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Beneath Mont LozèreThe Cévennes - the secret hills of the south
Nights: 7
Starting point: Auberge la Régordane (2*), La Garde-Guérin.
The attentive Nogier brothers' attractively appointed hotel has been carefully converted from one
of the village houses, and retains its medieval atmosphere – some of the
rooms are accessed via the spiral stone staircase. In warm weather, dinner
is served in the cobbled courtyard. Accommodation: Hotel Balme (2*), Villefort. A traditional restaurant with rooms
run by the welcoming Monsieur Gomy, who is an accomplished chef, often incorporating local chestnuts into his refined cuisine which deservedly enjoys a good reputation locally. Accommodation: Le Merlet (3*chambres d’hôtes),
Le Merlet. This guesthouse has been converted
from a remote working farm and has won various ecological awards. Each evening guests dine together around a large oak table
while Monsieur Galzin entertains everyone with anecdotes about country
life. Accommodation: Le Merlet, as above. Day 4: a long but rewarding walk through old hamlets, past a much-photographed farm, and down to the banks of the Alignon Stream which you follow through pleasant beech woods. The route then takes you out onto the open plateau strewn with surreal granite rock formations, over the ridge, and then steadily downhill along an ancient cobbled track to Toureves. For most of the day you enjoy huge horizons and beautiful views. (18km, 7hrs) Accommodation: Gîte de Toureves (2* chambres
d’hôtes), Toureves.
Perched on the hillside, the great feature of this authentic guesthouse is the view – you can often see as far as Mont
Ventoux in Provence – which is particularly special at sunrise and sunset. Dinners of home cooking are enjoyed with other guests in the dining room or around the two large tables in front of the inn in good weather. Accommodation: Gîte de Toureves, as above. Accommodation: Le Temps des Cérises (4* chambres d’hôtes), Génolhac. Beautifully converted from a late 19th-century manor house on the edge of the village, this is a high-quality guesthouse. There are just five charmingly decorated bedrooms, ensuring great intimacy, and the top floor is occupied by a library that opens onto a huge roof-top terrace set with sun loungers. Below, in the large gardens, is an outdoor pool with more sun loungers. Unlike other chambres d’hôtes, you dine at your own table, enjoying the delicious local cuisine of your host, Roland Dumont. Walking chart: the chart gives the distance and an approximation of the ascents and descents involved each day. If comparing holidays, please note the scale of each chart as this can differ.
Extensions: if you are flying via vibrant Montpellier or the Roman city of Nîmes, extend your holiday and stay for two nights at the 3-star Hotel du Midi in Montpellier, or the 3-star Hotel la Baume in Nîmes. Take the Train and break your journey for a night in Paris on the way, staying at one of our favourite Parisian hotels. Read one traveller's experiences in her personal travel diary. Similar holidays: The Castles of the Cathars (grade 2-3), The Grand Cerdagne (grade 2-3), Pyrenees to Atlantic (grade 2-3), The Catalan Pyrenees (grade 2-3), From the Picos to the Sea (grade 2-3), Italy's Green Heart (grade 2-3) Prices & travel 2008:
Recommended destination airports: Marseille,
Montpellier & Nîmes Extra night prices 2008 (extra nights can be booked at any hotel):
> Notes on prices > Any queries? Let us call you back  |
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Unspoiled and largely undiscovered, the Cévennes National Park is a land of rugged mountains coated in heather, gorse and open grassland that turns golden in the sun, while the slopes of the deep valleys below are cloaked with majestic chestnut woods. The region seems scarcely to have been touched by the march of time; ancient ways continue and historic buildings are preserved. Indeed, you can imagine that the wild landscapes of the Park, home to eagles and vultures, have changed little since Robert Louis Stevenson passed through on his Travels with a Donkey. By leading across the wild uplands as well as the lower valleys, our challenging but rewarding route promises very varied walking, with each season bringing its charms, be it vivid broom in spring, colourful expanses of heather in high summer or ripening chestnuts in autumn. You stay in an appealing combination of welcoming hotels and traditional guesthouses (chambres d’hôtes), with some delicious regional cuisine.
Sunset from Toureves 
