It all started with a transhumance route for the sheep, a draille, through which, on fine days, the shepherds led their animals from the harsh Languedoc scrubland to the cool meadows of the Aubrac plateau.
And then religion got involved.
In the 9th century, the discovery in Galicia of the relics attributed (a little hastily!) to the apostle James the Greater gave birth to a cult that inflamed all of Christian Europe.
Over time, four major routes took shape towards Compostela, each starting from high places of devotion: Tours, Vézelay, Le Puy-en-Velay and Arles.
To discover
Stays in France: weekends, hotels and tailor-made stays from our partners
This ancestral draille between the highlands of Aubrac and the Languedoc plain then makes it possible to make the connection between the
via Podensis
, the way of Puy-en-Velay, and the
via Arelatensis,
the way to Arles.
Today, hikers have largely replaced pilgrims on this path which crosses isolated plateaus, dry causses, mountain forests or fragrant scrubland.
The complete route between Aumont-Aubrac in Lozère and Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert in Hérault totals nearly 240 km which is generally negotiated in a dozen days.
For those who have a little less time, we suggest carrying out the last two stages, between the Cirque de Navacelles and the Abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, a beautiful two-day walk that combines prestigious architectural heritage and remarkable natural sites.
Read the fileHiking: itineraries, advice... Our complete guide
Hiking in practice
Total elevation gain
:
+1,600 m/- 1,800 m.
Total distance:
34 km.
Duration:
11h15.
Red and white markings GR.
GPS point:
N 43°53'38.9'' - E 3°30'39.7''.
Map:
IGN map 2642ET-Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.
Difficulty:
Difficult.
A hike to be done in two days with a stopover at the Mas d'Aubert gîte or in one day for the more athletic.
Departure:
from the village of Navacelles (at the bottom of the circus) 87 km from Montpellier by A750, A75 and D25.
Description:
Topoguide Ref: 4834 The path to Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.
Navacelles, what a circus!
The Cirque de Navacelles.
Christophe Migeon / Le Figaro
Or rather what a void, as if the earth had escaped through some hidden hole in the ground or had vanished under the breath of a meteorite.
A void two kilometers in diameter and 300 m deep.
Enough to house the Eiffel Tower, as noted by the local sculptor, Paul Dardé.
The site of Navacelles however owes its singularity only to the vagaries of the Vis.
6,000 years ago, the river that had been patiently digging the limestone for a few hundred thousand years, suddenly got tired of meandering around a hill attached to the Causse de Blandas and decided to cut through it.
Today, all that remains of this embarrassing barrier is a small eminence called sometimes "Rock of the Virgin" sometimes "the oyster" because of
a vague resemblance to the bivalve.
The village of Navacelles, the starting point for this long-distance hike, backs onto it.
Strolling through the narrow streets, one wonders what life can look like at the bottom of a funnel where the horizon is limited to a circle of sky.
Steps
On the way to Saint-Maurice-Navacelles
The medieval village of Saint-Maurice-Navacelles and its stone houses.
Adobe Stock
To get out of the circus, the GR7 follows an irrigation canal before playing the tightrope walkers above the gorges of the Vis.
After a few kilometers of a very aerial course, the path finally rises on the plateau and its caussenard landscapes streaked with whitewashed drailles like trails of bones.
It takes a good three hours to reach the medieval village of Saint-Maurice-Navacelles and its stone houses grouped around the castle of the Lords of Montcalm.
Le Mas d'Aubert... in the land of thirst
Le Mas d'Aubert Press photo
From time to time, a dry stone enclosure, a menhir or a lavagne, these small round ponds at the bottom of slates, comes to break the brushwood of holm oaks and pistachio trees terebinths.
The country has always been thirsty: in farms and hamlets, rainwater has long been collected by the roofs to be collected in underground cisterns.
"
Water is still our main constraint, sometimes we have to get supplies from the tanker
," confirms Edward Holland, who took over the Mas d'Aubert gîte almost two years ago, lost in the middle of the causse.
We were looking for a quiet place.
On that side, we were not disappointed!
".
Better to re-level the gourds before continuing towards Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.
Even if agricultural abandonment has revegetated this "desert" formerly plucked by overabundant livestock, you still arrive with a dry throat in front of the doors of the abbey.
Gellone Abbey
In the 9th century, Guillaume d'Aquitaine, grandson of Charles Martel and cousin of Charlemagne, heroic figure of medieval chivalry, came to take refuge in this end of the world to found a monastery there after the death of his wife.
All around there are only wild canyons, rocky peaks topped with ruins and drailles sculpted by the feet of sheep.
A piece of the True Cross - three inches long, according to the chronicles - which the Emperor had the kindness to entrust to his cousin very quickly ensured the reputation of the new establishment.
Soon the modest priory was no longer enough to accommodate the crowd of pilgrims who came to pray at his tomb and in the 11th century, a large monastery was born with a hundred Benedictines, numerous farms and herds, as well as a large scriptorium. counting nearly 60.
000 books.
Gellone gives way to St Guilhem.
In the Middle Ages, the crowds were such that it was sometimes necessary to wait 15 days to approach the relics!
Today, it takes a little less time, but a million visitors still come each year to visit the church and the cloister, the last vestiges of the abbey.
Travelogue
OR SLEEP
Gîte du Mas Aubert.
A rustic but welcome stage because it cuts the long hike between Navacelles and Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert in two.
Ten beds.
€17 per night in a dormitory + €6 breakfast.
Such.
: 07 69 57 29 21, mas.aubert.free.fr.
Villarel Castle.
In Brissac, 40 km east of Navacelles, this vast domain once stronghold of the Lords of Ganges overlooks the Gorges de l'Hérault and offers lodgings and guest rooms spread over several buildings within a real small hamlet.
Total capacity of 35 people.
Bed and breakfast from €120.
Such.
: 04 67 82 59 70, chateauvillarel.fr.
Read alsoOur most beautiful guest rooms 2022 in Occitanie
For more information:
Hérault Tourisme, 04 67 67 71 71, herault-tourisme.com.
TO VISIT IN THE REGION
Gellone Abbey in Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.
Christophe Migeon / Le Figaro
Gellone Abbey.
Jewel of the first Languedoc Romanesque art, this sanctuary founded at the beginning of the 9th century, is one of the most important spiritual and cultural centers of Languedoc.
It has been classified as a World Heritage Site by Unesco as part of the roads to Santiago de Compostela in France.
Permanent free visit.
Guided tours are scheduled throughout the year by the Tourist Office.
Such.
: 04 67 57 75 80.
Clamouse cave.
Towards St Jean de Fos, 3 km from Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, one of the most extensive underground networks in the south of the Massif Central, full of concretions.
Michel Siffre spent more than two months there during the transition to the year 2000 for his third “out of time” experience.
€12.90 for a 1.5 hour guided tour over 900 m.
For sports enthusiasts, possible caving course of 3 hours for 63 €.
Such.
: 04 67 57 71 05, clamouse.com.
