Saint-Roman

Fauna and flora

History and culture

Embed this item to access it offline

As you walk the ridge known as Gallows Ridge, admire the Vallée Borgne and the Vallée Française, one on each side. But make sure you don’t bump into the Lord of Moissac at the summit… That’s where he used to hang convicts!

3 points of interest

History
Saint-Roman de Tousque
The village of St-Roman de Tousque, which is part of the municipality of Moissac Vallée Française, owes its development to its location on the Corniche des Cévennes road, which facilitated the expansion of trade. In the 17th and 18th century, the village had a large number of artisans and shopkeepers. During the Camisard War, a company of the King’s troops was stationed here. The Camisard Lafleur came to sing psalms in front of the Catholic church, accompanied by six men. Believing themselves to be under attack, the soldiers barricaded themselves in, leaving the Camisards free to torch the church. The 19th century saw several Protestant commemorations.

It was in St-Roman de Tousque that the hymn of the Cevenol protestants, La Cévenole, was sung for the first time, during the bicentenary of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in 1885.
History
Serre des Potences (Gallows’ Ridge)
Almost at the summit of the ridge, where the schist bedrock is relatively flat, are three holes 35 cm in diameter and 45 cm deep. They form an isosceles triangles with sides 2.4 m long. The holes were for chestnut poles linked by horizontal beams, from which the condemned would be hung.

The gallows belonged to the Lord of Moissac, who meted out justice in these parts. In the Middle Ages, each château had its gallows. They were located close to the château (here, about 2 km away) and visible to the valley’s peasants and to travellers on the ridge track. You have to imagine the ridges without trees, as they would have been in those days.
Fauna
The sweet chestnut orchard
This chestnut orchard consists of ungrafted shoots (bouscas). A herd of goats from the hamlet of Fobies grazes here regularly, keeping the undergrowth down. This well-maintained orchard has more species diversity than a chestnut orchard that is not grazed. In the latter, you will find thorny and low woody plants – brambles, ferns, broom, heather – while a grazed chestnut orchard has a wide range of small plants: grasses, herbaceous plants, legumes, orchids, etc. This diversity shelters and feeds many insects, birds, snakes and mammals.

Description

From the car park at the holiday village, go back up the D 140 for about 300 m and carefully cross the D 9 (Corniche des Cévennes) to enter the village of St-Roman de Tousque.
Take the small road on the left, which soon turns into a track. Leave the track shortly afterwards to walk alongside the dry-stone wall of a property on the right. When you arrive at a field, cross it by walking along its right-hand edge. Then follow the path that climbs to the ridge and to the summit of Gallows Ridge (Serre des Potences). Continue on this path, which leads to a track. Turn right onto the track.
Turn right onto the Corniche des Cévennes (D 9) and walk for about 200 m. Caution: stay on the side of the road! Take the first path which goes downhill on the left and plunges into a chestnut forest. It crosses large schist rocks from which you can admire the Gardon valley.
Take the path on the right. It crosses a drystone bridge over the Valat du Bouscayrol river. Once you have reached the D 140, near the hamlet of Fobies, turn left. After the second hairpin bend, leave the road and take the track that goes downhill on the right.
At the hamlet of L’Espi, the track becomes a tarred road. Continue uphill on the road to the holiday village of St Roman de Tousque to return to your departure point..

Departure : Village de gîtes in St-Roman de Tousque
Arrival : Village de gîtes in St-Roman de Tousque
Towns crossed : Moissac-Vallée-Française, Saint-André-de-Valborgne

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.

Information desks

Office de tourisme Des Cévennes au mont Lozère

le Quai, 48220 Le Pont de Montvert sud mont-Lozère

https://www.cevennes-montlozere.com/

info@cevennes-montlozere.com

04 66 45 81 94

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

Tourism office Des Cévennes au mont-Lozère, Sainte-Croix-Vallée-Française

Mairie, 48110 Sainte-Croix-Vallée-Française

https://www.cevennes-montlozere.com/

info@cevennes-montlozere.com

04 66 45 81 94

Find out more

Access and parking

From Le Pompidou, on the Corniche des Cévennes (D 9). At St-Roman de Tousque, turn left onto the D 140 and park at the holiday village (village de gîtes) of St-Roman de Tousque.