L'Espérou

Nestled at the foot of the Miquel wood, opening onto the Lingas and Montals plateaus, at an altitude of 1230 m, the village of Espérou extends over two municipalities: Val d'Aigoual and Dourbies.

For over a century, L'Espérou has been the only village in the Cévennes to maintain a stable population. Originally founded by a few serfs freed by their lord for acts of bravery, L'Espérou was repopulated, after the Wars of Religion, by people from the Aubrac region.
The village is formed in a very large valley with the main and secondary dwellings on one side and on the other, facing it, this vast grassy hill, a true green lung of L'Espérou, serving as a natural amphitheater for all cultural and sporting events, the village is classified as a Snow Village.
Currently, the village lives off two resources: the forest and tourism.
In winter, thanks to its countless slopes and the "Alti Aigoual" ski resort in Prat Peyrot/ Mont Aigoual, you can discover the pleasures of cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, as well as snowshoeing and sledding. 
In summer, L'Espérou and its surroundings are renowned for the beauty and freshness of the landscapes, ideal for hiking, horse riding, and mountain biking.

Points of interest: Sheep Transhumance Festival
For centuries, it has been a necessity for shepherds to ascend to the summer pastures, accompanying their sheep to graze in the lush green meadows. Approximately ten thousand animals are transhumant each summer on the Aigoual massif. Coming from the lower plains and valleys, the flocks of sheep are transhumant in mid-June towards the high plateaus, using the traditional drovers' roads, a practice that earned the area UNESCO World Heritage status in 2011. Every year, in mid-June, they pass through the village of L'Espérou, adorned with tassels and collars for the transhumance festival.

The Abbey of Our Lady of Happiness
- Medieval ruins of an abbey founded in 1002 - in the heart of the Aigoual massif, in the Vallée du Bonheur. Born in the glory of the High Middle Ages, this holy place has witnessed all the turbulent history of the Cévennes.
The remains, of a pure Romanesque style, reveal the remarkable design of the whole, the size of the stones, the broken barrel vault of the transept.

The "Alti Aigoual" ski resort in Prat-Peyrot
Nestled in the heart of the Col de Prat-Peyrot, this small ski resort welcomes you to the Aigoual massif. A mid-mountain resort at 1440m altitude, 1 hour 30 minutes from Nîmes and Montpellier.

The Climatograph, Aigoual Observatory
The Mont Aigoual Climate Change Interpretation Centre is located at an altitude of 1567 meters. It is the highest point in the Gard department and overlooks the southern slopes of the Cévennes mountain range. On a clear day, the panorama is exceptional, with views stretching from the Alps to the Pyrenees, and from the Puy de Sancy to the Mediterranean Sea. This visibility is rare and often fleeting, as the summit is characterized by harsh and violent weather conditions. In winter, it reveals a magnificent landscape of ice and frost.
This fortress-like building, built at the end of the 19th century, houses a discovery space of more than 700 m2, the Climatographe, the first center for interpreting and raising awareness about climate change.