The best walks and hikes around Cheylard-L'Évêque

In the village of Luc, the Romanesque church surprises me. It's open and it takes a little getting used to the little light that comes through the small windows. This is typical of these old Romanesque vaults. But it is surprising that this church has two floors. A wide gallery not only in the rear area but also left and right up to the chancel! It must have been planned that way from the start because the windows are also arranged on two levels.

In 1978, a few friends founded an association to safeguard and enhance the Château de Luc. Its purpose is to preserve and restore these vestiges, but also to deepen their history and make it known to the public. The work carried out jointly, association and successive municipal teams allowed the restoration of the keep in 1994 with the installation of orientation tables, then that of the main building in 2008 thus allowing the organization of animations at the Castle. THE MUNICIPALITY OF LUC AND THE ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDS OF THE CHÂTEAU DE LUC INVITE VISITORS TO RESPECT THESE PLACES THAT WILL SEE OUR HISTORY.

Around 1380, during the Hundred Years War, a large troop of Englishmen and road warriors tried to seize it, but in vain. During the Wars of Religion, a garrison on foot and on horseback was installed in this fortress to defend the region. Luc's castle seems to have been dismantled around 1630, on the order of Richelieu. In 1878, a statue of Notre Dame de Luc was erected on the keep. A few months later, Robert Louis Stevenson, on his trip to the Cévennes, passed in front of the castle and stopped at Luc. The Revolution, the abolition of feudal rights, the harsh climate, the challenge of time had greatly degraded it.

LUC, from the Latin LUCUS "Sacred Wood", is one of the oldest inhabited sites in Gévaudan. In Celtic times, the promontory on which this castle stands today was a place of worship dedicated to the God Mercury who gave his name to the forest of Mercoire. From the 12th century, a fortified castle replaced the dwellings. It becomes one of the most important in the region. The first owners bear the title of Prince of Luc, Count of Luc. Enlarged over the alliances, it has kept despite its state the imposing signs of a military fortress. Guardian of the Chemin de Regordane, the pilgrimage route of Saint Gilles, a nerve center between the provinces of Gévaudan and Vivarais, it came under the bishop of Le Puy. But over the centuries, the preponderance of the Bishop of Mende was recognized and the castle passed under his suzerainty. Seat of a co-lordship with the lords Bourbal des Choisinets, Agrain des Hubacs, it successively belonged to the most illustrious families of the region.

This chapel is located on a hilltop above the village of Cheylard l'Évêque. A Way of the Cross with 14 stations leads up to the chapel.

This natural monument is located 60 m next to the Stevenson path in the forest. If you're not careful you can easily walk past it. These granite rocks are house-high, about 7 m. There are many granite boulders in this area, some of which are lined up along the side of the road so that the fields can be cultivated better. But this collection is of natural origin and worth seeing. If you then walk a little further along the Stevenson path, you will pass a nice rest area with many benches and tables and very large spruce trees, some of which were already there in Stevenson's time.

Nice granite chaos hidden in the forest and forming a small cave.

On the way to Stevenson