The Costes Pathway

2 points of interest

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  Agropastoralism

  A buissière is a protective pathway made of two rows of box trees. In this case, the right side of the first part of the hedge has been removed in order to allow an easier passage. Nevertheless, the remaining hedgerow is still efficient against the prevailing winds. The other side of the buissière is still intact. This means of traversing the Causses is still used, because of the harsh and contrasted climate – very hot in summer and freezing in winter. In the buissière, the sheep flocks are sheltered from wind, snow and heat...

  No way to escape from this system of “channels”! People and carts also used to take these pathways for similar reasons. As connections between hamlets, grazing lands, sheepfolds and water ponds, buissières bear witness to the use of the pastoral areas.
  Information : Box tree moths are active from May to October. During the caterpillar phase, they feed on the leaves of box trees. They crawl down trees and move on long silken threads, although these threads are annoying when hiking they do not pose any health risk
  
  
  

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  Geology

  Neck de Basalte

  In the midst of the Larzac limestone foothills, we can see a homogeneous and easily identifiable green-grey mass in the rock with round shapes called Roque-Nègre. This geological formation running through the ochre-coloured limestone body looks as if it were an old chimney, but is actually an old volcanic vent called a « Neck de Basalte.