Col de la Cravate pass

8 points of interest

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  The village of Bréau

  The origin of the name is uncertain. For some, Breono is the Latin form of the Gaulish brogilos, which became brueilh in Occitan. Brueilh means copse, wood. For others, Breono comes from Brannus, an alternative name for Bellenus, a Celtic god. The temple (Protestant church) of Bréau dates from 1845. (...) It has the unusual characteristic of being octagonal; its steps were carved by local craftsmen. The first temple had been destroyed in 1664 by the King’s soldiers, assisted by requisitioned locals.

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  The village of Mars

  The village of Mars takes its name from the Latin name Marcius or, according to some, from the God of iron because there used to be iron mining near the village. The forged-iron guardrail at the Mairie (town hall) shows three wild boars and symbolises the interest of a part of the population in hunting.
  On the return leg, before entering the village, you will see granite rocks of an astonishing size. On 14 September 1843, torrents of rain fell on Quier mountain, which Mars backs onto.
  The rocks were allegedly transported here by the water that day.

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  The municipality of Bréau-Salagosse

  The municipality of Bréau-Salagosse consists of two distinct villages. The older one of the two is Salagosse. Bréau was not founded until the 7th century when part of the population of Salagosse, feeling hemmed in, decided to settle on a sunny slope lower down in the valley. Separated in 1669, the two parishes reunited in 1818. The name of Salagosse probably comes from Feragus, the nickname of a local man-at-arms, meaning “sharp iron”. Its inhabitants are known as salabousards.

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  Viewpoint

  The forest of the senses opens up for a scenic view. Enjoy!

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  Flora

  Identifying trees by their leaves

  Puechagut path has a diversity of deciduous trees. This is due to the arboretum and the sunny exposure. Simple or compound leaves, the layout of the leaf veins: learn how to identify eight different varieties of deciduous tree, all of them visible by the edge of the path.

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  Flora

  Conifers and their cones

  Cones are the structures which contain a conifer’s reproductive organs. Most softwood trees have both female cones and male cones. The ones you see on the ground are female. It often takes several years for them to grow on the tree; they open in the heat to liberate the seeds that they contain. Austrian pine, Douglas fir, Atlas cedar: would you be able to tell them by their cones ?

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  Flora

  Identifying trees by their bark

  My bark is fissured and comes away in layers; my straight trunks used to be made into ship’s masts – who am I?

  Atlas cedar, Douglas fir, Corsican pine, beech: would you be able to tell them by their bark ?

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  Immersion in Puéchagut

  Puéchagut gets its name from the local relief: puech means peak or summit, and agut means pointed, hence the translation of “pointed mountain”.

  In the old days, the Maison des Cévennes was a farming estate producing livestock and crops grown on terraces. In the late 19th century, it became an arboretum including a forester’s house as part of the vast reforestation programme on the Aigoual massif. What is now the car park used to be one of the 37 tree nurseries.