The Clochers de Tourmente (Blizzard belltowers)

Not even memories remain of the inaccessible castle built on the rock south of the village of Serviès. And yet its lords – subjects of the lords of Tournel – had many vassals whose ground rents they collected. But living conditions were too harsh, and access was too difficult. The lords left ages ago, abandoning the hamlet to its winter isolation, thick fogs and changing winds, which can disorientate walkers so much that they die of exposure. (B. Mathieu)

In the damp prairies of this immense plateau, riots of colour occur every year. Marsh marigold disguises itself as buttercups; yellow gentian sits on its fever-reducing root also used to make an aperitif; bistort with its soft pink flowers is disdained by the cows. In the Carex (sedge) family, the most striking plant is star sedge. As for the sundew, or drosera rotundifolia: the spectacle of an insect being absorbed by the glandular hairs on its leaves is reserved for advanced botanists! After this session at ground level of the marsh, raise your eyes to the horizon to admire the two unchanging, face-to-face profiles: the Roc de Serviès and the Roc des Laubies. (B. Mathieu)

Peatbogs are magnificent relics of post-glacial lakes that slowly filled with decomposing plant matter. They form an eco-system that is specific to cold climates and acid soils. In their secret depths, partly rotted substances or pollen might tell us that a forest of hazelnut trees grew here 9,000 years ago, ousted first by an oak grove and then, 4,000 years later, by a beech forest. Another two millennia later, humans burnt the beech grove to grow cereals and graze livestock. Today, peatbogs are protected at the European level. (B. Mathieu)

Caught in a violent storm, peddlers, farmers or the local abbot might hesitate over which track to take in the fog. Perhaps they missed a turning. Then they would hear the tolling of the invisible but reassuring bell, signalling the right way. The Serviès belltower is unique in having a shelter, which kept the bell ringer dry and comforted the passer-by. These small belltowers were also used to ring the Angelus bell in the morning and evening. It was also said that, as well as saving lost travellers, their sound waves kept hail away. The bishop of Mende prohibited this practice which, he declared, had more to do with superstition than observation. (B. Mathieu)