Villages perchés, just a stone’s throw from the Gorges du Tarn
At the entrance to the Gorges du Tarn, suspended from the flanks of the Causse de Sauveterre, Mostuéjouls can be discovered on foot or on a guided tour, in the footsteps of a local “ambassador” passionate about the history of his village. Liaucous, opposite Mostuéjouls, can also be visited on a short circuit. The most courageous will push on to the deserted troglodytic hamlets of Eglazines and St-Marcellin, overlooking the Gorges du Tarn.
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Hauterives Gorges Du Tarn 9 Noemie Calmels 1Villages remarquables des causses et des vallées
In the world of pretty villages, there are the “sure values”, already recognized by labels, rankings and/or cries of ecstasy (!!!). But alongside them, there are also villages or hamlets, with a diffuse charm, but about which little is said. Too small to make a name for themselves, they are, in my opinion, veritable gems: Montredon on the Causse du Larzac, La Roque Sainte-Marguerite on the riverbank or Cantobre on its rocky outcrop in the Gorges de la Dourbie. You’ll love the atmosphere, the flower-filled calades and the care the locals take with their often interlocking houses.
Small heritage and villages, in the purest Caussenard style
On the Causse Noir, at St-André de Vézines or Veyreau, the most remarkable thing is the small built heritage dedicated to conserving water as part of the pastoral economy: two lavognes – artificial ponds – one per village and a roof-tank on the road to St-Jean de Balmes… The great concern of the Caussenard peasant is to conserve water!
Balade Aux Caves Dentre Deux Monts 32ot Millau Grands Causses A. Humbert
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABalade Aux Caves Dentre Deux Monts 32ot Millau Grands Causses A. HumbertOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOn the road to Montpellier-le-Vieux, Longuiers is the archetypal Caussenard settlement: a tiny hamlet of no more than 20 houses! It takes less than 5 minutes to walk around it – 10 if you take a stroll – and yet it could serve as a benchmark for the local architectural style! Houses built on 2 vaults, small windows to protect against the harsh climate, small stone enclosures for vegetable gardens, the start of a draille (a path lined with low stone walls to help herds drive)…
Another concentrate of the Caussenard style is the hamlet of Saint-Véran, in the commune of La Roque-Sainte-Marguerite! You’ll get there via a narrow road (you won’t pass each other). Ideally, you climb up on foot. It doesn’t take more than half an hour, and gives you plenty of time to enjoy the scenery over the Dourbie valley. The site, perched on the side of the causse, is almost theatrical. The village, all in stone, blends into the background of rock and Causse greenery.
Good to know: A little message for our Quebec friends: Louis Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon, who distinguished himself in the war between the French and English for possession of Canada, was Marquis de Saint-Véran. On his deathbed, when told by his surgeon that he had only a few hours to live, he is said to have replied: “So much the better, I won’t see the English in Quebec.
