Did another day trip inspired by my new favorite French guidebook - this time to the Gard.

The idea was to visit two sites famous for their rock formations - the Cascade du Sautadet and La mer des rochers de Sauve. Both were well worth the trip. What I wasn't expecting was to get two remarkable villages thrown in as well. Here's a photo of the cascade - it's tough to see in the background, but there is an incredible medieval bridge the leads across the river to the village. Gives you an idea of what the bridge in Avignon must have looked like.

-Kevin

And here is one in the village of La Roque. It's a perfectly preserved medieval village without a hint of touristy shops (in fact, without a hint of any shops at all). Reminded me a bit of Lacoste in the Luberon...

As for Sauve, further west and just near the Cévennes - it's a strange, fascinating village. The "modern" part is down below along a river which seems to spring out of the hillside. As you climb up, the houses get older and older and some have yet to be renovated. Then all the way up you come to a plateau with bizarre rock formations that you can spend hours scrambling around and over. Great for kids I would think....

Here's a shot of the village down below:

And one of the rocks above...

Both of the above are within easy drives of Uzès and the Pont du Gard - so if you are staying around there, definitely try to visit. And if you are based further east (in the Vaucluse or Bouche-du-Rhône) and planning on a day trip to the area, add these two spots to your itinerary - you won't regret it.

-Kevin

What a beautiful and wild looking area. And not that far away. I always love it when you post about your new finds and your wonderful photos. Thanks Kevin.

De rien !

Not sure if I have posted before about the guide book I've been using recently, but it's worth repeating: "Guide des Merveilles de la Nature" edited by Arthaud and written by Frédérique Roger. The photography (by Fabrice Milochau) is fantastic and really inspiring. Anyway, it has worked for me. The book covers all of France - I've been working my way through Provence and now Languedoc-Roussillon.

-Kevin

I love quite a few of those small villages on the Gard near Pont du Gard, like Collias and Castillon du Gard, but I didn't know these ones…
We are going to Ardèche in September, and Kevin's villages are tattooed on me now...

Thanks for my France fix, Kev.

Just worth saying that Sauve was more important than Nimes at the time of the religious wars having a population of 10,000. It had an independent abbey controlling a large part of Languedoc and was even authorised to mint its own currency.

In fact the original settlement was on the plateau and the remains of a chateau fort and the protecting walls and towers can still be seen.
There are a number of colour coded walking
routes exploring this area.

There is a nucleus of expat residents in the area.



Town website

It is about 20 mins drive from my home.

Peter