This three-day traverse of the Causse du Larzac took us up from the valley of the Lergue, at Lodève, onto the plateau, or causse, bordered on the north by the mighty canyon of the Tarn. The land had the ascetic beauty of high, open places. Unlike in the valleys, the vegetation was thin, mostly grassland with outcrops of the fissured grey rock of the region, and occasional stands of stunted trees and bushes.
The first day started with a stiff climb beside a small, tumbling stream, on a mule track whose stones were polished by centuries of use. Once on the open causse, we had a more leisurely flat walk as far as le Caylar. On the second day we were never far from the great artery of the A75, although we felt completely remote from it as we crept across the landscape. We passed through a Plus Beau Village and later made use of an abandoned railway line to get to l’Hospitalet.
The final day took us out onto the wildest part of the Causse, flat, dry and empty, and then down a huge drop over the edge of the escarpment, where the famous Millau Viaduct sweeps across to the opposite side, and into the town of Millau.
Day 17: Lodève to le Caylar
Day 18: Le Caylar to L’Hospitalet-du-Larzac
Day 19: L’Hospitalet-du-Larzac to Millau