To meet the shepherds!

Transhumance in the Cevennes

The Cévennes are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape of Mediterranean agro-pastoralism. For millennia men and herds have used this route. Agro-pastoralism and man have shaped the landscapes.

During the periods of transhumance of summer pasture which takes place at the end of May in early June, or return from summer pasture which takes place at the end of August in early September, the village of Gîtes de Ravel offers stays adapted to meet and discover the shepherds and their flocks.

We adapt the hikes according to the climatic conditions, the participants, and the flocks. Between the different herds and the different stages, the transhumance can be spread over a week.

If you wish to come and discover the transhumance and hike with us,thank you for specifying it so that we can best organize your stay according to your desires.

During and outside of transhumance periods, our hikes pass through the Asclié Pass, a must-see place for transhumance in the Cevennes. The flocks of sheep gather there to pass a sheep bridge unique in Europe, dedicated to their passage, which spans the road linking the Gardon valley of Saint Jean du Gard to the Hérault valley.

The path is magical and changing, we hike on the ridge at 1000m altitude, admire on one side the Cevennes valleys and on the other the Herault valley the plain and the Mediterranean. If the weather permits the white mountain is offered to us, with the Mont Ventoux in the foreground, for this we must climb the rock of the Eagle and enjoy a 360° panorama.

The herds travel about 25km per day and walk during the coolest hours. The departure is very early, before sunrise, at first light in the morning in order to stop before the sun gets too hot.

The departure, meeting and arrival times are never the same because it is above all the herd that decides. The days are long but wonderful, time fades away, we forget about it, we enjoy the majestic landscapes, the flocks and the shepherds’ dogs, the moments shared.

If there is a place and a time in the year where we literally feel disconnected, unencumbered and living simply it is indeed during this period.