This amazing landscape was shaped by the sea at a time when it covered the causses 200 million of years ago. The Tournemire amphitheatre provides a wonderful natural habitat for fauna and flora varied species.Starting from the car park at the Tournemire town hall, walk along the D23 towards Roquefort. 20 m before the passageway that goes under the railway, take the tarmac track on your right up to the old railway tunnel entrance. Follow the yellow marks and turn to the right on a footpath. Go through a fence, then after 100 m cross a path and keep following the ascending track opposite “the engineer trail”. Once you’ve reached the top of a steep slope, turn into a small dry canyon and after 150 m enjoy a magnificent view on your left. Keep going until you reach the Causse du Larzac where the Fournials fortified farm can be seen (private property, visits not allowed).Leaving the Fournials farm on your left, take the track to the right towards the Viala du Pas de Jaux. From here, a possible option is to walk onwards for 300 m and just before a small stone building leave the track and take right a footpath that goes directly down to Tournemire.Keep following the caussenard footpath and walk past a lavogne (natural pond with a paved bottom on your left) then carry on along the amphitheatre up to the Grépounac cross. Retrace your steps back to the fork with the Arnals path.Take left the track with a red and white marking (GR71C). Carry on the GR which goes down the Tournemire amphitheatre. Walk your way down to the Pont du Diable where you will see the brook Brias resurgence.Head back to Tournemire on the trail, then onto a road which passes the side of the stadium (on the right hand side) then past a beautiful building which was formerly a convent, come back to the Town Hall car park.
12 km
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max. 779 m
min. 492 m
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Ce tunnel de 1885 m. a été percé à la fin du XIXème siècle.L'Institut de Protection et de Sûreté Nucléaire a installé, en 1988, un laboratoire dans le tunnel de Tournemire afin d'effectuer des recherches et des expertises sur la géologie, la géophysique, la géomécanique, l'hydrogéochimie. Ces études fondamentales sont destinées à mieux comprendre comment l'eau se déplace et transfère les matières dissoutes. L'IPSN analyse également la struture du massif. À proximité on peu apercevoir des affleurements de marnes marines grises, il s'agit d'un mélange à égale proportion d'argile et de calcaire.Pour en savoir plus : IRSN
Emblématiques du paysage caussenard, les pelouses sèches viennent de forêts primitives modifiées par l'activité humaine (défrichement, brûlis, culture, pâturage). C'est un milieu "naturel" aux originalités biologiques remarquables : présence d'espèces animales et végétales rares, terrain de chassse pour les oiseaux nichant dans les falaises et gorges environnantes, terres pastorales traditionnelles depuis des siècles. À la fin du printemps, les causses se parent de hautes herbes (stipe pennée) qui forment une épaisses chevelure argentée. (texte PNR Grands Causses). La présence pastorale est attestée par les clapas (tas de pierre résultant de l'épierrement), les jasses, et un peu plus loin une lavogne.
Depuis le Néolithique, l'Homme n'a su de cesse que d'améliorer les nombreuses mares et trous d'eau naturels qu'il trouvait sur le causse, à la faveur d'une petite dépression du terrain appelé sotch ou doline. Ces indispensables réserves d'eau servaient aussi bien de point d'breuvement pour le bétail que de lavoir, de vivier...mais leur fond argileux, plus ou moins imperméable, n'a jamais cessé de poser des problèmes d'étanchéité. Si en occitant, lavanha designe l'ensemble des mares, qu'elles soient naturelles ou aménagées, au parc, nous préférons réserver l'appellation lavogne, ou lavagne, aux marres empierrées ou artificielles, témoins de l'essor du pastoralisme au XIXème siècle. (texte PNR Grands Causses).
Situé au sud-ouest du Causse du Larzac, le cirque de Tournemire est une zone géologique remarquable, qui marque la limite entre les avants-causses et les grands causses. Il présente des corniches calcaires et des escarpements rocheux avec des grottes et cavités où y nichent des rapaces comme le hibou grand-duc, l'aigle royal.
Zone Natura 2000, le grand cirque est une des plus remarquables entailles de la bordure occidentale du Larzac. Les pentes inférieures correspondent aux seules marnes toarcienes qui se montrent un peu dégagées dans les ravinement SW, partout ailleurs elles sont masquées par des talus de pierrailles et par de gros éboulis. Plus haut les barres calcaires et dolomitiques dessinent l'encadrement du cirque présentant un relief ruiniforme.
Les falaises du cirque de Tournemire sont le terrain de nidification et de jeux pour de nombreux oiseaux, des plus expressifs aux plus discrets : Hirondelles des rochers, le Martinet à ventre blanc, le Crave à bec rouge, le Tichodrome échelette, les Chauves-souris(Grand Ronolophe), rapaces rupestres dont le Grand Duc d'Europe.
This 1885 m long old railway tunnel was excavated towards the end of the 19th century. In 1988, a laboratory designed to undertake, geophysical, geomechanical and hydrochemistry studies was set up inside the tunnel. The aim of this fundamental research, carried out by the Nuclear Safety and Protection Institute, is to gain more knowledge of the way underground water moves and transports dissolved materials. It also examines the geological structure of the area. Some grey marine marl outcrops can be seen in the surroundings and are an equal mixture of clay and limestone.To get more information: IRSN
Dry Grasslands which are iconic features of the caussenard landscape originate from pristine forests that have been transformed by human actions (land clearing, stubble-burning, farming and pasture). This ecosystem is a semi-natural environment with outstanding biological particularities: it provides a critical habitat for rare animal and plant species and is a perfect hunting ground for birds nesting in surrounding cliffs and gorges. Moreover, these traditional pastoral lands have been used for centuries. At the end of the spring season, the causses scenery is decked out with tall grass (feather grass) that forms the shape of a thick silver hair. (source PNR Grands Causses).
Ever since the Neolithic period, humans have kept on improving the numerous natural ponds that they came across all around the Causse. They took advantage of these small land depressions called sotch or doline that provided essential water supplies to ensure the sheep watering, but were also used as laundry places or fish ponds, although their clayey bottom have always posed problems with leakage.In the Occitan language, the word lavanha refers to all kinds of ponds whether natural or hand built, whereas at the PNRGC, we have chosen to keep the word lavogne, or lavagne to designate ponds with paved bottoms, for they have witnessed the development of pastoralism over the 19th century. (source PNR Grands Causses).
Situated in the southwest of the Larzac Causse, the Tournemire Cirque is a remarkable geological area marking the bondary beetwen the fore-causses and the great causses. It presents limestone ledges and rocky escarpments with caves and cavities where raptors such as the eagle owl and the golden eagle nest.
The great Tournemire amphitheatre is one of the most outstanding escarpments of the western edge of the Larzac and as such is classified "Zone Natura 2000". The lower slopes are the only part where Toarcian marls are visible in the SW erosion gullies, everywhere else these marls are hidden under rocky slopes and big rock slides. At the top of the slopes, the dolomitic limestone ruin-shaped cliffs frame the outline of this amphitheatre.
Les falaises du cirque de Tournemire sont le terrain de nidification et de jeux pour de nombreux oiseaux, des plus expressifs aux plus discrets : Hirondelles des rochers, le Martinet à ventre blanc, le Crave à bec rouge, le Tichodrome échelette, les Chauves-souris(Grand Ronolophe), rapaces rupestres dont le Grand Duc d'Europe.
Town Hall car park situated in the village centre, avenue Hippolyte Puech, in Tournemire.
Town Hall car park situated in the village centre, avenue Hippolyte Puech, in Tournemire.
Starting from Tournemire, walk across a majestic setting made of limestone rocks and grey marls and try to identify bird and butterfly species that have found refuge in the area - the Rock Swallow, the Red-billed Chough, the Large Blue – and plant species clinging to the cliffs such as Hormathophylla macrocarpa... A walk through a haven of biodiversirty!
Coming from Saint-Affrique or from Millau, take the D999, then follow the D23 towards Tournemire for 6 km
The plesiosaure house is accessible to people with mobility impairment.
Town Hall car park situated in the village centre, avenue Hippolyte Puech, in Tournemire.
Travel by bus or train: lio.laregion.fr/carpooling : BlaBlaCar, Rézo Pouce, Mobicoop, Idvroom, LaRoueVerte, Roulez malin
Travel by bus or train: www.mobimipy.fr/carpooling : BlaBlaCar, Rézo Pouce, Covoiturage-libre, Idvroom, LaRoueVerte, Roulez malin
This itinerary is located in the World Heritage zone Causses and Cévennes, mediterranean agropastoral cultural landscape.