A Cévennes heritage to be preserved!
Given the topography of the Cévennes Ardéchoises, the ‘ancients’ built thousands of kilometres of dry stone walls to create terraces - known here as ‘faïsses’ - in order to be able to farm the land for crops or livestock.
Today, with the passing of the years, rainfall and the activity of wild boar, this heritage, worthy of being recognised by UNESCO, is in danger. The walls are crumbling more and more each season, and the increasingly regular Cevennes storms I mentioned a short while ago are speeding up the destruction even further.
At the Gîte des Combres, in Malbosc, in the heart of two Natura 2000 areas (Parc National des Cévennes and Parc Naturel Régional des Monts d'Ardèche), our priority is to preserve this exceptional heritage and gradually rebuild the walls that are crumbling. Since 2022, almost 200m² of dry-stone walls have been restored by Pablo, with the help of Rémi, to whom he has passed on his knowledge of the techniques used by the craftsmen who built them in the past. Seeing them at work makes it all the more thrilling to come across faïsses all over the region on our walks. Imagine the time and energy devoted by our ancestors to building these jewels by hand, which were vital to them. Their livelihood!
When you stay with us at the Gîte des Combres, in Malbosc in the south Ardèche, a large part of our income goes towards restoring and preserving the gîte, which was once a silkworm farm, and its surroundings, including almost 20 storeys of sunken farmland planted with around fifty olive trees, fruit trees, mimosa trees and other plants. You are also supporting other projects that we will tell you about later.
In the photo showing an overview of the property, the lighter-coloured walls are part of those we have rebuilt since our arrival at Les Combres in Malbosc.
The second photo shows a freshly rebuilt wall, while the third photo shows a wall that collapsed after a heavy rainstorm.
Welcome to the Gîte des Combres, welcome to our paradise!
Véronique, Yves and Stoki
