The best road cycling routes around Mazan-L'Abbaye

The Ferme de Clastre is part of the last 15 thatched cottages still "standing" on the Mezenc-Gerbier massif and it is the last one located in the heart of the village. It has the particularity of having a double roof: mineral, made of phonolite slabs, for the two living quarters, and vegetal, dotted with broom, for the stable and hayloft part. The oldest writings found concerning the Ferme de Clastre indicate that its foundation dates back to the 11th century. Clastre, from the Latin "claustrum", was a non-conventual priory attached to the Abbey of Saint Chaffre du Monastier sur Gazeile. However, following two archaeological excavation campaigns carried out by the CNRS in Rennes in 2014 and 2016, charcoal dating has made it possible to prove human presence on this site dating back to 880-970, i.e. about 100 years earlier than the foundation of the priory. https://www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/ferme-de-clastre-a-sainte-eulalie/30888

Etymology: comes from Mas d’Adam, the name of the old estate that was located on the site of the current village, which was ceded by the lord of Géorant to the bishop of Viviers to allow him to found the abbey of Mazan. It all begins with the foundation of the Cistercian abbey in the heart of the village. This takes place between 1119 and 1122. At the beginning of the 12th century, canons came to settle on the site of Mas d’Adam (a toponym that would evolve into MAZAN), and were joined by monks from the abbey of Bonnevaux. These religious men built a huge abbey, of which only the remains exist today, which experienced a period of apogee that lasted until the Hundred Years' War. It gave birth to four other abbeys which are Bonneval, Sénanque, Sylvanès and le Thoronet as well as establishments for nuns. After this prosperous period, misfortunes followed one another at the abbey of Mazan: it was plundered by the great companies of the Hundred Years' War, then attacked by the Huguenots in the modern period. Before this last looting, the monks, according to legend, would have melted a golden bell with all their treasures, which they would have buried somewhere, facing and opposite the bull's-eye window, within earshot of the rooster's crow. montagnedardeche.com/patrimoine-culturel/village-de-mazan-labbaye-2387

Etymology: comes from Mas d’Adam, name of the old domain which was located at the site of the current village which was ceded by the lord of Géorant to the bishop of Viviers to allow him to found the abbey of Mazan. It all begins with the foundation of the Cistercian abbey in the heart of the village. This takes place between 1119 and 1122. At the beginning of the 12th century, canons came to settle on the site of Mas d’Adam (toponym that would evolve towards MAZAN), and were joined by monks from the abbey of Bonnevaux. These religious men built an immense abbey, of which only the remains are left today, which experienced a period of apogee that lasted until the Hundred Years' War. It gave birth to four other abbeys which are Bonneval, Sénanque, Sylvanès and le Thoronet as well as establishments of nuns. After this prosperous period, misfortunes followed one another at the abbey of Mazan: it was plundered by the great companies of the Hundred Years' War, then attacked by the Huguenots in the modern period. Before this last pillage, the monks, according to legend, would have melted a golden bell with all their treasures, which they would have buried somewhere, opposite and in front of the bull's eye, within earshot of the cock's crow. https://www.montagnedardeche.com/patrimoine-culturel/village-de-mazan-labbaye-2387/

Located at an altitude of 1,330 meters, Lachamp-Raphaël is the highest village in the Ardèche. Dominated by the Montivernoux peak, the village offers exceptional panoramic views of the Alps and the Ardèche mountains. https://lachamp-raphael.fr/

Eight million years old, Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc owes its conical shape to a viscous, cold lava that was unable to flow away. It is at its foot that the Loire River originates, in three places respectively designated as the geographical, authentic, and true sources. What if the Loire, in addition to its long journey to the Atlantic, also flowed into the Mediterranean? This is the intriguing hypothesis formulated by Gilles Clément after climbing the mountain following a period of drought, during which he nevertheless perceived a regular seepage in the rock. He imagines that Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc functions, in part, as a "water tower": a water trap based on the condensation of water vapor from clouds in desert regions. The collected water would flow at the foot of Mont Gerbier, towards the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. https://www.lepartagedeseaux.fr/le-parcours-artistique/les-oeuvres-in-situ/la-tour-a-eau/

superb pass from Largentière

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Lovely turtleneck!