Pictures:
The Cévennes is an area of great natural beauty lying about fifty miles north of the Mediterranean. It has a great variety of natural landscape: from the wild flower covered high "causses", cut by deep valleys and gorges, to the vineyard covered garrigue; from the bare granite of Mount Lozère to the soft limestone of the southern Cévennes. The area is an ideal location for a rural holiday, with tranquil unspoilt towns and villages to explore and a wide range of outdoor activities available.
Here are some pictures from immediately around the house and a slightly wider local area. Click on any picture to see it larger, then click on the "back" button.
Le Vieux Mas is in the heart of the historic "Cévennes
des Cévennes" of the Camisards, with its beautiful chestnut-wooded ridges
and valleys admired by Stevenson in his "Travels with a donkey".
This is one of the loveliest landscapes I know.
The
views from the house itself are wonderful and ever-changing. On the left,
an early morning view after spring rain. On the right an autumn view of the meadow below the house.
Spring
and early summer can be the best time to visit the Cévennes, if you are lucky
enough to be able to take your holidays at that time. The garrigue and
causses are covered with wild flowers, and the nightingale returns to the river
valleys.
The
house itself is located half-way up a hillside and there are many fine ridge
walks in the immediate vicinity.
The
local rivers are clear and fresh. Perfect for mid-summer swimming or
earlier in the year if you are feeling brave.
To
the south, the garrigue is a mixture of Mediterranean scrub land, with some fine
areas around the Gardon gorges between Alès and Uzès, and land taken over for
vineyards and other cultivation. Here is a picture of vines near Pic St
Loup, one of the best new wine areas of the Languedoc.
The
Cévennes can be at their most lovely in autumn, when the chestnuts and beeches
start to colour. On the left is a picture of the upper Tarn valley between
Florac and Pont de Montvert, a stunning contrast to the kayaks and cafes of the
Gorges du Tarn. On the right, some woodland on a ridge above the house.
Winter
does happen in the Cévennes. There is usually snow at the house at least
once in every winter, though it rarely lasts. But there is enough snow on
Mt Lozère, at about 1700m to make a couple of ski-lifts worthwhile, and there
are some excellent cross-country ski circuits. This picture was taken from
quite high on Mt Lozère.
More pictures: