Lique Ser
5 points of interest
- History
The age of silk
From the 19th century onwards, the silk industry developed in the Cévennes: tanneries gave way to spinning mills. The mills used water not only to treat the silkworm cocoons (which were boiled to prepare the silk) but also for the steam-driven spinning machines. In the second half of the 19th century, diseases strongly reduced silk production, which was also subject to competition from foreign silks and then from artificial silk. The silk industry went under in 1965. - History
The tanners’ district
La Calquière district gets its name from that of the ditches in which the tanners soaked their animal skins with limestone, which is called cauç or calç in Occitan. All along the Gardon there were tanneries because its acidic water was good for rinsing the skins, which was indispensable for obtaining high quality products. - Architecture
The Château de Nogaret
Built in the 11th century, the Château de Nogaret stood on the only road linking Saint-André de Valborgne with Le Pompidou. It is believed to have been constructed to serve as a stronghold and to defend the Vallée Borgne. It was set alight in 1628 during the war between the Duke of Rohan and Louis XIII, and again in 1704 by the Camisards, before being rebuilt in the 18th century. This private property still belongs to the Manoel de Nogaret family.
“This small château is one of the finest examples of the fortified manor houses built towards the end of the Middle Ages by minor local lords wanting to free themselves, at least symbolically, from domination by their feudal overlords.” (Isabelle Darnas - Les châteaux médiévaux en Cévennes). - History
Lique Ser
Lique Ser path goes up to the famous Corniche des Cévennes, a ridge between the two departments of Gard and Lozère. This road, which is busy these days in summer because of its superb views, has not always been a holiday address.
In the days of Louis XIII and XIV, this was the route of the dragonnades and the repression of Protestantism by the King’s army after the Revocation of the Edict (the billeting of deliberately ill-disciplined soldiers in Protestant households) of Nantes. This ridge gave the soldiers, known as the King’s dragoons, strategic viewpoints. The road was abandoned from the 19th century onwards. In 1930, after lengthy renovations, it was opened to traffic again, becoming a major tourist route - Architecture
A grapevine ravine in schist country
Schist (slate) is omnipresent all around you. Dark, with silvery reflections and a reddish oxidation due to naturally occurring iron, schist is the local building material par excellence. It is the perfect material for covering roofs. It can be turned into solid cobblestoned tracks called calades, where the stones are arranged tightly against each other on-edge. The dry-stone walls that you can see almost everywhere are also built from schist. These walls have largely withstood the test of time, though less so over the past decades because of a lack of maintenance. In the old days, they were regularly repaired, since they retained the terraced cropland for subsistence crops, including the indispensable sweet chestnut trees and, here, grapevines.
Description
The departure point is at the old St-André bridge. Cross it and turn left towards “Les Vignes”. Shortly afterwards, follow "Rougeiresque" uphill into the grapevine ravine, towards the Corniche des Cévennes road.
- At “Rougeiresque”, take the track on the right to the signpost “Chemin de Castanet”, then continue on your left towards “Malataverne”.
- At the signpost “Malataverne”, leave the track and take the path on the left towards “Réservoir du Serre”.
- At “Réservoir du Serre” continue on the path on your right to return to the village on a tarred lane, the Nogaret road. As you enter the village, in front of the signpost “Les Vignes”, head towards “Saint- André”, on the left bank.
- Departure : St-André-de-Valborgne
- Arrival : St-André-de-Valborgne
- Towns crossed : Saint-André-de-Valborgne
Forecast
Altimetric profile
Recommandations
Information desks
Tourism & national parc'house
Col de la Serreyrède, 30570 Val d'Aigoual
The Maison de l'Aigoual houses the tourism office Mont Aigoual Causses Cévennes and the Maison du Parc national. This visitor centre provides information on and raises awareness of the Cévennes National Park, its sites and events as well as the rules that must be observed in the National Park's central zone.
On site: changing exhibitions, video projections, Festival Nature events and shop Open year-round
Tourism office Mont Aigoual Causses Cévennes, Saint-André-de-Valborgne
les quais, 30940 Saint-André-de-Valborgne
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.
Transport
(in term time).
Access and parking
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