At night, it’s a territory, a world in itself where the 2,000 km2 of the Cévennes National Park gain in immensity, mystery and sound. Exploration with slow steps, at night and all ears. (Replay)
Covered with 70% of forests, between high granite plateaus and valleys full of chestnut trees, these mid-mountain places, located in the south of France, offer great night trips: watch the Milky Way for the first time maybe ; patiently listening to the song of the owls; get closer to a wild world often misunderstood, sometimes feared; gain height, clarity and silence.
Created in 1970, the Cévennes National Park extends between Gard, Lozère and Ardèche and its heart preserves a rare natural and cultural heritage, particularly protected. In 2018, the Park obtained the prestigious “International Starry Sky Reserve” (RICE) label. Today, it is the largest RICE in Europe for the quality of its starry sky, the beauty of its landscapes and the richness of its fauna. A fauna, which at night, from Aigoual to Mont Lozère, hears and listens to each other. Here, the Park wardens ensure the establishment of peaceful perimeters for wildlife, while others, from the Astronomical Observatory of Pisa, scan the asteroids and welcome walkers in summer who love astronomy and wide open spaces. . In the Cévennes, the inhabitants have always found refuge in the night and the mountains, starting with the Huguenots, Protestants, fleeing repression after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. At night, it is then a horizon that widens, a possible freedom.
A sound journey by Sarah Lefèvre.
This report is part of a series of trips to discover the French National Parks, 11 in number, in metropolitan France and in the Overseas Territories.
Learn more:
– On the Cevennes National Park and the nocturnal experiences it offers
– On the Astronomical Observatory of Pisalocated in the heart of the Cévennes National Park
– On “Head in the stars” stays d’Azimut Voyage, combining astronomy and itinerant hiking with a donkey in the Park
– On John Poinsignonmusician based in Lozère who composes with the sounds of nature and living things
– On the story of creation of the Cévennes National Park
– On the forests, breeding ground for struggles and resistance in the Cévennes and elsewhere: the book “Being Forests” by Jean Baptiste Vidalou. Discovery Editions.