Lozère is
one of the
original 83 departments created during the French Revolution. It is
divided into four diverse regions: the Aubrac, the Margeride, the
Cévennes and the Tarn Gorges.
The Aubrac is a wide
plateau on
the western edge of the Lozère. This basalt region, wrought
from
the late Tertiary era by volcanic eruptions, has many dolmens and
menhirs. There are also lakes and streams. This land is famous for its
cows, tomme cheese and the aligot made from it, and for the annual
transhumance in May. From Nasbinals to Saint Germain du Teil, there are
scenic little villages and houses of volcanic stone.
La Margeride is in
the north-east
of the department, with the Aubrac to the west. It is a region of
granite where the relief was shaped during the Precambrian. Dense
forest alternates with wide moorland, grassland and pastures, as well
as impressive blocks of granite, dolmens and menhirs. There are several
streams and rivers such as the Truyère. From Marvejols to
Langogne, Le Malzieu to Châteauneuf-de-Randon, there are
wonderful views.
In the south-east of
the
department, the Cévennes offers a striking contrast between
the
rigours of mountain life and the mildness of the Mediterranean climate:
valleys, streams and rapids, maquis and beech forest, of spruce and oak
and above all chestnut. The slopes were terraced partly to grow the
“tree of gold”, the famous mulberry for the silk
enterprise
which made the fortune of the region, but even more for the
“bread tree” or sweet chestnut which symbolises the
Cévennes and nourished generations of its people. There are
plenty of winding roads from Florac to Saint Germain de Calberte. To the west, there
is the granite
barrier of the Mont Lozère (1700 metres high). In winter,
when
the Mont Lozère is covered in snow, there is cross-country
skiing at Bleymard-Mont-Lozère and Mas de la Barque.
The Tarn rises at
1600 metres on
the Mont Lozère. Since the Quaternary, the river has cut
deeply
into the plateaux of the Méjean and Sauveterre, carving a
canyon
into the limestone massif of the Grands Causses with clear calm waters
and bubbling rapids.
On the heights
either side of the
Tarn are the Grands Causses. At a height of 1000m, the Causse
Méjean opens onto a vast steppe of yellow grassland looking
like
a desert. The Causse of Sauveterre is a less arid limestone plateau
with hilly land in the south-east. AlongsiLozère Pade it is
the Valley of the
Lot, the most fertile region, and known as the
“granary” of
the Lozère with a lot of historical remains such as castles,
fortresses, churches.
Lozère