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of these establishments is increasing all over France (look for the Chambre d’Hôte sign or enquire in the local café or shop).

      The degree of comfort varies tremendously, and, unlike in British establishments, you will rarely get a TV or beverage-making facility in your room. Most rooms have their own shower/toilet, but you could be sharing with the family.

      For a list of Chambres d’hotes in the region visit the website www.gitesdefrance.fr.

      Camping: The Cevennes region is particularly favoured with camping sites, especially in the Gorges du Tarn area. Camping sites are graded from one to five star, and range from those offering a shop, hot showers and a swimming pool to sites providing only basic washing facilities.

      Camping à la ferme is cheap and popular, though the facilities are minimal – remember some toilets in France, especially on camping sites, are still of the squat variety!

      The local tourist offices (see Appendix C) have a complete list of camping sites. Most of them speak English and will gladly send the information. Visit the website www.gitesdefrance.fr which also publishes a list of camping sites.

Clothing and Equipment

      When you think of southern France you imagine that the sun never stops shining and it is always agreeably warm in summer and winter. This is not the case in the Cevennes, which has a harsher climate and more defined seasons. In spring and autumn it can get cold and rainy, and in the summer it can be unbearably hot, especially on the Causses (high plateaux) where there is little shade.

      The best solution is to dress in light layers and, even if the weather looks good, take a windproof jacket; choose the breathable type to avoid getting hot and sweaty. When the sun shines the rays are more intense than in Britain, so sun protection is important, as is a shady hat. The type of trousers which zip down into shorts are very practical as on many of the walks there are prickly gorse and broom bushes which scratch bare legs.

      The most suitable footwear for walking in the Cevennes is a lightweight pair of sturdy boots with plenty of ankle support and soles that grip well on rocky terrain.

      As none of the walks described is long, a light- or medium-weight rucksack is quite adequate. An outside strap for a water bottle is useful in this region, where you must take lots of water. It is wise to carry a compass and altimeter, provided you know how to use them! They are not essential for these walks, but can be helpful in bad weather. A mobile telephone is also useful, but note that they do not work in all areas of the Cevennes.

      The following is a suggested list of essentials for your rucksack for a day’s walk:

       map as stipulated on the walk description

       compass

       basic first aid kit including insect repellent

       survival blanket (useful if you get lost or hurt)

       high-factor sun cream and lip salve

       sun hat and sunglasses

       woolly hat and gloves (winter only)

       glucose tablets and/or chocolate (useful if your energy flags)

       Swiss Army knife with as many attachments as possible

       waterproof cape or poncho which goes over everything including your rucksack (useful when pouring with rain and for sitting on)

       lightweight sweater

       lightweight wind and waterproof jacket

       water bottle – note it is essential to take lots of water if the weather is hot; do not drink from streams or dubious village fountains

       picnic (buy a crusty baguette at the local bakery before you set off and eat it with fresh cheese or ham – much nicer than sandwiches!).

      Optional extras include: altimeter, camera, binoculars, mobile phone and reference books.

Flowers and Vegetation

      Due to the different geographical and geological areas of the Cevennes, the flora is very diverse and many species are endemic to the region. The Causses are limestone, and the water drains away into underground grottos and rivers. The upland regions of the Mont Aigoual and Lozère are shist and granite, with plenty of water, where temperatures in winter and summer are extreme. The southern Cevennes has a Mediterranean climate.

      The leafy Arre valley around Le Vigan is where spring arrives first, with flowers such as primroses, violets, periwinkles, snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils making their appearance long before the snow has left the upland heights of the Aigoual and Lozère – in June and July the slender catkins and white flowers of the chestnut trees which cover many of the hillsides are very attractive. This is an area with a southern flavour, and up to 500m the Mediterranean vegetation prospers. The air is alive with the smell of herbs such as thyme, and there are clumps of blue flax and aphyllanthes. There are various species of evergreen trees, such as the kermes oak (often called scrub oak, with prickly leaves), holm oaks, (which have glazed, water-retaining leaves), juniper bushes, boxwood and species of pine. Higher up are the chestnut forests (see Introduction, ‘The Chestnut Industry’).

      On the summit of the Rochers de la Tude (Walk 4) are stately asphodel lilies and tall white heather in May. Here the difference in vegetation between the northern and southern slopes is quite marked – the south smelling of herbs and creamy rock roses, while the north is colder, with species of orchids, the charming blue columbines (aquilegia) and, lower down, the yellow laburnum trees.

      Up to an altitude of 1000m the Mont Aigoual is covered in trees (see Introduction, ‘Southern Cevennes’, for an explanation of the reforesting of the area). It is a young forest consisting of pines and beech, and is often rather dark; this prohibits the growth of many varieties of flowers, with the exception of the white wood anemones which cover the slopes in early spring while the trees are still in bud. However, in the open glades you can find different species of crane-bill, amongst others, and the beautiful pink martagon lily which flowers in July. In a boggy area on the Cascades d’Orgon walk (Walk 16) the author was excited to see for the first time fragile looking, hairy-stemmed orange tulips. There is also a species which is rare outside the high Cevennes, called Arabette des Cevennes, which looks rather like a species of sweet pea. It flowers in the summer on riverbanks.

      The higher grassy slopes of both the Aigoual and Mont Lozère have carpets of daffodils, narcissi, hairy anemones and crocuses in the early spring, and even in the Alps I have never seen so many varieties of orchids, sometimes covering whole fields. Later tall yellow gentians, arnica, pink willow herb, blue monkshood and various species of daisy replace them, but in many places the sheep have cropped the grass clean.

      Above 1500m both mountains, but particularly Mont Lozère, are covered in heather, myrtle bushes, gorse and broom; in some areas, peat bogs hosts their own species of feathery grasses and delicate white wind flowers.

      The vegetation that has grown swiftly in the last 50 years is broom – the dense bushes cover the slopes in June with their yellow flowers and peculiar smell. For many Cevenese this brash yellow symbolises the gradual decay of the region, as it grows on the slopes which were once used for pasturing cattle and sheep – now, with the huge flocks disappearing, the persistent broom has taken over, and the only way to get the land back to pasture is to burn the bushes.

      Village of Les Bondons (Walk 18)

      The stony nooks and crannies of the limestone causses and gorges turn into flowery rock gardens as the pink moss campion, the creamy rock roses, white saxifrage and blue violets create a kaleidoscope of colour. Lichens and mosses cling to the more vertical slopes of the gorges. The causses have their own species of white potentilla and also an orchid called Ophrys d’Aymonin, which resembles a fly orchid – hunted for unsuccessfully by the author! Often used as barometers and attached

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