Les Fonts de Cervières on snowshoes

Pure mountain living: exceptional snow coverage thanks to the village's altitude, the Cervières Nordic ski area is vast, covering 53 kilometers divided into two sectors: Le Laus and the Vallée des Fonts.

Le Foyer de ski nordique de Cervières vous accueille pendant l'hiver. Salle hors sac, location de matériel et animations vous attendent pour découvrir tous les plaisirs des activités nordiques

The Bourget marsh in Cervières is part of the Rochebrune-Izoard-Vallée de la Cerveyrette Natura 2000 site. A natural area of ecological, faunistic, and floristic interest, this marsh is one of the largest peatland complexes in the Southern Alps.The Bourget de la Cerveyrette marsh is an exceptional complex of wetland habitats combining various swamps, peat bogs, lakes, and fens. Three remarkable environments are listed there: Transitional peat bogs, high-altitude fens on the edges of springs, and arctic-alpine pioneer fens. These are environments of great heritage value, with a very characteristic floristic composition. - Flora: The site comprises eighteen key plant species. Six are protected at the national level: Alpine rock rose, myrtle-leaved willow, false bird's-foot sedge, two-colored sedge, bog sedge, and sweet oat, which is listed in the National Red Book of Threatened Plants. Fauna: The site has a very interesting fauna heritage. It is home to twenty heritage animal species, five of which are decisive. Among others, the following are listed: Golden eagle, eagle owl, black grouse, Eurasian pygmy owl, black woodpecker, dipper, redpoll, and red deer.

This defensive wall was built in 1898-99 to block the gap in the Fonts de Cervières valley. The masonry wall is 328 m long and 2.5 m high, with more than a hundred firing battlements.Unterraced and preceded by a small ditch, the wall itself has a total length of 328.32 m, consisting of two straight alignments, terminated at both ends by a return and grafted onto a sort of central flat bastion, with one front and two flanks, which flanks it. Founded on a stepped footing to adapt to the sloping terrain, it has an average height of 2.40 to 2.50 m and a thickness of 0.45 ln, and is built of rough rubble masonry, hourd with lime mortar and unplastered. It is pierced at regular intervals by 134 "arched" crenellations and, in addition, by two passages, originally 2.36 and 2.80 m long, for paths. The south-east section included a small building measuring 5 x 3 m, leaning against the wall and used as a guardhouse for 6 men. Abandoned long ago, the structure has deteriorated as a result of weathering and the vandalism of stone salvagers: the coping tablet has disappeared, the guardhouse is in ruins and collapses are multiplying. The design of the Aittes wall (and its counterparts at Serre des Armes and Pas du Berger) is reminiscent of the layout of the "Vaudois wall", its ancestor by several centuries, and perhaps its inspiration. Given its date of construction, and with its thoroughly medieval structures, anywhere else it would appear to be a blatant anachronism in relation to the general technical context.

Crossed by the Cerveyrette torrent, the Vallée des Fonts de Cervières is an unspoiled valley waiting to be discovered, with its alpine hamlets, numerous hiking trails in summer, and cross-country ski trails in winter.From Briançon, take the road towards Cervières. Once you arrive in Cervières, do not continue towards the Col de l'Izoard, but head towards the Vallée des Fonts, which starts in the upper part of the village of Cervières. Continue for about 20 minutes until you reach the hamlet of Les Fonts, which is the end of the road. The Vallée des Fonts is also the starting point for many hikes.