LITMIR.BIZ

      Bridge over the river Arre

      (11) Bear to the left at the end of the lawn – there is a yellow splash on a tree (do not go straight where there is a red splash). Wend your way down through chestnut trees and tall bracken. The path becomes a mule track between two defined walls – on the left there is a large area of cleared land. This leads to a jeep track, which looks new and is not marked on the IGN map (this clears up the mystery as to how the people reach their renovated house at les Caumels).

      Cross the jeep track and continue on down the mule track (yellow splash on tree) through woodland – you can now see the river Arre down on the left. The path becomes rockier and descends quite steeply through chestnut trees.

      (12) Careful, before the path reaches a road it branches to the right in front of a house by an iron post (2hrs 35mins). It goes underneath a bridge where there is a concrete irrigation canal right and reaches the D999.

      (13) Turn right on the road (yellow arrow) for about 50m and then bear down left at a wooden PR post. This is a narrow slip road, which goes down and then turns left over a very unusual old arched bridge with a water aqueduct flowing over the top of it. The river beneath looks delightfully cool and clear – there are sandy banks that look as if they make good swimming places for the people in the camping site on the other side.

      (14) Turn right on the narrow road after the bridge (2hrs 40mins) and follow this all the way into Le Vigan. It is a pleasant setting with the river on the right and houses with large gardens on the left. There is a delightful old restored mill on the other side of the river by a weir and, further on, a large factory called Well, which makes a popular brand of stocking. Ignore a new bridge to the right and continue straight by another camping site and, further on, a small waterfall where the river seems to be flowing more rapidly. There is a sign saying‘Le Vigan’(3hrs) as the road enters a small industrial site and passes low blocks of flats.

      (15) Cross the next bridge by a large supermarket (here the yellow splashes stop). Follow the sign‘Centre ville’and turn right on a bridge over a road. This takes you into the main square with the church up on the left. Turn right down here, continue past the fountain at the end and bear up left. This road passes the statue of the Chevalier d’Assas (see above) and at the top turn left towards the Hôtel de Ville (3hrs 15mins).

      For information on Le Vigan see Introduction, ‘Southern Cevennes’.

WALK 3

      Roc de L’Esparon

      This is a delightful walk through three lovely villages with a spectacular view down the valley surrounding Le Vigan.

      There is an interesting legend concerning three brothers who came from the Château de L’Esparon, called Alban, Loup and Guiral. On her deathbed their mother begged them to marry into local families and produce heirs. Unknown to each other each of the three fixed his sights on the same beautiful girl, called Irène, and played court to her. Unable to choose between them she decided she would tell them they had to go to the Crusades to prove which one was the bravest. This they did but on arriving home they found to their consternation that in the meantime their loved one had died. United in their grief they decided to become hermits and exiled themselves to live on the summits of three local peaks – Saint-Alban, Pic Saint-Loup and the Mont St-Guiral (Walk 14).