A path that runs throughout the pays du Roquefort
Along the Combalou cliffs and the rocky spur of the Montaigut castle, throughout the causse du Larzac and the impregnable Saint-Paul-des-Fonts amphitheatre, by the Viala medieval tower and the Sylvanès abbey, via the Sorgues and the Dourdou valleys, upon trails and into buissières explore a land of character which is the breeding ground for a typical cheese with lots of character to!
Counts of Caylus’ Castle
This rock was used as the bedrock for the building of the Counts of Caylus’ Castle of which nothing remains today
The castle was destroyed in retaliation of Count of Caylus’ rebellion against his overlord Raymond VII, count of Toulouse, marquis of Provence and of Gothie.
Laumière castle
The Combalou scree slope
The imposing rocky chaos that surrounds us comes from the numerous and profound movements that the plateau of Combalou has undergone: landslides, rockslides, erosion… The diagram highlights the primitive and current structures of the whole Combalou plateau.
The Combalou Jasse
Once the milking season was over, shepherds and their flocks would reach the Combalou pastoral routes via the slopes to the rear of the Combalou plateau rather than climbing up the cliff using the ladders. Shepherds used these ladders to scale down directly to Roquefort and climb up the same pathways when the ewes needed to be sheltered in the jasse. The flocks would be kept on the plateau until the first cold of autumn.
The jasse was a two storey building: the ground-floor consisted of two sheepfolds, one of which had a vaulted ceiling, the first floor was a huge barn used to store the hay.
Birds
The cliffs of the Tournemire amphitheatre are an important playground and nesting area for numerous birds. These cliffs are home to great variety of bird life, from the most expressive to the most secretive such as: the Rock Swallow; the Alpine Swift; the Red-billed Chough; the Wall creeper; Bats (Greater Horseshoe) and birds of prey nesting on cliffs among which is the Eurasian Eagle-Owl.
Tournemire amphitheatre
Lavogne
Ever since the Neolithic period, humans have kept on improving the numerous natural ponds that they came across all around the Causse. They took advantage of these small land depressions called sotch or doline that provided essential water supplies to ensure the sheep watering, but were also used as laundry places or fish ponds, although their clayey bottom have always posed problems with leakage.
In the Occitan language, the word lavanha refers to all kinds of ponds whether natural or hand built, whereas at the PNRGC, we have chosen to keep the word lavogne, or lavagne to designate ponds with paved bottoms, for they have witnessed the development of pastoralism over the 19th century. (source PNR Grands Causses).
The Tournemire cirque
Tower of Viala du Pas de Jaux
The Lord of Tournemire gave to the Templars knights the lands of Viala du Pas de Jaux in 1150. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Viala consisted of a few farms.
After 1312, when the Hospitallers took possession of the Templars’ property, they decided to create in this place a village and for that they built farm buildings, managed by the brothers of the order. They constructed for them a dwelling and a church dedicated to St-Jean-Baptiste, the patron of the Hospitallers.
Until 1430, the inhabitants of Viala du Pas de Jaux and the surroundings took refuge in Ste-Eulalie de Cernon during the periods of insecurity which occurred on the Larzac. Because of the high distance between the two village, the inhabitants asked the authorization to the Grand Prior of Saint Gilles, to build a fortified tower to be able to take refuge inside with their possessions. This is the first fortification built on the plateau.
Today the 30 meters high tower has been restored. The vaulted ground floor, the five floors, its terrace and the dwelling dating from the 14th century are now accessible.
The lavogne (cobbled watering place)of Font Rome
This lavogne (cobbled watering place) of Font Rome, built in 1910 near tank wells is was first situated on a waterproof clay background. Then, it was built of stones all around and cemented. So this type offers the advantage of forming a passage that resists the trampling of sheep, and the gentle slope of the surrounding area limits the risk of slipping and falling of the animals. It is supplied by rainwater.
Cirque of St-Paul-des-Fonts
The cirque of St-Paul-des-Fonts is a semi-circular natural cirque formed by karst erosion.
Botanical Museum Hippolyte Coste
Established on the ground floor of the presbytery adjoining the church of Saint-Paul-des-Fonts, the botanical space is dedicated to the life and work of the canon Hippolyte Coste who shared his life between the duties of his ministry and his passion for botany.
This rouergate of modest peasant origins, which has been nicknamed "le curé des fleurs" (the priest of the flowers), knew how to rise in the yard of the greatest botanists by realizing in particular the remarkable and masterful «Flore descriptive et illustrée de la France, de la Corse et des contrées limitrophes» (1901 – 1906) which constitutes its masterpiece, known and still recognized today at the European scale.
With this museum Saint-Paul-des-Fonts becomes an unmissable destination for all those who wish to learn by discovering the botanical wealth of the Larzac and Aveyron.
Open from april to septembre. Free entrance.
Mascourbe 1 dolmen
The Mascourbe dolmens are parts of the ”Treilles” group. This name comes from the cave located next to the Treilles farm in Saint-Paul des Fonts where these Grands Causses “builders” hail from. They were also famous for working with copper and for their astonishing trepanations (making small openings into the skull). There are at least three dolmens located in Mascourbe.
The covering stone is broken into two pieces and the headstone has a trapezoidal shape.
Mascourbe 2 dolmen
The Mascourbe dolmens are parts of the ”Treilles” group. This name comes from the cave located next to the Treilles farm in Saint-Paul des Fonts where these Grands Causses “builders” hail from. They were also famous for working with copper and for their astonishing trepanations (making small openings into the skull). There are at least three dolmens located in Mascourbe.
This megalith is a simple dolmen with a covering stone, sidestones, but without a headstone.
Saint-Caprasy Estate
Saint-Caprazy is mentioned as a parish and community in a document dating back to 1026 AD and is an important historic landmark in Saint-Félix. Around 1150, Gaubert de Saint-Caprazy became the first commander of Saint-Félix of the Order of the Knights of Saint John of Saint-Félix, who retained ownership of the property and suzerainty for over 6 centuries.
The domain includes 7 buildings: dwelling house, barn, sheepfold, chapel, and so on…
The del Pas cross
Description
This hike which is full of character starts from St Affrique and offers a discovery tour from the sometime harsh landscape of the Causse, up to the lands of the Rougier bursting with colours and promises.
Time and people have left their marks along the route: rocky paths, long buissières (narrow passages between two rows of box trees), and sunken paths lined with dry stone walls.
You’ll walk along the great geological fracture and the cliffs of the Combalou mount which gave Roquefort its reputation. You will explore the Tournemire and St Paul des Fonts amphitheatres, the Viala du Pas de Jaux Tower, the Cistercian fort of Saint-Jean d'Alcas, the pleasant village of St Félix overlooking the Sorgues valley, the Sylvanès Abbey which is one of the jewels of Cistercian art and the Montaigut castle standing proudly on a rocky spur and towering over the Rougier de Camarès.
Altimetric profile
Recommandations
Information desks
Avenue de Lauras, 12250 Roquefort/Soulzon
http://www.roquefort-tourisme.fr/
contact@roquefort-tourisme.fr
0565585600
Situated in the Grands Causses Regional Natural Park, the cheese village of Roquefort stretches on the hillside over the famous scree of the Combalou Rock, in southern Larzac. The village is at an elevation of 630 m and has 700 inhabitants.
OPENING PERIODS:
The Tourist Office is open all year round:
- In July and August, Monday to Saturday: 9.30 to 18.30, Sunday: 10.00 to 17.00.
- April, May, June, September, October; Monday to Saturday: 9.30 to 12.15 & 13.00 to 17.30, closed on Sunday.
- January, February, November, December; Monday to Friday: 9.30 to 12.15 & 13.00 to 17.00, closed on Saturday and Sunday.
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What to see
At its entrance, is a 180 million-year-old complete skeleton of an extinct marine dinosaur, the Occitanosaurus tournemirensis which was discovered fossilized in the “grey clay soils.”
The ecologically Sensitive Natural Space (SNS) of the Tournemire amphitheatre which is situated in the village of the same name, stretches over an area of approximately 130 ha and marks the boundary between the frontal causses and the causse du Larzac. This area has a remarkable environmental importance due to the geomorphology of the site and also owing to several natural habitats of European interest that it provides. This natural space shelters numerous noteworthy bird species: the Eagle Owl, the Golden Eagle, the Common Whitethroat, the Wallcreeper, the Red-billed Chough and some inconspicuous bats. A few plant species well-adapted to the topography, the rock and even sometimes to the Mediterranean climate can be observed: Hoppe's Figwort, Hormathophylla macrocarpa...
The House of Plesiosaur displays the skeleton of the marine reptile (it's a copy, the original is at Millau's museum) along with interpretative panels about the geology, Plesiosaur, flora, birds and bats. It is also the starting point of the Tournemire amphitheatre hiking circuit that enables you to immerse yourself in a unique environment and of the point of departure for the amphitheatre interpretive trail.
"Espace Nature Aveyron" is a mobile application which allows to discover the whole range of animal and plant species living in this ecosystem and to enjoy the SNS stroll.