Hiking in Lozere : Cascade de Runes, Pont de Montvert, Les Bondons and Mont-Lozere crests

Starting at La Vayssiere, take a rest at la cascade de Runes [1] (58m high, a listed fall described as the highest cascade in the Massif Central). Pont-de-Monvert (875m) is located in the heart of the Camisard country. Three bridges cross river Tarn, among which the Roumejon bridge (16th c.) with its two arches and its Square Clock Tower. Stevenson and Modestine, his she-donkey, took a rest there during their 220 days journey through the Cevennes.

"Circuit des Bondons et du Mas Camargue" : near Pont-de-Montvert, discover the two astonishing "puechs" (from the latin podium) [2] [3] [4]. First version : theses limestone hillocks resisted to erosion. Second version : Gargantua, one of our national heroes in literature, ploughed the land and poured down the earth filling up his clogs. Harmony is perfect from the top, Lozere massif on one side, Mount Aigoual on the other. Then head towards L'Hopital, once a prosperous village, now deserted and gone to ruins. The Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Jerusalem built there in the 12th century a huge domain. Mas Camargue farm, restored by the National Park, is nowadays a living museum. After Bellecoste here is the first bridge built over a tiny Tarn. Altitude 1 300m, chilly air and cold water !

"Circuit des Cretes des Monts Lozere" : 1 415m : start point : Mount Lozere refuge. Walk up along a former transhumance track [6], lined with tall granite stones erected there to guide people during rough weather periods and especially winter snowstorms. Further up, boundary stones still bear the engraving of a Malta Cross : they warned people that they were crossing the limits of the Hospitaliers' vast domain. Wild wind, dwarf plants, wide, open and grandiose areas. Some cairns underline the trail. The wild crest line enhances the feeling of freedom. [7] Finiels summit, 1 699m, Laubies Signal, 1 657m. Geodesic points. Some summits later, the path leads back down, via the "Route des Chomeurs" ("unemployed guys route") [8].

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