General visitor information about the area can be found on www.cevennes-tourisme.fr. The site is good in terms of content but a bit slow to use.

The natural features of the Cévennes, the mountains, woods and rivers make the area ideal for walkers and cyclists. It has probably the best established network of long distance footpaths (sentiers de grande randonnée - GR) in France. A path linking GR 63 (Sauve - Durfort - Monoblet - Lasalle - Soudorgues/Mauripe) to the GR 61 (St Jean du Gard to Col de L'Asclier - with links to Mont Aigoual) runs past the gîte. Robert Louis Stevenson finished his "Travels with a Donkey"  in St Jean du Gard (we can lend you the book). Donkeys can still be hired to walk these paths. The excellent website of the "Maison de la Randonnée"  situated at Thoiras (15km) has loads of information on walking, cycling and canoeing with organised events to suit a range of tastes. See also "randonnee cevenole". Cycles can be hired in Lasalle and Anduze.

Local rivers provide good swimming and fishing (although you will need a permit to fish). Canoes and kayaks can be hired to travel down the Herault and the Tarn. The full range of aquatic pursuits -swimming, snorkelling and aqualung diving, sailing etc is also available at the Mediterranean coast - the holiday centres of Palavas, La Grande Motte and Grau du Roi are about 70km from us.

Other physical activities which you can pursue locally include horse riding - Shetland poneys in Lasalle (5km), poneys and horses at Vabres (15km) and Montolieu (25km); climbing (25km at Mialet); tennis at Soudorgues and caving.  Orienteering instruction is available from the Maison de la Randonnée and there are innumerable foot and cycle races organised in the area throughout the year.

For the less energetic it is still easy to see a great deal of the beauty of the Cévennes by car or motorcycle, taking the C and D roads to such sights as the Cirque de Navacelles - a natural 300m deep canyon created by the erosion of the River Vis; the Pont du Gard - a Roman aquaduct constructed with incredible precision to take water from Uzès to Nimes; the Corniche des Cévennes - a high plateau between Florac and St Jean du Gard; the Abime de Bramabiau - a spectacular waterfall; various local Grottes (caves) can be visited - Grotte des Demoiselles, Grotte de Trabuc, Grotte de Clamouse, or you can join some guided caving (speleology) and, still underground, visit an old coal mine (Mine Temoin) in Alès (35km). The Gorges du Tarn and the Gorges de la Tourbie/Gorges de la Jonte are an easy drive away and you can see the man made wonder of the Viaduc de Millau (better photos on this site) at the same time. Mont Aigoual (height 1570m) with its weather station and museum is about 60km away. It offers skiing in winter, 4000 steps up from Valleraugue for the walker and always a challenge to cyclists.  A bit further away lies the Camargue with its salt marshes, birds, bulls and horses (see this site as well).  Both Nimes and Montpellier are very attractive historic towns, with roman buildings as well as thriving commercial centres. The ancient Duchy of Uzès is worth a visit especially for its palace and Saturday market where truffles will be found in season. And, of course, there is the Mediterranean sea, with particularly fine sandy beaches at La Grande Motte.  Sète is still a lively and attractive fishing port despite some commercialisation.

There are many museums, collections and galleries in the area featuring silk; 18km); musical instruments (Anduze 20km); the weather (Mont Aigoual 60km); water (Maison de L'eau at Les Plantiers 25km); Huguenot life (musée du desert at Mas Soubeyran, Mialet 25km; Cevenol life (musée des vallées Cevenols at St Jean du Gard 20km); pens and writing (at St Christol les Alès 30km); there are art galleries at Alès, Nimes and Montpellier; Musée 1900 at Uzès has lots of mechanical interest and toys and there is a collection of historic motorcycles and cycles at the Chateau du Bosc (at Domazan near Remoulins 70km).  You can visit a coal mine at Alès; see a working olive mill at St Jean du Gard; visit a water mill at Colognac; visit the Haras - part of the national stud farm for horses at Uzès, and ride the steam train between Anduze and St Jean du Gard.

The whole area is rich in potters - there are two in Lasalle. Products range from the famous "pots d'Anduze", through tableware to fine art. There is a village of potters at St Quentin de la Poterie near Uzès (70km) and Anduze has a large pottery fair in early August.

The Bambouseraie at Generargues (25km) has the largest collection of bamboos in Europe and can be visited using the steam train which runs on a breathtaking route between Anduze and St Jean du Gard.

The Cévennes are not without some gastronomic interest. The local goat's cheese - the Pélardon AOC - is excellent. And the sweet onion is now also AOC. Superb honeys can be found all over.  Try the chestnut honey - it will remind you of the Cévennes long after you return home.  The local producer at Soudorgues is highly recommended.  Honey is also a major ingredient of nougat and the local nougats from St Croix de Caderle simply cannot be bettered. The area still has a lot of chestnut trees and various products such as flour and jams will be found in the shops. There are two excellent eating olives produced locally - the Picholine and the Lucques.  You can see the oil production and buy all olive products at St Jean du Gard. The area is well known for mushrooms particularly cèpes and in season truffles can be bought in Uzès. Local wild boar ("sanglier") is sometimes available from the butchers.  Anduze has its herb sausage. There are good shops selling regional produce at Thoiras and St Hippolyte run by co-operatives of local producers and a "bio" (organic) shop at St Hippolyte.  A lot of organic produce is also sold on the local markets. Very good wine is produced locally (Puechcamp), the co-operative at Bourdic has a range of good wines and will give a 5% discount to occupants of the gite (ask us for details) and there are a number of excellent producers in Pic St Loup which is soon to become AC.

There are a number of fairs and picturesque local events throughout the year. Principal among these is the transhumance when the highly decorated sheep (see photo) are taken up to higher pastures for the summer -usually on Mont Aigoual. Some of the "troupeaux" come right past the gite.  Other local fairs focus on goat's cheese, chestnuts and there are a variety of cultural, musical, dramatic and just social events throughout the area all year round but particularly during the summer holiday period.