Circuit N°10 - 80 kms
High valley of Ardèche
river
LALEVADE
D’ARDECHE : 263 m. Village
located on the borders the valleys of the Ardèche,
the Lignon and the Fontaulière. Chapel with a
"clocher mur" (closed wall bell tower)
FABRAS
: 450 m. Picturesque village with numerous views.
13th c romanesque church with an arch belltower.
"Château du pin" a private castle with possibility
to visit it and exhibitions in the summertime. Lava
flows. l'Echelette bridge.
PONT-DE-LABEAUME:
304 m. Located at the foot of the Ventadour Castle
and of the 11th-12th c romanesque church Notre Dame
de Niègles. Listed 17th c Black virgin. Roman bridge
at Réjus quarter, roman way and milestone on the
church square. Botanical path. Lava flows.
CHIROLS
: 350 m. Village dominated by Ste Marguerite
mountain –viewing table and unequalled view-. lt
possesses the only "Ecomusée du moulinage" in France
-display of machines and material relating to the
textile industry, exhibitions dedicated to the
region's heritage-. Le pont de veyrières dam.
MEYRAS
NEYRAC-LES-BAINS : 430 m. Medieval village in
the Ardèche valley. 12th c Ventadour and Hautségure
castles –private property-. Romanesque church. Roman
sites -the Roman bridge and the Domitius Way-.
Mineral water of Le Pestrin. Neyrac Les Bains is a
spa resort situated on the banks of the Ardèche. Its
waters are used for skin treatments and rheumatic
disorders. Health recovering centre.
THUEYTS
: 468 m. Village set on a platform held by a
lava flow "La Chaussée des Géants" -The giants'
Causeway- about 80 m. Belvederes, L'Echelle du Roy
and Echelle de la Reine -The king's Ladder and the
Queen’s Ladder- a staircase of sorts carved in a
fault in the midst of the lava flows. "Le pont du
Diable" (the devils bridge) spanning the Ardèche is
a listed site. The "Gueule d'enfer" waterfall. The
ancient houses full of character.
Blou Castle. Ardèche d'Autrefois museum (Ardèche of
a bygone age) - Chilean beavers farming.
BARNAS
: Village of the Cévennes, the territory of
which stretches from 400 m to l.500 m. A forest road
leads to the Abraham Rock providing a fine view over
the Rhone valley and the Alps. Verdant landscape (old-aged
chestnut trees, coniferous forests, moors of the
Cévennes) Chapdenac manorial castle (private
property), former imposing advanced post with its
watchtower overlooking the Ardèche valley, indicates
the gateway to the community.
MAYRES
: 575 m. Ruins of the 12th c Montlaur Castle
dominating the valley, the entrance to which it
would formerly ban to the old Mayres. Chapel Notre
Dame des Voyageurs. Ardèche river nearby.
ASTET
: 840 m. Breathtaking extensive view over the Massif
Central and the Alps. Atlantic-Mediterranean
watershed at La Chavade Pass -Col de la Chavade
1.271m. Source of the Ardèche and the Espezonette -
Cross country skiing
LA SOUCHE
: 550 m. Restored 19th c church of the chief town,
the village of St Louis La Souche and its church
from which can be admired a very fine view of the
Lignon valley with its hillside hamlets. La croix de
Bauzon pass 1308m. Home produced jam factory
offering high quality and dietary produce.
JAUJAC : 420 m.
Picturesque village. 15th, 16th, 17th c town houses,
ancient alleyways, also to be seen are the Bruget
Castle dating back to the 14th- 15th c, the
Chastelas bridge of Gallo-Roman origin, the
Rochemure castle of the 15th c and 18th c, the
Castrevieille castle dating back to the 14th c and a
church of the 19th c hosting an organ -with 23 organ
stops-. Blue lava flows in the Lignon gorges with a
6 km long cliff on its right bank. "Coupe de Jaujac"
-Extinct volcano-
PRADES
: 300 m. 15th c Montseveny castle with its
well preserved tower. Prades' calvary stations of
the Cross, the tastefully restored church and chapel
endowed with a park of old-aged trees -pilgrimage on
September 14 th-. The Vernet mineral water spring.
Former mines –Champ Gontier.
