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Present-day Cevennes

Although the towns around the Cevennes, such as Alès, Mende and Montpellier, offer employment, economic opportunities for the isolated villages in the high upland regions now lie in tourism and in the sale of houses for conversion into secondary residences. Tourism is expanding as more and more people are looking for areas which are unspoilt and offer space and quiet. Some villages which, a decade ago, were silent and falling into ruins have now been renovated and brought back to life. The Cevenese who left their land in order to survive are now coming back, even if it is only to renovate the family farm and live there a few weeks a year. Painters, writers and other artisans are moving into the area, lured by relatively cheap property.

Perhaps the very fact that the Cevennes does not have an obvious agricultural or industrial future means it has a different role to play – as a refuge for those seeking a respite from the increased hussle and bustle of life in the big cities. In a world where roads and buildings are spreading everywhere, and the once green fields are covered in urban sprawl, we need the Cevennes to remain as it is – wild, empty, mysterious and forgotten!