc national des Cévenneshttp://www.cevennes-parcnational.fr/
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