Clock tower in Le Malzieu (Apologies this should have been posted on Sunday 8th August. However due to internet problems this proved to be impossible.)
Spent a very good day slowly wandering around northern Lozère. We started with a visit to the medieval town of Le Malzieu. Then onto Javols, which used to be the capital city of this region. The Romans called it Anderitum. Now Javols is a small village in the middle of nowhere but around the time of Augustus Caesar it used to be a city covering 45 hectares and a crossroads of routes running east west and north south. Apparently it also had hot springs, which would have made it attractive to the Romans. Later on in the Roman epoch Mende grew in importance and overshadowed Javols, which gradually sank into obscurity.
After Javols we wandering around – stopping at the Baraque des Bouviers, a cross-country ski station at just over 1400 metres. At over 1000 metres Lozère has the highest average altitude of all the French departments. I would have thought it would have been Savoie but I guess there is a big contrast between the peaks of the Alps and the valleys below. We certainly enjoyed some stunning vistas during our drive.
It is noticeable that the cereal harvest hasn’t yet started here, whereas in further north in France all the wheat etc. has now been combined and the soil is being prepared for next year’s crop. Because of its height and tough climate Lozère is the only department in Languedoc-Roussillon not to have vines.
