Читать книгу The Grand Traverse of the Massif Central. by mountain bike, road bike or on foot онлайн

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The trail now stands at the northern foot of the Cévennes, one of southern France's most romantically beautiful areas. The crossing of this great range of high, forested hills begins with a traverse of Mont Lozère, beneath the summit of its highest mountain, the Pic de Finiels (1699m/5570ft), before a long descent to Le Pont-de-Montvert.

This charming village, steeped in history, lies on the River Tarn, perhaps southern France's most celebrated river. More Cévenol hills are traversed as the GTMC now heads west, over the Bougès ridge to Florac, capital of the Cévennes, where the Tarn is encountered once more. We are now close to some of the spectacular Tarn Gorges, above which our trail journeys still westwards to reach one of the main settlements on the river, Sainte-Énimie, ancient village turned water sports capital.

The Tarn is reluctantly left behind as the trail crosses the sun-baked and often windswept Causse Méjean, a very extensive high limestone plateau, ablaze with flowers in the springtime. The southern Cévennes then have to be conquered, the GTMC climbing to its very highest point, the summit of Mont Aigoual, an extensive viewpoint. The Trèvezel Gorges are passed en route for an overnight at the gîte d'étape at the picturesque village of Dourbies. A final climb over the southernmost of the Cévennes hills and forests leads to a lower, more open plain, which is crossed to reach the historic, small walled town of La Couvertoirade, another grand place to spend the night.