Parc National des Cévennes Travel Guide

 kokoryko Says:  St Jean du Gard has a Mediterranean character, it is at the southern edge of the mountains, and the big central place, with its big planes is an example of this Mediterranean influence.Where ever I travel on the planet, I like to visit markets and here, I wanted to see if... 

 kokoryko Says:  St Jean du Gard was the end stop of Stevenson’s trip through the Cévennes; with his donkey Modestine, he walked down the Corniche from Col de St Pierre and soon arrived in a village which may not have changed a lot since his time.Narrow streets, arcades, coloured walls,... 

 kokoryko Says:  When you wander around, by car, or walking, in the Cévennes, you see of course the mountains, and if villages are the places where people live, many places of the mountains also witness for human activity, far on the crests, on the slopes and this, since ages. . . . . On one... 

 kokoryko Says:  Between Florac and St Jean du Gard, you will pass through only two villages, on the Corniche and if you want to see some typical villages, you may want to drive down one of the narrow windy roads to the valleys; each village has its personality, its history, its people,... 

 kokoryko Says:  During my explorations in the Valfrancesque, I one day arrived at a half ruined farm, where only one old man lived, with his dogs and sheep; after chatting for a while he told me his name was Fritz. Surprised, I asked him how come he has a German name? And Mr Lafont told me... 

 kokoryko Says:  Pompidou is the name of a French President (1969-1974), and it is also the name of the village you see on picture 2; St Flour is the name of a nice small church located on the territory of the village, but it is also the name of the city where President Pompidou was born,... 

 kokoryko Says:  After a walk one way in the main street, the other way can be done on a small street and trail just above the village from where you can reach one of the churches and see the roofs and chimneys. Yes the chimneys here are a bit special.As much as the houses are well aligned... 

 kokoryko Says:  When you drive up the Corniche, you will see at Col du Rey, towards north a high limestone cliff, witness that the Jurassic seas covered the whole Cévennes, and at the feet of that cliff is the small village of Barre des Cévennes (picture 1), a very picturesque small... 

 kokoryko Says:  I was incredibly angry when I wanted to visit the bridge of Soucy, I had seen last time in 1983! The little track has been closed, the houses on each side have been renovated, are now holiday houses, and the owners closed the track with high fences and steel doors, with... 

 kokoryko Says:  In the deep narrow valleys, the rivers are wild, make natural borders, more than the crests, and since middle age, bridges were the links from one mountain to the other; when you walk or drive in the area, you cross bridges which stand there since 500 years, 700 years... 

 kokoryko Says:  Florac is worth a stop, even for a few hours, looking at the old streets, having a rest before driving up the corniche; Make a visit in the church and look at some of the statues (picture 1) there, notice that like in every French village there is a monument to the dead of... 

 kokoryko Says:  Florac is still a sous-préfecture , with its 1900 inhabitants, but it is a small sleepy town with a few cafés, nice streets, some houses witnessing its former “splendour”, a nice stop before driving up the Corniche des Cévennes.The Tarnon river is the main river flowing on... 

 kokoryko Says:  The concept of “Silk Road” is a rather recent one in history (1876), created by German geologist, geographer and explorer Ferdinand Von Richthofen, during his travels in Central Asia; what we call Silk Roads exist of course since antiquity, but the name and concept is very... 

 kokoryko Says:  When you walk on small paths on the mountain slopes in May-June, you certainly will notice all the scents of the woods and scrubland, and one dominates over all: it is the scent of the blooming chestnut trees (picture 1), and getting close, you will see these are modest... 

 kokoryko Says:  In spring and summer, the heather of the Cévennes bloom brightly and their colours spot beautifully the mountain slopes in some areas; this common heather is adapted to the rocky environment and with the grass, rude rocks, and other small flowers, they make beautiful... 

 XenoHumph Says:  Riding your bicycle in Cévennes is a great way to discover the region. The roads are small (I mean secondary and not wide) and have hardly any traffic. However, in the Cévennes schisteuses, you'd better be in great shape; it is endless up and downs, and sometimes very...