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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.
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 Robert Louis Stevenson in his "Travels with a donkey". The six pictures immediately below were all taken within 20km of the house and show a little of the essence of the area.
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Above: the tiny hamlets of the Cévennes nestle on steep hillsides, seeking flatter land for cultivation between the deeply-cut rivers and the often bare ridges of this jagged landscape.
Below: where higher land was grazed, there are some lovely meadows, and there are many peaceful places on the rivers despite the autumn storms.
In fact the wider Cévennes is hugely variable in its geography, not least because of the varied geology as the four pictures blow show. Clockwise, first is the local schist, at one of our river beaches, then the limestone of the southern Cévennes. The highest mountains in the area are granite, and there is also an area of sandstone down towards the plain where the legacy of old coal mining is still occasionally to be found.
Whilst nature now dominates the area, the agricultural past of the landscape is everywhere to be seen. In particular the ubiquitous chestnut, once the staple of the area still covers much of the landscape. Here are four pictures for the seasons:
[I am updating the pictures on this page and what follows is old text without (yet) new pictures.]
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.
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.
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