The sheep bridge

3 points of interest

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  Agriculture

  The draille (drovers’ road) and the sheep bridge

  The draille (drovers’ road) and the sheep bridge  architecture    The sheep bridge at the Col de l’Asclier is on an important draille (a traditional path for livestock migrating to the upland summer pastures of Mont Aigoual and Mont Lozère), which was also a King’s road during the Camisard revolt in the 18th century, a peddlers’ road and is now a long-distance hiking path. The Col de l’Asclier pass (from Occitan asclar, to split), where the road seems to go through a gap, is well-named: it lies on a fault line in the rock. But the most astonishing is the bridge, a bridge without road. It was built to help sheep flocks negotiate this difficult spot!

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  Natural environment

  The downy or pubescent oak

  Before the pass, you can see a downy oak wood below the path, with some good-sized specimens. This tree is native to low and intermediate altitudes; from the 9th century onwards, sweet chestnuts were planted in its stead. And yet it provides high-quality wood, resists fire and drought due to its deep roots, and shelters a large number of insect and herbaceous plant species (700 different plant and animal species, including 490 of beetles that live in wood).

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  History

  Puech Sigal

  At Puech Sigal (from the Occitan for “rye”), the land has been farmed since the Middle Ages. Some believe that there were local Benedictine monks at the time. Certainly, many areas were cleared and enhanced by monks during that period. This sunny belvedere gives superb views onto the Aigoual massif and the upper Hérault valley. Around the egde of this hamlet with its granite houses are vegetable gardens, meadows and orchards, giving the site the feel of an island amidst a sea of holm oaks and chestnut trees.