From Le Vigan to Mont Aigoual – 5 days

5 steps

1. 

   Hiking on foot

   Le Vigan

   From Le Vigan to Mont Aigoual – Day 1

   Agriculture and livestock farming

   • Difficult
   • 3h30
   • 9,5km
   • +982m

2. 

   Hiking on foot

   Arphy

   From Le Vigan to Mont Aigoual – Day 2

   Agriculture and livestock farming

   Fauna and flora

   Forest

   • Medium
   • 2h30
   • 11,6km
   • +342m

3. 

   Hiking on foot

   Dourbies

   From Le Vigan to Mont Aigoual – Day 3

   Agriculture and livestock farming

   Fauna and flora

   Forest

   • Medium
   • 3h
   • 10,3km
   • +582m

4. 

   Hiking on foot

   Val-d'Aigoual

   From Le Vigan to Mont Aigoual – Day 4

   Agriculture and livestock farming

   • Medium
   • 4h30
   • 17,4km
   • +401m

5. 

   Hiking on foot

   Bréau-Mars

   From Le Vigan to Mont Aigoual – Day 5

   Architecture and village

   Fauna and flora

   Forest

   • Medium
   • 3h30
   • 8,9km
   • +86m

14 points of interest

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  History

  The origins of the mouflon

  Marker 6
  L'Abeuradou is located on a draille, a drovers' road for shepherds and their flocks to move between the plains of Languedoc and summer pastures on the southern Massif Central. The name L'Abeuradou indicates that it is a spot where the flocks drink and rest before continuing their long hike. Today's domestic sheep is descended from the mouflon. Since being introduced to the slopes of Mont Aigoual, the mouflon has thus been rubbing shoulders with its cousin, which grazes here in summer. Their cohabitation does not seem to be a problem for the livestock farmers.

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  Natural environment

  Irregular forest

  This tree population consists of trees of very different diameters, ages and heights. Species are mixed: mainly pine, but also beech, rowan and whitebeam. This is an irregular mature forest, a forestry dynamic that is interesting for several reasons: it creates permanent forest cover; resistance to soil erosion; better resilience against storms or parasite attacks; regular production, etc. In the small clearing to the left of the path, the sunlight now penetrating to the forest floor has made natural regeneration of beech and fir possible, ensuring the renewal of the forest.

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  Know-how

  Productive forest

  Marker 2
  Another method of creating a durable forest cover is to plant or sow. This work is carried out either on bare soil or among existing tree stands. The Aigoual reforestation programme was a gigantic effort, requiring 900,000 days of work, the planting of 60 million conifers and 7 million deciduous trees, and sowing of 38 tonnes of seeds. Spruces and pines, which can be planted in full sunlight and grow quite quickly, were widely used. Under the forest canopy, preference was given to firs.

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  History

  From beech copse to mature plantation

  Marker 1
  Around 1850, before reforestation began, the inhabitants of the Cevennes were using local wood resources on a massive scale for heating and in industry, especially spinning-mills. Gradually, only a few beech copses remained, which were cut every 25 to 40 years. Grazing by tens of thousands of sheep further reduced the herbaceous plant cover. Much weakened, the plant cover was then also subjected to heavy precipitation, the so-called Cevenol episodes. It is against this backdrop that the lengthy work of the foresters began. To reduce risks and establish a lasting forest cover, the first technique was to make use of what was already present by converting the disused copses into mature plantations.

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  Agriculture

  The association "Terres d'Aigoual"

  The Cévennes National Park rents out part of the building to the association, enabling local farmers to sell their products directly to the public. The association brings together farmers who wish to promote what they produce and share their know-how. They also enjoy sharing their vision of farming- high quality produce and products,

  - human-sized farms,

  - mutual aid.

  Come and discover their products!

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  Agriculture

  La Serreyrède

  Before 1861, the house at the Col de la Serreyrède was inhabited by two families of farmers. They owned some livestock and had a vegetable garden, whose terraces you can still see above the La Caumette track. From 1861 on, the farm was inhabited by a forest ranger. It was only bought by the state body Eaux et Forêts in 1883, to be turned into a forester's house. It became one of Georges Fabre's headquarters during the reforestation of the Aigoual massif. The Cévennes National Park, tourism office and Terres d'Aigoual growers have now joined forces to revive La Serreyrède with the help of the Communauté de Communes Causses Aigoual Cévennes – Terres solidaires.

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  Water

  Two waterfalls... Find the Hérault!

  Faced with these two threads of rivers, geographers hesitated between flow rate and length, and finally designated the waterway below you the Hérault while the waterfall opposite you was named the Dauphine. Two remarkable plants can be seen here: orpine (Hylotelephium telephium) with its succulent leaves, a food source for the larvae of a butterfly that is in strong decline all over the Massif central: the Apollo (which may be seen from mid-July to mid-August); and Prost saxifrage, which forms regular cushions that are easy to recognise. They enable it better to store what little water is available. It is a plant endemic to the Cévennes.

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  Water

  River capture

  Violent precipitation and the steep gradient of Mediterranean torrents cause regressive (i.e. upstream) erosion of the valleys through which they flow. This erosion can invert the sense of flow and thus “capture” for the Mediterranean a waterway that had, until then, flowed into the Atlantic. One example is the Hérault with its waterfalls, the capture being located at the falls. The Hérault and the Dauphine brook used to flow via L'Espérou into the Dourbie... River pebbles found around the village by geologists attest to the existence of a waterway in the past.

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  Flora

  Summit of Mont Aigoual

  At an altitude of 1,565 m, the climate is harsh: weather conditions are the same as they would be at 2,000 m elsewhere, with only four “frost-free” months a year. Winds of above 60 kph blow on 265 days a year, and the average annual temperature is 4.8°C. Trees do not have enough time to complete their life cycle. Local plant formations are those of the montane zone: subalpine short-grass prairies.

• 

  

  History

  The meteorological observatory

  Inaugurated in 1824, the meteorological observatory was built on the initiative of Georges Fabre, one of the pioneers of the reforestation of Mont Aigoual. His work with the botanist Charles Flahault enabled the creation of the arboretum of L’Hort de Dieu. The first meteorological data were gathered by agents from the French National Water and Forestry Commission. Since 1943, the observatory has been managed by the National Meteorological Office. It is France’s last mountain weather station that is inhabited year-round.

• 

  

  Archaeology

  Archeosmart (Marc Limousin)

  Smartphone imprints appear on the rocks: fossils of the present that will become mysterious in the future. This carved stone, like the cup-shaped marks and other rock art of the region, discloses history revealed in matter and resonates with Malraux’s phrase: “The future is a present given to us by the past”.

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  Natural environment

  Pôle Nature 4 Saisons

  The Pôle Nature 4 Saisons of the Aigoual massif offers outdoor activities in all seasons in the central zone of the Cévennes National Park, overlooked by the legendary summit of Mont Aigoual (1,570 m). Discover our network of trails on foot, on horseback, by bike, or else by mountain-bike or with a donkey, as the fancy takes you!
  Children can explore the orienteering circuit or geocaching.
  For the sportier among you we have laid out trail running circuits!
  Prefer road biking? We have created circuits of varying difficulty levels so you can discover our villages and valleys.
  Try not to make any noise! Wildlife enthusiasts can spot mouflons and other animals.
  And if you would just like a gentle walk on the massif, the discovery trail “The cliffs of Mont Aigoual” is for you. There are various rest stops over its 4.5 km, with only 150 m in height difference.
  We look forward to seeing you on our paths.

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  Know-how

  On the Verge (Yoann Crépin)

  A doorway to a circuit of art within the natural environment.
  To fuse and interact with the environment and play with the seasons, time, light and weightlessness. To let humanity express itself through nature and nature express itself through humanity – a necessary interaction, a symbiotic interaction that inspires us to discover another world.

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  History

  The village of Aulas

  In the old days, the Place de l’Airette was where the wheat was thrashed. The village’s two fountains – on the Place de l'Airette and on the church square – were created on the initiative of the village council in 1887. They were almost removed when the houses were connected to mains water but were preserved by the support of certain councillors. Aulas was called Aulacio in 1001, from the Latin man’s name Aulas. In the 14th century, the village was fortified due to the many groups of brigands in the area. The ramparts were bordered by ditches and had gates. One of them, La Poterne, can still be seen. The village has remained picturesque thanks to its narrow lanes, its covered passage and its old buildings.

Close by

3

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  Visits

  Visits

  Le Climatographe – Observatoire du Mont-Aigoual

  Cet ancien observatoire météorologique culminant à 1567 mètres d'altitude, est aujourd’hui un lieu incontournable de sensibilisation et de recherche sur les changements climatiques.

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  Visits

  Visits

  Maison de l'Aigoual

  For your first encounter with the Aigoual massif...

• 

  Visits

  Visits

  The Musée Cévenol

  The Cevenol Musuem is located in a former silk factory and houses a collection ranging from Prehistory to today. Come and discover the traditions, former crafts and former industrial activities of the Cévennes.