The black wood N°10 VTT
Saint-Izaire

The black wood N°10 VTT

History and heritage
Panorama
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This circuit offers to get back in time along the paths of history: episcopalian castle, carved standing stones, former railway line, native home of abbot Hermet the well-known archeologist. All of these bear witness to the rich and diverse cultural past of the region.

 

 

 

This easy biking tour follows rather playful trails that wind their way through the undergrowth and a few singletrack paths

 

 


3 points of interest

  • History and heritage

    Village of Saint-Izaire

    The history of this village is intertwined with that of the old Episcopalian castle, which was formerly the Bishop of Vabres summer palace. The name of the village was first made mention of in an official document dating back to 862 AD.

    During the 12th century, continual invasions, acts of banditry and battles between feudal lords created a tremendous insecurity. This led to the building of battlements to improve the defensive system and providea safe haven to the neighbouring people during periods of turmoil. The castle and the fortified village date back to the time of the Vabres bishops who made the village their summer residence and a safe refuge.

    When the religious wars were over and peace restored, the protective wall lost its primary function and so today the façade of the castle has windows inserted along its length. The fortified gates were also demolished to allow the passage of carts or to expand the neighbouring houses. The villagestreet, footpath and house pattern has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages, and the beautiful 15th century facades and windowscan still be seen in some streets today. The old church part of the battlements had its vault lowered in 1635 to provide housing to the schoolmaster and guards. In 1650 repair works were started by the Consuls.

  • History and heritage

    Notre Dame de Grâce chapel

    This sanctuary which was founded by Alix de Castelnau has existed since at least the 15th century, when it was called Ouradou (oratory). This chapel was refurbished in 1730 and during the 19th century, the stairway door of the castle was then brought back into use.

  • History and heritage

    Abbot Hermet was a renowned archeologist. He was born in Calmels in 1856, and died in Rodez in 1939. He became interested in carved standing stones when he first saw them at the age of ten, and was immediately keen to learn all that he could about them. He published his first book on the subject, covering six discoveries in 1892. This led to his taking up formal training in the scientific method of archeology, and in 1898, he gave these statues their official classification of “carved standing stones”. In 1901 he became the first to undertake a thorough investigation of the Graufesenque Gallo-Roman site in Millau.


Description

Cycle up to the chapel of Notre Dame de Grâce, go round to the left of the chapel and join the former railway line. Carry on along this line which leads towards the hamlet des Roques.

  1. Follow a red earth trail on the hillside until you reach a carved standing stone. Take the path to your right that leads you to the top of the woodland
  2. Head East, before cycling down towards the Cambon plain, which is close to the Bousquet farm. Follow the trail to the left which takes you back to the top of the “Bois Noir”.
  3. A shady path then takes you back towards the Mas de Capelier, which is the house where Abbot Hermet was born. Carry on until you reach a road. Cross that road and cycle through the hamlet of Riol.
  4. Farther along the road, a path to your left allows you to cycle back to the chapel and to enjoy the view overlooking the village of Saint-Izaire.
  • Departure : In St. Izaire the bridge side viilage
  • Arrival : In St. Izaire
  • Towns crossed : Saint-Izaire and Calmels-et-le-Viala

Altimetric profile


Recommandations

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


Information desks

Saint-Affrique Tourist Office

Boulevard Aristide Briand, 12400 Saint-Affrique

http://www.roquefort-tourisme.fr/contact@roquefort-tourisme.fr0565585600

OPENING TIMES:


The Tourism Office is open all year round, the opening hours are:

·July and august:

From Monday to Saturday: 9h – 13h & 15h – 19h

Sunday: 9h – 13h

·From September to June:

From Tuesday to Saturday: 9h – 13h & 14h – 17h

Closed: Sundays, Mondays and bank holidays

From November to April, the office is also closed on Saturday afternoon.

Find out more

Transport


Access and parking

From St-Affrique head towards Albi up to the roundabout before Vabres l’Abbaye where you take a right turn onto the D25 road that leads to St-Izaire.

Parking :

Apprenez à prononcer At the edge of the river Le Dourdou right after the bridge

More information


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