Cirque de Navacelles

Ever since our first brief visit in 1986 I have wanted to re visit this amazing geological wonder. On our recent visit to France we got the chance to at last make our long overdue return.

On the southern edge of The Cevennes, The Cirque de Navacelles is a large erosional landform with an incised meander. It is in the Departement Gard, very close to the boundary with Herault. From the plateau at the top, to the small village down in the bottom, it is roughly 1,000 feet of descent.

The Cirque was formed from a dissected plateau and eroded by a meander in the river Vis which eventually broke through. This created an oxbow lake which eventually dried out and created a very rich crescent of arable land which can easily be seen in the photographs.

The small village of Navacelles nestles in the bottom of the cirque. The village and area around it have their own micro climate, which can be considerably hotter than up on the plateau, or Cause Blandas.

There is a beautiful old bridge spanning the river Vis on the edge of the village. You can walk down (very hot) or drive down. Some sites advise against the drive down, but there is nothing dangerous about it, it is a beautiful drive and remember, if you walk down, you will probably have to climb back up that 1,000 feet of ascent later in the day!

The old village of Navacelles in the bottom of the cirque. The population has recovered from a low of 190 in 1990 to a healthy 335 today.

There is a fabulous waterfall in the village and some very tempting rock pools near the top of the falls.

You can just wander around the village, or if time allows, take a walk down the gorge of the river Vis. Take water with you, it can get very hot down there.

The road out, up the southern side of the cirque provides excellent views of the former oxbow lake.

Back up on the plateau there is an auberge with a well placed viewing terrace, should you be in need of refreshment.

Viper's Bugloss.

Many wildflowers typical of the area grow here in what has recently become a World Heritage Site.

The geology of this area is astounding and well worth a visit if you are within driving distance.


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Couvertoirade

Couvertoirade

Couvertoirade, in the Aveyron, is well preserved town that was once a domain of the Knights Templar. They built much of the castle, but following their dissolution it passed into the hands of the Knights of St John and it was they who built the curtain wall around this small town. Like many French villages the population diminished rapidly in the 19th century, but today it is a thriving community of artisans and crafts people. The ancient stone buildings, now occupied as shops and workshops for the ateliers makes it an interesting place to stroll around. There are potters, weavers, jewellery makers, leather workers and many more crafts on display and to buy.

Gateway into the town.

We bought bread and enjoyed a very nice coffee in the bakery up the steps.

The ramparts provide a good viewpoint for the old streets

And roof tops.

The windmill is the only restored working windmill in the Aveyron.

Interesting chimneys of the old houses.

The church of Saint Cristophe was built in the 14th century.

The church is partly cut into the rock and forms part of the defences. The church has some beautiful, contemporary stained glass windows.

Monet's Garden, Giverny.

Monet's Garden

The impressionist artist Claude Monet lived at Giverny for 43 years, until his death in 1926. During his time there, apart from producing many artistic masterpieces, he also indulged his passion for gardening.  He developed the magnificent garden that is now owned by The Claude Monet Foundation and is open to the public.

On our recent trip through France we called in for our fourth visit to the garden. We first went there in 1986, just a few years after it had opened and virtually had the garden to ourselves. Each visit has seen tourist numbers increased and on this occasion it was unbelievably busy. Not only were the house and garden busy, but the whole of the village of Giverny seems to have been swamped by people from all over the world who want to see where the artist lived and worked.

Monet's House

The house is also worth a tour and is included in the ticket price, but on this occasion we gave it a miss. Just a bit too busy.

The garden of an Impressionist

 Irises were very predominant on this visit, the plants in flower vary with the season of course.

In 1893 Monet bought a piece of land across the road from his garden, diverted a stream from the river Epte and began the creation of his water garden. Very different in style from his original garden, the Clos Normande, it is now accessed through an underpass from the main garden.

The Japanese style bridges over the famous lily pond are a very popular location for a photograph.