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In addition to superb walking, the Lozère, Haute Loire, Ardèche regions offer a huge range of varied of activities for you to enjoy during your stay, whether you want to particpate in a sport, go on a fun day out, visit an animal conservation park or take part in local rural life. The local tourist offices of Langogne, Mende and Le Puy en Velay will provide further information.
Sports
Swimming & Sunbathing
Forget
the overcrowded beaches of the Mediterranean!
So
much nicer, less crowded and much more beautiful are the numerous
lakeside and riverside beaches, set in the shade of pine trees amid
stunning mountain scenery with swimming in clear, fresh water. In
summer, there are beaches with swimming, (some are supervised) at Lake Naussac, (1km
from Villa les Roches),
in the
Loire Gorge at Goudet, (29 km
away), at the foot of a castle in
stunning
Arlempdes, (31 km), at
Lake Issarlès, (32 km), at
Solignac sur
Loire, (34 km), at
Ste Eulalie, (34 km) and at
Lake Villefort, (44 km).
Water Sports
Within
walking distance, (15 minutes on foot) is the beautiful
Lac de Naussac,
with sailing, windsurfing and swimming, plus
mountain bike
trails. The
Lac d’Issarlès
(½ hour drive) and le
Lac du Bouchet ((½ hour drive) have
non motorised sailing.
Canoeing and white-water rafting are available in the Gorges de L'Allier, about an hour's drive away. Further afield, in the Gorges du Tarn and the Gorges de l'Ardèche, you can hire a canoe for one or several days.
Fishing
Lozère, crossed by the rivers Lot, Allier, Tarn, Truyère, Bès, and
Jonte offers 2 800 kilometres of
exceptional fishing making it one of the finest departments in all
France for this sport. And, what's more, the rivers are unpolluted and crystal clear. The flourishing lichen you
see here everywhere on the trees bears witness to the purity of the air
and the absence of pollution.
Caving, Canyoning and Climbing
There are opportunites
canyoning and climbing in the
Gorges du Chassezac
(1/2 hour away) and for
caving and climbing in the
Gorges du Tarn There are also local guides who can accompany you on
caving or climbing expeditions.
Caving, canyoning and climbing
are also available in
Ardèche,
Fun Days Out
The Little Tourist Train of the Allier Gorge
The
special train
Le
Petit Train Touristique des Gorges de l'Allier
runs from
Langogne to Langeac through the spectacular scenery of the Allier Gorge
and is open
May to September but
booking
is
essential.
On arrival in Langeac, before your return journey, you can bathe in
the river, visit Langeac or dine in the restaurant.
The Vélo-Rail at Pradelles
Have fun on pedalling on this 15km decommissioned
track of railway line.
The Pradelles Vélo-Rail passes through tunnels, over viaducts and
through landscapes formed by ancient volcanic activity.
Booking
recommended.
Animal Conservation Parks
There are several kinds of animal parks in Lozère, often combining conservation of endangered species with fund-raising tourism.
The Wolves of Gévaudan
The Bisons of Europe
The
bison roamed through European forests from pre-historic times till the
Middle Ages when it became almost extinct. Only a small herd survived
till modern times, in Poland. Fearing that, if ever
there were an outbreak of disease, the European bison would be
wiped out completely, an additional reserve was sought in another part
of Europe. Lozère provided the perfect climate
and hence the
Bisons of Europe park came into existence.
The guided tour of the park is conducted in a horse-drawn carriage,
which is not only charming but safe, too.
The Przewalski Horses
The
Przewalski horse
is the last surviving wild horse in the world, but
only 1000 remain and all are kept in semi captivity at the moment. The
conservation project on the Causse Méjéan is an attempt to encourage
breeding in semi-captivity with the ultimate aim of re-introducing these
horses back into the complete wild in their native Mongolia. There are
no guided tours but if you are visiting the Gorge du Tarn area, stopping
to watch these small, prehistoric horses running freely over the Causse
is a very beautiful sight.
Rural Life
Discovering Historic Villages
For those who enjoy wandering through historic villages,
there are 6 villages within easy travelling distance of
Villa les Roches that are listed
among the
Most Beautiful Villages in France. These are
Pradelles, (10 mins drive),
Arlempdes, (20 mins drive),
La Garde Guérin, ( half an hour's drive),
Ste. Enimie, (2 hours away),
Vogüé and
Balazuc, (both about 2 hours away). In addition, there are numerous
other charming rural villages to see.
Markets and Antique Fairs
Markets are held in Langogne every Saturday morning and in summer on Tuesday mornings too. There are numerous antique fairs (foires à la brocante), attic clearances, (vide-greniers) and shop clearance markets (braderies) in and around Langogne and if you'd like to see if any coincide with your visit, you could consult the Brocabrac site, which is constantly updated.
Fêtes & Festivals
You might be tempted to think that, tucked away in
this mid-mountain area, not much goes on. Wrong!!
The summer brings a constant round of festivities in which you are
cordially invited to participate – indeed, if you do, the locals
will be delighted to proudly share their local traditions with you!
Fairs & Festivals in & Around Langogne
The
14th July is Bastille day
and is celebrated in Langogne with an excellent firework display and
dancing in the streets.
Every July, Langogne hosts a week-long International Folk Festival, with first-rate performers from all over the world. The performances are held every evening, outside, in the square beside the church.
Langogne Annual Town Festival
In
summer each village in the area has its own annual fair.
The
Langogne Town Festival
is held in the opening days of
August
and includes
a carnival procession, open air concerts
(the
Festiv’Allier),
street markets plus a
giant, communal
meal
of traditional Aligot followed by a fireworks
display.
Festivals in Chastanier
The nearby village of Chastanier has a particularly active programme of fairs. Not to be missed, if are lucky enough to be here at the time, is the Grand Accordion Gala, with a dinner and dance in the evening. Everyone welcome!
Bread Festival, Chastanier
The
Chastanier Bread Festival in July will really immerse you in local
traditions. Here, you can
watch how Henry, the baker, uses ancestral bread-making techniques to
fashion the dough, ignite the wood fire in the village bread oven and
bring it to just the right temperature before he pops in the loaves.
Then comes the divine smell of baking bread and, finally – best of all -
when the loaves have cooled a bit - he’ll offer you a freshly baked
chunk to sample! There are also attic clearance and craft sales
and, in the evening you will be invited to join the locals for a grill
and fries while watching an entertaining performance or two.
Wool Spinning Mill
Right
on our doorstep, in the town of Langogne, is the
Musée des Calquières, a water-driven spinning mill which
demonstrates how wool from mountain sheep was traditionally spun here,
in Lozère.
A visit to the nearby Toison d'Or farm is an opportunity to see wool providing animals such as llamas, alpacas, goats and rabbits.Today, however, you are more likely to see cattle grazing on the hillsides than sheep as cattle production has laregly replaced sheep farming in this region.
Rural Theatre
You may not expect to find a theatre tucked away in a tiny mountain village, but YES, there is one! Just a 10 minute drive from Villa les Roches, in the village of St Flour de Mercoire, you will find a simply charming little theatre called Arentelle. Going to one of the excellent performances would make a delightful evening out during a stay at Les Roches. There is a wonderfully intimate atmosphere and, after the performance, you get to meet the actors over home-made cakes and a glass of wine!