Lussan

Heading west from Bagnols-sur-Cèze and the Rhône river valley, the landscape gradually changes. Further to the west the Cévennes mountains dominate the region. On the way, small villages, like Lussan, can be found perched on small hills overlooking an arid countryside.

In many respects, the town of Lussan is like any other small village of the Gard department. It attracts a few more visitors due to its picturesque perch and proximity to Les Concluses. However, in the off-season, it reverts to a lazy town, and the many restaurants reduce their hours. On our visit, only the town hall and one crêperie were open.

However, rumor has it that the Gendarmerie, the French national police force, recently discovered a cell of Basque separatists hiding out in the community. Big news indeed for a small town.

Les Concluses

The power of water to cut through solid rock is pretty impressive. This process, however, can take hundreds of years and can leave uneven results. Sometimes the rivers rush through narrow gorges and other times they meander around gently sloping valleys. The geologic age of the river and the type of rock have a lot to do with the results.

A few kilometers northeast of Lussan (in the Gard region of France), the Aiguillon river has unevenly cut a path through the soft limestone. This river completely dries up in the summer, making it possible to hike along the river bed and stand in the rocky shelters created by the river's swirling pools. The many large bowl-shaped indentations in the rock create an interesting hiking experience.

We descended along a trail for about 2 kilometers down to the river bed. Two short planks pass as a bridge to cross the "river." Roxy joined us on the hike. She loved exploring the rocky basin, as we listened to our echoes and searched for hidden caves among the concluses.

On the opposite side of the river, trails promise more interesting destinations. However, this requires a steep ascent over boulders and around steep cliffs. The standing rock at the end of the trail was hardly worth the extra effort. Nevertheless, it was fun watching everyone scramble over the rocks in the path.