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From Meyrueis to the summit of Mont Aigoual (Day 1)
La descente du plo du Four
La descente du plo du Four - © Nathalie Thomas
Meyrueis

1. From Meyrueis to the summit of Mont Aigoual (Day 1)

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A day for hiking to the top of Mont Aigoual via Cabrillac, through forests of crooked beeches and the Aigoual grasslands with their many colours in spring.
From Puech Pounchut along the ridges of Peyremoula, you have handsome vistas onto the Causse Méjean plateau and the Brèze valley. There is a steep hike through the forest after the hamlet of Cabrillac before the grasslands of the summit of Mont Aigoual come into view!

18 points of interest

  • Le centre de Meyrueis et sa tour
    Le centre de Meyrueis et sa tour - Béatrice Galzin

    The village of Meyrueis

    The geographical location of Meyrueis is remarkable, nestled between the Aigoual massif, the causse Noir and the causse Méjean. Here the Camin Ferrat crosses the Jonte river. Pilgrims and transhumant flocks of sheep stopped in the village before continuing their journey. Many merchants came to its large fairs. Stroll through the lanes and relive the flourishing past of the belle époque. From the prosperous bourgeois residences to the marketplaces, everything still speaks of the past! Sheep’s wool from the plateaux was woven here, silk was spun. There was intense economic activity. In the 17th century, Meyrueis became a centre for hat-making. By 1860, 17 milliners were busy making hats for Languedoc and Provence, beautiful and exceptionally high-quality hats made from felted wool and silk bourette. Discontinued as of about 1920, this activity left room for tourism, which today animates the village.
  • Meyrueis
    Meyrueis - ©Nathalie Thomas

    Castle rock

    According to a non-verifiable claim from the 17th century, the Roman general Caius Marius had a castrum built on the rock overlooking the village, in 101 BC. However, the first written sources to mention the village date from the 11th c. and refer to the castle, home to the Bermont family. The castle then passed successively into the hands of the Anduze, Roquefeuil and Armagnac families, before falling to Jeanne d’Albret, Queen of Navarre. 
  • Terrasses sur Meyrueis
    Terrasses sur Meyrueis - © Nathalie Thomas

    Terrace

    Throughout the climb, you will see abandoned former crop terraces. A few grapevines have persisted since local wine-growing came to an end. They bear witness to the fact that the slopes around these hamlets and villages were once cultivated and planted with fruit trees and vines. Terraces like these were the only way for the valley's inhabitants to have flat areas with deep soil suitable for growing.

  • Cabrillac
    Cabrillac - nathalie.thomas

    Cabrillac

    Cabrillac was located at the crossroads of the grande draille d'Aubrac (Aubrac drovers’ road) and the road from Meyrueis to Florac and St Jean du Gard. The village had about a hundred inhabitants in the 20th century and was an important and inevitable place of transit. Two fairs were held every year: one during the migration to the summer pastures in May; the other in September, during the return. For some shepherds, this was the occasion to sell the lambs that had spent the summer on the Aubrac plateau.
  • Draille de Cabrillac
    Draille de Cabrillac - nathalie.thomas

    The Aubrac drovers’ road

    From Cabrillac, we follow the Aubrac drovers’ road, which started near Ganges (Hérault) to lead flocks onto the Aubrac pastures, a distance of 110 km. If you climb to the top of Mont Aigoual (2 hrs), you can visit the meteorological observatory and meet transhumant flocks. Be careful of the patous (livestock guardians).
  • Arbre feuille (Alain Bernegger)
    Arbre feuille (Alain Bernegger) - © Filature du Mazel
    Flora

    Leaf-Tree (Alain Bernegger)

    Leaf-Trees use a veined structure to create a visual resonance between the tree and the leaf. The change of scale works like an inverted echo of this fractal structure. And as winter comes, the eternal summer of the Leaf-Trees confronts the winter of the bare branches.
  • Nids (Céline Pialot)
    Nids (Céline Pialot) - © E. Fréget
    Fauna

    The Nests (Céline Pialot)

    Little by little, the bird makes its nest, its cosy nest, baby cocoon, wasps’ nest…
    Like a bird, the artist has gathered materials offered by nature and has arranged them to build three nests, three refuges, three circles that reference perfection and invite meditation.

  • le Pole Nature de l'Aigoual
    le Pole Nature de l'Aigoual - Béatrice Galzin

    Pôle Nature 4 Saisons

    The Pôle Nature 4 Saisons of the Aigoual massif offers outdoor activities in all seasons in the central zone of the Cévennes National Park, overlooked by the legendary summit of Mont Aigoual (1,570 m). Discover our network of trails on foot, on horseback, by bike, or else by mountain-bike or with a donkey, as the fancy takes you!
    Children can explore the orienteering circuit or geocaching.
    For the sportier among you we have laid out trail running circuits!
    Prefer road biking? We have created circuits of varying difficulty levels so you can discover our villages and valleys.
    Try not to make any noise! Wildlife enthusiasts can spot mouflons and other animals.
    And if you would just like a gentle walk on the massif, the discovery trail “The cliffs of Mont Aigoual” is for you. There are various rest stops over its 4.5 km, with only 150 m in height difference.
    We look forward to seeing you on our paths.
  • Archéosmart (Marc Limousin)
    Archéosmart (Marc Limousin) - © Filature du Mazel

    Archeosmart (Marc Limousin)

    Smartphone imprints appear on the rocks: fossils of the present that will become mysterious in the future. This carved stone, like the cup-shaped marks and other rock art of the region, discloses history revealed in matter and resonates with Malraux’s phrase: “The future is a present given to us by the past”.
  • Troupeau au sommet de l'Aigoual
    Troupeau au sommet de l'Aigoual - © Nathalie Thomas
    Flora

    Summit of Mont Aigoual

    At an altitude of 1,565 m, the climate is harsh: weather conditions are the same as they would be at 2,000 m elsewhere, with only four “frost-free” months a year. Winds of above 60 kph blow on 265 days a year, and the average annual temperature is 4.8°C. Trees do not have enough time to complete their life cycle. Local plant formations are those of the montane zone: subalpine short-grass prairies.

  • Forêt de l'Aigoual
    Forêt de l'Aigoual - © Gaël Karczewski

    A site for botanical experiments

    Marker 1
    L’Hort de Dieu is located at an altitude of 1,300 m and shaped by an extreme climate. This site with its exceptional assets is a favoured study and experimentation zone for botanists. The tree collection is just over 100 years old, and some of the specimens are declining because of old age or else because they are not well-adapted to this mountain range. Today, there are 75 species left of the 140 that have been tested over the past century. To safeguard the interest of this heritage site, the Office National des Forêts and the Cévennes National Park are currently reflecting on renewing the collection.

  • Assise (Marie-Hélène Richard)
    Assise (Marie-Hélène Richard) - © Filature du Mazel

    Seated (Marie-Hélène Richard)

    Far from town, paths open the door to new rhythms. Another vision of life and time lets us breathe in the ever-present contemplation, stones, trees and skies. A physical experience of coming face-to-face with nature. A bench made of wood and branches, whose back becomes thinner as it rises towards the sky, as if to turn back into a tree.
  • L'Aigoual sous la neige
    L'Aigoual sous la neige - © Météosite du Mont Aigoual

    Mont Aigoual weather station

    Inaugurated in 1894, this infrastructure is France’s last mountain weather station to be inhabited. Its history is closely linked to the reforestation of Mont Aigoual. It has become a high-performance weather station with an array of modern test instruments, measuring devices for extreme conditions, and a museum/exhibition on meteorology. The 800 sq m exhibition will tell you more about climatology on Mont Aigoual and about meteorology in general.

  • Tempus fugit (Fiona Paterson, Donald Buglass)
    Tempus fugit (Fiona Paterson, Donald Buglass) - © Natacha Maltaverne

    Tempus Fugit (Fiona Paterson, Donald Buglass)

    Time flies, conscience cries, death threatens, heaven invites, hell scolds, and man sleeps. Here, the effects of time and natural elements transform the wood used in the artwork; everything is an endless renewal at the same rate as the passing hours. How much time have we got left before everything is lost and it is too late to repair the damage? Nature will continue on its trajectory and efface the traces of Humanity on Earth.
  • Observatoire de l'Aigoual
    Observatoire de l'Aigoual - nathalie.thomas

    The meteorological observatory

    Inaugurated in 1824, the meteorological observatory was built on the initiative of Georges Fabre, one of the pioneers of the reforestation of Mont Aigoual. His work with the botanist Charles Flahault enabled the creation of the arboretum of L’Hort de Dieu. The first meteorological data were gathered by agents from the French National Water and Forestry Commission. Since 1943, the observatory has been managed by the National Meteorological Office. It is France’s last mountain weather station that is inhabited year-round.
  • Vue depuis Font de Trépaloup
    Vue depuis Font de Trépaloup - nathalie.thomas
    Flora

    The evolution of plant life

    At the pass stands a schist menhir (standing stone). To the north, in Trépaloup ravine, hewn flint implements bear witness to a human presence in the region since prehistoric times. Palynological analyses (studies of pollen fossilised in peatbogs) have allowed scientists to piece together the plant life on Mont Aigoual from 8,000 to 5,000 BC. Pine predominated, accompanied by birch and hazelnut. Then pine populations gradually diminished. The damp climate warmed up, favouring the spread of oak and hazelnut. Finally, the increased damp and cloud cover at altitude allowed fir and beech to develop. From the end of the first century BC, the substantial percentage of grasses shows that forest had receded in favour of pasture and prairies. This was the start of the great deforestation.
  • Le Portalet
    Le Portalet - nathalie.thomas
    Flora

    Short-grass prairies and heath on the summit of Mont Aigoual

    Here, only species with a short reproductive cycle can settle due to the frequently glacial climate. The heath has been invaded by heather and mountain pine. This zone is barely wooded due to the violent winds and is comparable to subalpine vegetation, consisting of short-grass prairies and heather and blueberry moor. It is sometimes called pseudo-alpine.
  • Cellule (Marie Gueydon de Dives)
    Cellule (Marie Gueydon de Dives) - © Filature du Mazel

    Cell (Marie Gueydon de Dives)

    This artwork, natural in architecture but artificial in execution, represents a passage between the interior and exterior worlds. Posing or opposing while questioning the notions of limit, porousness and opening.
    This work encourages you to come inside but feel outside. To be the contemplative eye, the receiving ear, the conscience that objectifies reality. 

Description

From Place Sully walk towards Les Ayres on the RD 57. 
  1. Pass the Le Jardin des Cévennes campsite on the right and go uphill towards the Village de Vacances (holiday village). After the reservoir, you enter the woods (waymarked GR®66).
  2. The track goes steadily uphill to the Col del Bès pass (GR®66).
  3. The path descends into the Jonte valley and crosses a bridge before reaching the hamlet of Cabrillac (GR®66).
  4. In Cabrillac you leave the GR®66 long-distance hiking path for the GR®60, heading for the top of Mont Aigoual. Steep climb for 2 km, to Serre Ploumat. The path overlooks the RD 18 road. When you reach the RD 118 take it to the summit of Mont Aigoual.
  • Departure : Meyrueis
  • Arrival : Mont Aigoual
  • Towns crossed : Meyrueis, Gatuzières, Rousses, Bassurels, and Val-d'Aigoual

Forecast

Altimetric profile

Recommandations

Make sure your equipment is appropriate for the day’s weather conditions. Remember that the weather changes quickly in the mountains. Take enough water, wear sturdy shoes and put on a hat. Please close all gates and barriers behind you.
Is in the midst of the park
The national park is an unrestricted natural area but subjected to regulations which must be known by all visitors.

Transport

Place Sully
July and August: Bus line "Meyrueis-Millau"
https://lio.laregion.fr/IMG/pdf/oc-1903-fhbus-48-257-3v_bd_04_.pdf
Daily year-round line: different timetables in term time than in school holidays 
Line 215 Autocars Causse + 33 (0)6 65 61 24 16

Access and parking

Meyrueis, via the Jonte gorge on the RD 996.

Parking :

Champ de Mars or André Chamson car parks

Source

Maison du tourisme et du Parc national, Florachttp://www.cevennes-parcnational.fr/
Parc national des Cévenneshttp://www.cevennes-parcnational.fr/

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