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Guide
to the Loire regions
At
the Source of the Loire

Le
Cros de Ligeret, the first confluence of the river Loire, with the
L'Aïgueneire, also known as La Rivière Noire
Contents:
Overview
True
worshipers of Loire valley wines should make a pilgrimage to the source of
the river at least once in their lives in order to baptize themselves with
a glass of the clear, icy water that flows into the ancient stone trough
at la ferme de la Loire.
Any guidebook or article on the Loire invariably starts off with the
statement that the river is the longest in France. More recently, however,
there are theories that the Allier, a significant tributary of the Loire,
should claim this title. The Allier rises in the Massif Central, flowing
north and joining the Loire just south of the town of Nevers, but at their
confluence the pretender to the title is said to run stronger and as such
we should all be referring to the Châteaux or vineyards of the Allier
Valley, rather than those of the Loire.
The Loire flows for a total of 1,012 kilometres (628 miles), passing
through 12 different départements
on its course to the Atlantic. Along with its tributaries, it is
responsible for draining 120,000 square kilometres, or 22% of the country,
effectively dividing France in two in the process. The river originates
from springs that emerge from the base of Mont Gerbier de Jonc, a curious
134 metre (440 feet) high dome of volcanic rock that sits like a giant
unkempt haystack on a plateau that forms part of the Cévennes range of
hills in the north-west corner of the Ardèche département.
Whilst
for most people the Loire conjurers up images of septentrional France, the reality is that at its source the river is
just 160 kilometres as the buse
flies from the Mediterranean. Surveying the surrounding countryside one
could be convinced that these are the Highlands of Scotland, although the
topography here is much gentler and the latitude allows for a more
temperate climate, where upland meadows can reach beyond 1,400 metres -
higher than the summit of Ben Nevis. But the Ardèche remains a remote
and lonely part of rural France. At the source of the river the conditions
are harsh; inhospitable and virtually
inaccessible in winter. Spring arrives late, delayed by the cold and the
altitude, but by mid June the chaffinches, yellowhammers and chiffchaffs
are in full song, whilst hen harriers circle the surrounding pastures,
which by now are covered in a profusion of wild flowers and include
numerous varieties of gentian, violets, wild narcissi, orchids and
pansies.
Yellow
gentian (Gentiana lutea), a
plant common to mountainous regions in Europe, is widely found here and is
easily recognised by its tall, slender stem and yellow flowers that sway
in the breeze. Its large tap root is the base for locally produced bitters
of the same name and is often a secret ingredient used in many other well
known brands, such as Suze and Fernet-Branca. It’s also been used,
historically, as an alternative to quinine.
In
addition to gentian, bright purple violets are gathered in high spring by
the inhabitants of Sainte-Eulalie, the first village encountered as one
follows the course of the fledgling river. The harvesters roam the meadows
in search of the tiny flowers, before carefully drying them for a few
weeks. The entire crop is then sold over the course of a weekend at the
annual Foire-aux-Violettes, which is held in the village on the Sunday
following the 12th July. Sainte-Eulalie is a quiet and remote
community with a single bar-cum-hotel, but apparently leading up to the
fair the village becomes a lively international community, with potential
buyers from the leading perfumery, confectionary and pharmaceutical
companies all in attendance, although like at any serious truffle
gathering, the merchandise itself is rarely ever encountered.
The
Gerbier de Jonc and the controversial source of the Loire
One
theory for the origin of name Gerbier de Jonc suggests it comes from ajonc,
the French word for gorse, of which there is plenty growing on the slopes,
whilst another states that it comes from the Latin derivative of the
Indo-European word for Gar,
meaning rock, and Jugum, meaning
mountain. At its summit, the dome stands at 1,551 metres (5,089ft) above
sea level. In geological terms, it was created relatively recently, during
the late Tertiary Period, or around 1.8 million years ago. It is made up,
primarily, with sheets of phonolite, a fine-grained, alkaline-rich,
cinder-coloured volcanic rock that is very compact, although easily split
into slabs. It clangs when hit with a hammer, lending the rock its
alternative name of clinkstone.
As water gathers within the permeable layer of rock below the dome, it is
forced upwards as the water table rises. Once it hits the impermeable
layer of phonolite, the water is forced out laterally through a series of
springs, all within a few hundred metres of the foot of the Gerbier de
Jonc. Unlike at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, where the river Sorgue rises as a
torrent from between the rocks, here there is no single spout, but
several, causing much debate and disputes locally as to which is the true
source. There are three separate claims, all individually marked by
plaques, with each professing themselves as the true source of the Loire.
The
first, known as La Source
Authentique, is simply marked LA LOIRE can be found on the side of the
road directly below the dome. The monument here was erected in 1938 by Le Touring Club de France, although the day we arrived the spring
showed no sign of life, which illustrates clearly that no single source
exists; the flow is dependent on the level of the water table below the
Gerbier de Jonc at any given point in time, dictating where the springs
will emerge from out below the rocks.
The
second, ‘symbolic’ source emerges as a spout directly out of the wall
of an ancient stone barn just below the road. The tiles on the roof are
crafted from Lauze, the name
given to the split slabs of phonolite, presumably dragged off the
mountain, and typical of the upland farms of the Ardèche. The sign on the wall outside claims ici FERME de la LOIRE – SOURCE GEOGRAPHIC de la LOIRE – à
l’interieur 1re Coulée du fleuve. The water flows fast and cold into a trough where visitors are free to
take a drink, before they are enticed into the well stocked souvenir shop
inside. The trough overflows into a gully and and the water runs freely
into a potager where it helps
irrigates the fruit and vegetables served at the next door restaurant,
before disappearing into a neighbouring field, only to reappear further
down the hillside in a series of small, marshy bogs.
About
a kilometre away to the south, one finds another contender, La Source Véritable – the ‘true source’ - whose hand scrawled
sign bears the inscription ici
commence ma longue course vers l’Océan’. The spring here bubbles
steadily up from the rocks below and cuts its way through a channel and
into a large trout pond, established by the owner to demonstrate the
waters purity.
Just below the road and opposite the one of the two restaurants, is a
small marsh, filled with water forget-me-knots and other bog plants and
fed by some unseen spring and whose waters tumble gently into a wooded
ravine. There is no plaque claiming itself a pretender to the title, but
here the stream is continuous and, for this observer at least, it is the
most obvious contender to the title.
Despite the somewhat dispersed origins, the waters from the four springs
converge a little further down the valley and by the time it passes by the
village of Sainte-Eulalie, the infant Loire is clearly recognisable as a
mountain stream.
The
Gerbier de Jonc is situated on the Ligne
de Partage des Eaux, the watershed between two seas; water running off
the north and eastern side of the dome will flow into the Mediterranean by
way of the rivers Ardèche and Rhône, whilst the rest forms the source of
the Loire and follows its course north to the Atlantic. For the first ten
kilometres of the Loire’s existence, however, the river is forced south,
as if in some forlorn attempt to escape into the warmer and more tranquil
waters of the Mediterranean, only to be thwarted and deflected northwards,
making a 270˚ turn when it hits the broad mass of the Suc
de Bauzon, another volcanic dome, and the river has already dropped
275 metres (900 feet) by the time it passes through Rieutord, the village
at the foot of the Suc - the
local name given to these mountain volcanoes. At this point, the Loire is
no more that ten kilometres north of the source of the river Ardèche.
In fact, some of the Loire does flow into the Mediterranean - via a huge
hydro-electric scheme established in 1951. Water from the lac d’Issarles,
a huge circular flooded volcanic crater fed by the Loire and its dammed
tributaries of the rivers Gage, La Veyradeyre and La Palisse, falls 683
metres through a series of subterranean galleries, 17 kilometres in
length, to turbines in the village of Montpezat. The electricity produced
is sufficient to supply 200,000 domestic clients in the Rhône-Alpes and
Auvergne. After the waters have done their work, they join the Fontaulière,
a tributary of the Ardèche.
Access
to the Gerbier de Jonc and climbing to the summit

Cairn
made up of sheets of phonolite on the summit of the Gerbier
de Jonc
The
upland meadows of the northern Cévennes mountain range are a wild and
desolate place at the best of times, but the Gerbier de Jonc is
practically inaccessible between the first snows of winter and the spring
thaw. When accessing the Gerbier de Jonc from the south, there are signs
as one reaches the hamlet of Mézilhac prohibiting access towards Gerbier
de Jonc during the winter months without the security of wheel chains.
There is a general climatic rule which states that for every 100 metres of
altitude the temperature drops by one degree centigrade, and this very
much holds true here, and one should expect a 10 degree fall in
temperature between the towns of Privas and Aubenas, which are around 500
metres above sea level and the summit, even in midsummer. It’s
important, regardless of the weather conditions on departure, to pack some
warm clothes.
It’s much
better to arrive in the morning in order to enjoy the tranquility of the
place. Amazingly, given its remote location, the Gerbier de Jonc is the
second most visited tourist destination in the Ardèche département,
after Le Pont d’Arc,
attracting half a million visitors a year. The day trippers start arriving
in earnest after midday, and although many never attempt to climb to the
summit, they fill the two chalet-type restaurants that are open during the
season and mingle in front of the handful of market stalls; some selling
souvenirs and tacky t-shirts whilst others offer authentic local cheeses
and charcuterie.
The ascent from the road, which marks the start of the climb, to the
summit takes around 30 minutes, for anyone who considers themselves
moderately fit. It follows a marked trail, both up and down, and does
involve the use of a few ropes and chains in places. The summit plateau
measures some 15 metres in radius and is marked with a cairn of volcanic
rocks which balance precariously in the swirling wind. On a clear day the
Alps are visible, but more impressive are the immediate views of the
surrounding countryside. To the north and east, one looks over the valley
of the Eysse (whose waters eventually flow into the Rhône just south of
Valence), Mont Alambre and Mont Mézenc, which at 1,753 is the highest suc
in the range, whilst to the south, the mountains give way to the gently
rolling hills and valleys that are the course of the infant river Loire.
WHERE TO STAY
There is no
shortage of chambres d’hôtes within easy reach, or there are several
hotels to be found within the towns of Val-les-Bains, Aubenas and Privas,
if then objective is to arrive at the Gerbier de Jonc from the south.
Hôtel
du Nord
Sainte-Eulalie
T: + 33 4 75 38 80 09
F: + 33 4 75 38 85 50
www.hoteldunord-ardeche.com
This is a
modest little hostelry in the square in Sainte-Eulalie, the village
closest to the source of the Loire. It has been in the same hands for the
past four generations. I haven’t stayed or eaten here, but I understand
the 15 rooms are being renovated. Closed mid November to mid February.
Les Châtenes
Lablachere
Montpezeat
T: + 33 4 75 94 58 94
info@leschatenes.com
www.leschatenes.com
English
owners Tony and Rita Patton offer three cottages for rent at their home,
half way between Aubenas and Mont Gerbier de Jonc.
Château
de Rochessauve
Rochessauve
Privas
T: + 33 4 75 65 07 06
vialley@wanadoo.fr
www.chateau-de-rochessauve.com
This might
be a good hour drive from the source of the Loire, but it comes very
highly recommended. The house is a 13th Century maison-forte, is tucked away below a cirque in the Ardèche hills, about 11 kilometres south of the town
of Privas. It is run by the gentle Yannick Vialle, who is an exceptional
cook, and his partner Jacques Laurent. The rooms are sympathetically
decorated, a legacy of Jacques antique business which he runs from a shop
in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. This is a special place to eat and relax, with
lovely views and informal. No credit cards.

Château
de Rochessauve
BIBLIOGRAPHY
FRENCH
LANGUAGE:
La Loire, un fleuve vivant – Alain Bujak (Editions Ouest-France
2008)
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE:
The Companion Guide to the Loire – Richard Wade (Collins 1979)
Auvergne, Rhône Valley – Michelin
Holiday Walks in the Loire Valley – Judy Smith (2002)
USEFUL LINKS – ARDÈCHE
www.ardeche-guide.com
- Comité Départmental du Tourisme de l’Ardèche
www.goutez-l-ardeche.com
- Selection of local products and restaurants
www.gites-de-france-ardeche.com
- self catering accommodation
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